OKX
OKX is a centralised crypto exchange, launched as OKEx in 2017, offering spot, perpetual and expiry futures, options, trading bots and earn products. The global schedule charges regular users 0.08% maker and 0.10% taker on spot and 0.02%/0.05% on futures. US residents use a separate platform run by OKX Inc. (not available in New York) whose fee page lists spot pairs only, at 0.20%/0.35% for regular users. In February 2025 the global operating entity pleaded guilty in the US to running an unlicensed money transmitting business.
Cost: Global spot: 0.08% maker and 0.10% taker for regular users (under $100K assets or $1M 30-day volume), falling to -0.005% maker and 0.015% taker at VIP 9. Global futures: 0.02% maker and 0.05% taker for regular users. Fees vary by region: OKX US charges regular users 0.20% maker and 0.35% taker on spot, the EEA site 0.08%/0.10% in EUR, and the UAE site 0.40%/0.60%. Fee tiers update daily from 30-day volume or assets. Pairs with 0% maker and taker fees don't count toward volume. Withdrawals carry a network fee. The round trip shown is 2 x the global regular-user spot taker rate; on OKX US it is 0.70%. A $1,000 buy-and-sell costs about $2.00 in OKX fees.
Sign-up perk: New-user welcome rewards after signing up through the link, completing advanced identity verification and finishing tasks (trading tasks within 14 days of sign-up). The amount varies by region and inviter: invite pages checked on 2026-10-27 showed up to 100 USDT on the global site and up to EUR 400 on the EEA site; the US invite page showed no reward.
Checked 2026-10-27 · sources below- Round trip fee
- 0.2% buy + sell, platform fee
- $1,000 buy + sell
- $2.00 before network + pool fees
- Fees paid, 30d
- — not tracked by DefiLlama
- US availability
- Partly available UK: partly available · EU: available
More on OKX: Is it legit? · Referral code · Fees · Alternatives · US alternatives
Quick answers
- Can I use OKX in the US? Partly. OKX is only partly available in the United States.
- Does OKX require KYC? Yes. OKX requires identity verification (KYC).
- Does OKX have a mobile app? Yes. OKX has both an iOS app and an Android app.
- Is OKX custodial? Who holds your funds? Yes. OKX is custodial: the venue holds your funds on your behalf.
- Why can't I withdraw from OKX? Crypto is withdrawn on-chain from your OKX account. Each fee tier has a 24-hour crypto withdrawal limit, valued in USD and recalculated daily at 4:00 PM UTC. Regular users get 10,000,000 USD; you can ask support for a temporary increase. OKX documents 7 reasons a withdrawal can be delayed or held, listed below.
- Does OKX report to the IRS? Yes. OKX issues tax forms to US customers (1099-DA and 1099-MISC), and the IRS gets a copy.
- Custody
- Custodial
- KYC
- required
- Platforms
- web, ios, android
- Launched
- 2017
Best for: Traders outside the US who want a large centralised exchange with low base spot and futures fees, and US residents (except New York) who want spot trading through OKX US.
OKX fees
| Fee | Type | Rate | Applies to | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spot taker fee (regular user, global) | platform | 0.1% | Buy and sell | Global schedule. OKX says fees may vary by region; check the fee page in your account. |
| Spot maker fee (regular user, global) | platform | 0.08% | Buy and sell | Falls to 0.0675% at VIP 1 and turns negative (a rebate) from VIP 7. |
| Perpetual and expiry futures taker fee (regular user, global) | platform | 0.05% | Buy and sell | Regular user tier: under $100K assets or $5M 30-day futures volume. |
| Perpetual and expiry futures maker fee (regular user, global) | platform | 0.02% | Buy and sell | 0.016% at VIP 1. |
| OKX US spot taker fee (regular user) | platform | 0.35% | Buy and sell | OKX Inc. schedule for US residents: regular user is up to $100K assets or $100K 30-day volume; maker 0.20%. VIP 1 is 0.10% maker and 0.20% taker. |
| Expiry futures settlement fee | other | 0.01% | 0.01% for all users regardless of tier. | |
| Spread trading | other | — | Buy and sell | Each leg is charged at 50% of its normal spot or perpetual rate. |
| Network fee (crypto withdrawals) | network | — | Charged per withdrawal; varies by coin, network and blockchain congestion. |
| Trade size | OKX fee, buy + sell |
|---|---|
| $100 | $0.20 |
| $1,000 | $2.00 |
| $10,000 | $20.00 |
Fee tiers
| Tier | Rate | Requirement |
|---|---|---|
| Regular user | 0.1% | default; under $100K assets or under $1M 30-day spot volume; spot maker 0.0800% / taker 0.1000%; futures maker 0.0200% / taker 0.0500% |
| VIP 1 | 0.08% | $100K assets or $1M 30-day spot volume; spot maker 0.0675% / taker 0.0800% |
| VIP 2 | 0.07% | $200K assets or $5M 30-day spot volume; spot maker 0.0600% / taker 0.0700% |
| VIP 3 | 0.065% | $2M assets or $10M 30-day spot volume; spot maker 0.0550% / taker 0.0650% |
| VIP 4 | 0.045% | $5M assets or $20M 30-day spot volume; spot maker 0.0300% / taker 0.0450% |
| VIP 5 | 0.035% | $20M assets or $100M 30-day spot volume; spot maker 0.0250% / taker 0.0350% |
| VIP 6 | 0.03% | $50M assets or $200M 30-day spot volume; spot maker 0.0000% / taker 0.0300% |
| VIP 7 | 0.023% | $100M assets or $500M 30-day spot volume; spot maker -0.0010% / taker 0.0230% |
| VIP 8 | 0.02% | $250M assets or $1B 30-day spot volume; spot maker -0.0025% / taker 0.0200% |
| VIP 9 | 0.015% | $500M assets or $5B 30-day spot volume; spot maker -0.0050% / taker 0.0150% |
Perps: taker 0.05%, maker 0.02% — Global regular-user tier for perpetual and expiry futures. The OKX US fee page lists no futures schedule.
Platform fees only. On-chain network/priority fees, pool (LP) fees and price impact are extra and vary by trade.
Is OKX legit?
Balances on the exchange are held by OKX. OKX publishes monthly Proof of Reserves reports (zk-STARK based) and says it keeps a 1:1 reserve ratio. Its self-custody wallet and DEX aggregator are separate products (see the OKX Wallet and OKX DEX sheets).
Backers: Intercontinental Exchange (NYSE parent), 2026-03.
Incidents on record
- 2025-02-24: US guilty plea and more than $504M in penalties. Aux Cayes Fintech Co. Ltd (d/b/a OKX), the Seychelles entity behind the global platform, pleaded guilty in the Southern District of New York to one count of operating an unlicensed money transmitting business. It agreed to forfeit $420.3M and pay a fine of about $84.4M, and to keep an external compliance consultant through February 2027. Prosecutors said it served US customers despite a policy barring them, and was used for more than $5B of suspicious transactions and criminal proceeds. Source
- 2020-10-16: Five-week crypto withdrawal suspension. OKEx halted all crypto withdrawals on 2020-10-16, saying a private key holder was out of contact while cooperating with a police investigation. On 2020-11-19 it said withdrawals would resume on or before 2020-11-27. Source
The full "is OKX legit?" check →
Where OKX is available
| Region | Status |
|---|---|
| United States | Partly available |
| United Kingdom | Partly available |
| European Union | Available |
US: the global OKX platform lists 'certain jurisdictions within the United States', including all US territories, as restricted locations. US residents are served by OKX Inc., a FinCEN-registered money services business (NMLS #1767779). Its U.S. Licenses page (updated 2026-09-15) says it does not serve residents of New York, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands or the U.S. Virgin Islands. It lists state licences for token-to-token and USD-to-token services, including Texas. The OKX US fee page lists spot pairs only. UK: OKX's risk disclosure says it may restrict derivatives, cefi and P2P services there. EEA: served by OKX Europe Limited (Malta), which says it holds a MiCA licence; fees are priced in EUR. The global restricted list also includes Canada, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Malaysia, Afghanistan, Cuba, Iran, Nepal, North Korea, Syria, Uzbekistan, and Crimea, Donetsk and Luhansk. (source)
We report what the venue's own terms say. Don't use a VPN to get around restrictions; venues can freeze accounts that do.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Global regular-user fees are 0.08% maker and 0.10% taker on spot and 0.02%/0.05% on futures.
- Publishes monthly Proof of Reserves reports using zk-STARK proofs; its 48th report showed $29.4B in primary assets.
- US residents in most states can use OKX Inc., which is FinCEN-registered and lists state money transmitter licences.
- EEA customers are served by a Malta entity that says it holds a MiCA licence.
Cons
- The global operator pleaded guilty in February 2025 to running an unlicensed money transmitting business and paid more than $504M.
- OKX US charges regular users 0.20% maker and 0.35% taker, its fee page lists spot pairs only, and it is not available in New York.
- Halted all crypto withdrawals for about five weeks in October-November 2020.
- Custodial exchange with mandatory identity verification; fees and products vary by region.
Features
spot tradingconvertperpetual and expiry futuresoptionsspread tradingtrading botsP2P tradingearn productsoutcome marketsRFQ and block tradesproof of reservesVIP programAPI
Alternatives to OKX
Binance
Traders outside the US, Canada, the Netherlands, the UK and the EU who want a large centralised exchange with low base spot and futures fees and a BNB fee discount.
0.2%Round trip
Bybit
Derivatives-focused traders outside the US, Canada and Singapore who want a large centralised exchange with perpetuals, options and copy trading.
0.2%Round trip
Kraken
Traders in the US (outside New York and Maine), UK or EEA who want a long-running regulated exchange and will use Kraken Pro limit orders rather than the 1% instant-buy flow.
1.6%Round trip
Coinbase Advanced
Active traders in the US, UK or EU who want an order book with no spread and tiered fees, from the same account as regular Coinbase.
1.8%Round trip
All OKX alternatives compared →
Where OKX ranks
- #8 in Lowest-fee crypto trading appsof 10
- #10 in Best apps to buy meme coinsof 10
OKX FAQ
Is OKX legit?
OKX has operated since 2017 (as OKEx), requires identity checks and publishes monthly Proof of Reserves. Its global operator pleaded guilty in the US in February 2025 to running an unlicensed money transmitting business and paid more than $504M. It halted withdrawals for about five weeks in 2020.
Can I use OKX in the US?
Yes, through OKX US, run by FinCEN-registered OKX Inc. Its licences page (updated September 15, 2026) says it does not serve New York, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands or the U.S. Virgin Islands. The US fee schedule lists spot pairs only. The global platform lists parts of the US as restricted.
What are OKX trading fees?
On the global schedule, regular users pay 0.08% maker and 0.10% taker on spot and 0.02%/0.05% on futures, falling with VIP tier. OKX US charges 0.20% maker and 0.35% taker for regular users. OKX says fees vary by region.
Does OKX send US tax forms?
Yes, for OKX US users. OKX says it must issue Form 1099-DA from tax year 2025, with cost basis added for covered transactions from 2026, and a 1099-MISC for $2,000 or more in rewards or staking. The 2026 1099-DA is due by February 16, 2027.
Sources
Last checked . Fees and terms change often; the venue's own page wins if it disagrees with ours.
- OKX - Trading fee schedule (global: spot, futures, options, VIP tiers, 24h withdrawal limits) — checked 2026-10-27
- OKX US - Trading fee schedule (spot standard and stablecoin pairs) — checked 2026-10-27
- OKX EU - Trading fee schedule (EUR) — checked 2026-10-27
- OKX UAE - Trading fee schedule (AED) — checked 2026-10-27
- OKX US - U.S. Licenses (updated 2026-09-15) — checked 2026-10-27
- OKX Terms of Service (last updated 2026-10-22; contracting entities by region) — checked 2026-10-27
- OKX Risk & Compliance Disclosure (Section 3: restricted locations) — checked 2026-10-27
- OKX EU homepage (MiCA licence statement) — checked 2026-10-27
- OKX Help - What is the OKX referral program — checked 2026-10-27
- OKX invite landing page (global, EEA and US versions) — checked 2026-10-27
- OKX Help - Why can't I withdraw funds? — checked 2026-10-27
- OKX - Crypto withdrawal fees and minimums — checked 2026-10-27
- OKX Help - How do I verify an individual account? (advanced verification required) — checked 2026-10-27
- OKX - Proof of Reserves — checked 2026-10-27
- OKX US - Tax Center general FAQ (1099-DA, 1099-MISC) — checked 2026-10-27
- OKX US - Crypto tax reporting (1099-DA, W-9/W-8) — checked 2026-10-27
- US DOJ (SDNY) - OKX pleads guilty, penalties totaling more than $504 million (2025-02-24) — checked 2026-10-27
- CoinDesk - OKEx suspends withdrawals, key holder unavailable (2020-10-16) — checked 2026-10-27
- Wikipedia - OKX (history, 2020 withdrawal halt and resumption, ICE investment) — checked 2026-10-27