TLDR

• OKX is relaunching in the U.S. two months after settling with DOJ for $500 million
• The exchange named Roshan Robert as U.S. CEO and established headquarters in San Jose, California
• OKX is introducing a new wallet for American users to store and trade cryptocurrencies
• The company pleaded guilty to operating an unlicensed money transmitting business and will pay for an external compliance consultant through 2027
• The relaunch comes amid a more favorable regulatory environment for crypto under President Trump

Seychelles-based cryptocurrency exchange OKX announced on Tuesday its official relaunch in the United States, just two months after reaching a $500 million settlement with the Department of Justice. The company has appointed Roshan Robert as its U.S. CEO and established regional headquarters in San Jose, California.

The relaunch includes a complete overhaul of the exchange’s platform for American users. “It is not just the rebrand. The entire technology interface, everything has changed,” said Robert, who previously served as an executive at crypto prime broker Hidden Road before it was acquired by Ripple for $1.25 billion in April.

OKX is also introducing a new wallet designed specifically for U.S. customers to store and trade cryptocurrencies. American users of OKCoin, OKX’s sister company, will be “seamlessly migrated” to the new OKX platform, which promises “deeper liquidity, lower fees and advanced trading tools.”

🇺🇸 Bringing a New Alternative to America 🇺🇸

We're officially launching in the US with our centralized exchange & powerful multi-chain Web3 Wallet.

Roshan Robert will lead our expansion as US CEO, and our headquarters will be in San Jose, California.

More:… pic.twitter.com/VaACoqIydn

— OKX (@okx) April 16, 2025

Settlement Details and Compliance Measures

The company’s renewed focus on the U.S. market follows a February settlement with the Department of Justice. Prosecutors alleged that OKX failed to implement adequate anti-money laundering processes and improperly solicited U.S. customers without proper registration.

As part of the agreement, OKX paid a $500 million fine and pleaded guilty to one count of operating an unlicensed money transmitting business. The company also agreed to fund an external compliance consultant through February 2027.

“For over seven years, OKX knowingly violated anti-money laundering laws and avoided implementing required policies to prevent criminals from abusing our financial system,”

said Matthew Podolsky, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District, in the settlement announcement.

OKX defended its position in a blog post, stating:

“There were no allegations of customer harm, no charges against any company employee and no government appointed monitor as part of the settlement.”

Robert emphasized that OKX has invested heavily in compliance infrastructure.

“We’ve built a comprehensive, risk-based global compliance program that includes enhanced due diligence, a robust KYC process, customer risk rating systems, advanced fraud detection, AML tools, geo-blocking, and market surveillance technologies,”

he said.

Market Strategy and Regulatory Environment

The timing of OKX’s U.S. relaunch coincides with a shift toward a more crypto-friendly regulatory environment under President Donald Trump’s administration. However, Robert noted that OKX’s plans to increase its U.S. presence predate Trump’s second term.

“We were preparing our compliance infrastructure, our risk management infrastructure for the last year and a half or so,” Robert explained. He began discussions with the exchange in summer 2024 and officially joined in September, before the election results were known.

Nevertheless, Robert welcomes the Trump administration’s less aggressive approach to crypto regulation. “The rulemaking will take some time, but there is a path that we can see,” he said.

As he guides the relaunched OKX U.S., Robert faces established competitors like Coinbase and Kraken. However, he believes the U.S. market isn’t zero-sum and that younger generations’ interest in crypto will expand opportunities for all players.

“The whole digital asset market is an expanding universe,” Robert stated.

OKX is not alone in its renewed interest in the U.S. market under the Trump administration. Token launch platform CoinList recently announced its return to the U.S. after a five-year absence, and there are reports that Binance, the world’s largest crypto exchange, is also considering re-entering the American market.

Hong Fang, who serves as OKX’s global president, previously oversaw the company’s U.S. entity when it operated under the name OKcoin.