As the global regulatory environment becomes increasingly stringent, market access and information security have become the core issues in the development of the crypto industry. OKX is definitely one of the leaders in industry compliance. It has set a new benchmark for the development of the industry by continuously obtaining global authoritative regulatory licenses and building a financial-grade security system.
From EU MiCA to Singapore MPI, from Dubai VASP to EU MiFID II, behind each heavyweight license is OKXs deep understanding and active embrace of the regulatory framework; from ISO 27001 to SOC 2 Type II, each security certification obtained confirms OKXs firm commitment to protecting user assets beyond industry standards.
This article will systematically review the compliance licenses and security certifications obtained by OKX worldwide, and lead everyone to understand OKXs leading technical strength and compliance capabilities, as well as its long-term vision of promoting the healthy development of the industry - building a safe, reliable and transparent digital asset ecosystem for global institutions and individual traders.
1. EU MiFID II License
In March 2025, cryptocurrency exchange OKX successfully obtained the European Markets in Financial Instruments Directive II (MiFID II license). This progress represents OKX as a cryptocurrency exchange that meets the regulatory standards of traditional financial institutions, paving the way for it to expand its institutional derivatives business in the European Economic Area (EEA).
MiFID II is the gold standard for EU financial market regulation. It is a comprehensive regulatory framework established by the EU to regulate financial markets and strengthen investor protection. It has two main purposes: to prevent financial companies from defrauding investors and to prevent future financial crises. It sets strict standards for many financial products, including derivatives, and covers a wide range of regulations. This standard is a guiding document for the EU financial market. The 27 EU member states must formulate corresponding regulatory regulations based on MiFID II for their financial derivatives markets.
The MiFID II license means that OKX can provide regulated derivatives products and services to institutional clients in the European Economic Area (EEA). At the same time, it also means that its risk control system, operating standards and information disclosure mechanism have met the highest requirements of EU regulators.
2. EU MICA certification
In February 2025, OKX became one of the first cryptocurrency exchanges to be authorized by MiCA to provide services in Europe. With the approval, OKX can provide regulated localized crypto products and services to more than 400 million Europeans in the 28 European Economic Area (EEA) member states through its hub in Malta.
The Markets in Crypto Assets regulation bill (MiCA), which will come into full effect at the end of 2024, is the EUs first comprehensive crypto asset regulatory law.
The bill clarifies the regulatory scope of crypto assets, and divides the regulated crypto assets into three categories: asset-referenced tokens (ART), electronic money tokens (EMT), and crypto assets other than ART and EMT, which are other crypto asset tokens specified in the MiCA Act. At the same time, the bill puts forward regulatory requirements for crypto asset service providers, and also includes specific rules and content for protecting investors.
Legal persons or other legal enterprises that have obtained formal authorization and approval from MiCA are licensed crypto-asset service providers (CASPs), which can provide cross-border crypto-asset services throughout the EU jurisdiction. After the implementation of MiCA, unlicensed institutions will face liquidation, and compliance licenses will become a prerequisite for continued operation.
MiCA focuses on regulating crypto assets that are not classified as financial instruments, while MiFID II regulates traditional financial instruments. By obtaining both certifications at the same time, OKX is uniquely positioned to bridge the gap between traditional financial markets and the growing crypto industry. With it, OKX can now serve institutional traders seeking regulated cryptocurrency derivatives, potentially bringing more participants to the cryptocurrency market.
3. Dubai VASP License
On January 16, 2024, OKX Middle East Affiliate (OKX Middle East) was officially awarded the Virtual Asset Service Provider (VASP) license by the Dubai Virtual Asset Regulatory Authority (VARA), marking OKX as one of the digital asset platforms with compliance qualifications in the Middle East. The VASP license represents the highest level of recognition and trust in virtual asset operations in Dubai.
The Dubai Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA) is one of the most stringent virtual asset regulators, which has identified eight different regulated virtual asset (VA) activities, such as virtual asset consulting services, brokerage services, custody services, trading services, etc. Only platforms authorized by VARA can participate in the construction of a compliant digital asset ecosystem in the Middle East, and anyone who wishes to conduct regulated virtual asset business in Dubai or the UAE must obtain a VASP license.
With the support of the VASP license, OKX Middle East will be able to provide spot trading services to institutions and qualified retail customers through the OKX official trading platform and APP. More importantly, operating under the strict regulatory framework of VARA, OKX will ensure that all business activities meet the transparency and compliance requirements of the regulator, providing a strong institutional guarantee for the security of user assets.
4. Singapore MPI license
On September 2, 2024, OKX obtained a full payment institution (MPI) license issued by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), becoming one of the digital asset service providers operating in compliance with the Payment Services Act 2019 (PS Act). This license represents an important compliance breakthrough in the Asia-Pacific region, which is conducive to bank cooperation and capital channel building. At the same time, OKX appointed former MAS official Gracie Lin as CEO of the Singapore regional branch.
As a global fintech center, Singapores regulatory framework has always been known for its rigor and innovation. After being revised in early 2020, new digital payment services were included. The virtual assets involved mainly include the regulatory provisions on electronic money (E-money) and digital payment tokens (Digital Payment Token), which provides clear guidance for the compliance development of the cryptocurrency industry.
Major Payment Institution Licence (MPI) is one of the licenses for payment service providers under the Singapore regulatory system. It is suitable for payment technology companies with wide business coverage, large transaction volume and long-term development plans. Payment institutions that obtain MPI licenses can provide a variety of payment services without any restrictions on transaction volume.
After obtaining the MPI license, OKX SG will be able to provide local users with comprehensive digital payment token services, including cryptocurrency spot trading and cross-border remittances. This breakthrough will significantly enhance OKXs market competitiveness in Singapore and the Asia-Pacific region. At the same time, for users, this means a safer and more convenient digital asset trading experience.
In addition to investment and efforts in market access and compliance qualifications, OKX also attaches great importance to the security construction of the platform itself. It takes international standards as its own requirements, improves the technology and risk prevention and control system, builds a platform security environment, and introduces leading industry security organizations to conduct audits and reviews to ensure that high security standards are maintained in the industrys core areas.
1. SOC (System and Organization Controls) Type II
OKX has continued to obtain Service Organization Control (SOC) 2 Type II audits in September 2023 and July 2024, demonstrating that OKXs long-term processes for managing corporate services, managing sensitive data, and protecting data privacy meet the highest global standards.
SOC 2 is an audit standard developed by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) to ensure the control measures taken by institutions in terms of data security, availability and processing integrity. These control measures include the systems used by service agencies to process user data, as well as the confidentiality and privacy of the information processed by these systems. It has now become the gold standard for many regulated industries. The SOC 2 security framework covers how companies should handle customer data stored in the cloud to prevent risk events such as data leaks and ransomware attacks. It is particularly suitable for companies like OKX that rely on cloud security.
This standard defines criteria for managing customer data based on five principles: security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality and privacy.
• Security: refers to protecting system resources from unauthorized access;
• Availability: the accessibility of a system, product or service as specified in a contract or service level agreement (SLA);
• Processing integrity: whether the system achieves its purpose (i.e. providing the right data at the right time for the right price). Therefore, data processing must be complete, valid, accurate, timely and authorized;
• Confidentiality: Data is considered confidential if access and disclosure of the data is restricted to specific individuals or organizations.
• Privacy: The system collects, uses, retains, discloses, and disposes of personal information in accordance with the organization’s privacy statement and the standards set forth in the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) Generally Accepted Privacy Principles (GAPPs).
Additionally, SOC certifications are divided into Type I (a certain point in time) and Type II (lasting 6-12 months), and SOC 2 reports assess the operation of these controls over a period of time, which is more difficult.
Completing this certification reflects OKXs core operating philosophy and commitment to security, transparency and trust, and also proves that OKXs infrastructure specifications, service availability and robustness meet strict standards. At the same time, this certification can also help OKX demonstrate its system and data processing capabilities when cooperating with large institutions and enterprises or providing API services, and meet corporate customers expectations for compliance and data security.
2. ISO 27001 (Privacy Information Management System)
In May 2025, OKX obtained ISO 27001 certification, which is an authoritative guide for global information security management and is widely used in many fields such as fintech, SaaS, cloud services, healthcare, government agencies, etc., especially for companies that handle sensitive information such as user identity, transactions, KYC, etc., such as Stripe, Revolut, Paypal and VISA, which also means that OKXs operating standards are comparable to those of technology giants and traditional financial services companies.
ISO 27001 is an international standard for information security management systems (ISMS) jointly developed by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). It aims to help organizations systematically identify, assess and control information security risks and protect the organizations information assets from being leaked, tampered with or destroyed.
ISO 27001 requires organizations to establish an information security management system (ISMS) covering policies, processes, personnel and technical controls to ensure the confidentiality, integrity and availability of information. Through risk assessment and control plans, the security governance system is continuously optimized. This certification is internationally recognized and is particularly valued by the EU and Asia-Pacific markets.
Its core principles revolve around:
• Confidentiality: Ensure that only authorized personnel can access specific information to prevent information leakage;
• Integrity: ensure the accuracy and consistency of information content and prevent tampering;
• Availability: ensuring that information can be accessed and used by authorized personnel in a timely manner when needed;
The institutions and organizations that this standard is suitable for include financial technology companies (such as virtual asset trading platforms, lending, and payments), SaaS and B2B service platforms involving sensitive data, and technology companies involved in government or financial institution projects (hard compliance requirements). When cooperating with traditional financial institutions (such as banks and payment gateways), ISO 27001 is often used as an entry threshold.
The ISO 27001 certification represents OKXs systematic information security capabilities, proving OKXs ability to systematically identify and respond to threats such as data leaks and hacker attacks; and reflects OKXs long-term efforts to meet global regulations/industry supervision and enhance employees awareness of data risks and compliance.
3. Industry-leading security audit
OKX has been engaged in long-term and comprehensive cooperation with SlowMist since 2023, and has undergone security testing and auditing in many aspects such as private key security, wallet module, and AA smart contract account. As a well-known blockchain security company in the industry, SlowMist has accumulated many years of experience in security vulnerability detection, security standard setting, and solutions. This cooperation provides continuous and comprehensive security protection for OKXs various businesses, enabling OKX to explore more comprehensive security standards and solutions.
In addition, starting from January 2025, OKX POR reports will be independently verified by Hacken, a world-renowned cybersecurity company. Hacken has been focusing on blockchain security since 2017 and has always been committed to setting excellent security standards for the industry. This cooperation will further enhance OKXs financial transparency, provide users with a higher level of asset protection, and continue to strengthen the platforms industry-leading position in security credibility.
Conclusion
By obtaining the most representative financial and technology compliance licenses in Europe, the United States, and the Asia-Pacific region, OKX has demonstrated its high-standard capabilities in system security, data governance, and privacy protection to global users and institutional partners, while taking practical actions to build a compliance bridge connecting traditional finance and digital assets.
The strategy of integrating multiple certificates into one demonstrates OKX’s long-term strategic vision of building a globally trusted infrastructure, and also provides a solid compliance foundation for future business expansion, institutional cooperation, and asset chain integration.
Disclaimer:
This article is for reference only. This article only represents the authors views and does not represent the position of OKX. This article is not intended to provide (i) investment advice or investment recommendations; (ii) an offer or solicitation to buy, sell or hold digital assets; (iii) financial, accounting, legal or tax advice. We do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness or usefulness of such information. Holding digital assets (including stablecoins and NFTs) involves high risks and may fluctuate significantly. You should carefully consider whether trading or holding digital assets is suitable for you based on your financial situation. Please consult your legal/tax/investment professionals for your specific situation. Please be responsible for understanding and complying with local applicable laws and regulations.
