OKX has added Circle, Ripple, Qube Research & Technologies and SC Ventures, the investment arm of Standard Chartered, to its shareholder base as the crypto exchange expands beyond trading into stablecoin payments and other financial services.
Chief Executive Officer Star Xu said on Oct. 6 that the strategic investment was completed at a $25 billion pre-money valuation. OKX did not disclose the amount raised. The valuation is the same as in the exchange’s March financing, when Intercontinental Exchange, the owner of the New York Stock Exchange, invested about $200 million.
According to CryptoSlate, Xu said the latest transaction was driven by the strategic value of the new partners rather than an immediate need for additional funding. The investors’ businesses are connected to several areas OKX is targeting, including stablecoins, payments, institutional liquidity and tokenized assets.
New investors deepen OKX’s financial partnerships
The new shareholder group brings companies with existing or potential links to OKX’s platform. Circle issues USDC, a dollar-backed stablecoin integrated across the exchange. Ripple’s RLUSD is available through OKX’s unified order book, while Qube Research & Technologies is an institutional counterparty that provides liquidity and risk capacity.
SC Ventures adds a connection to Standard Chartered, which acts as custodian for BlackRock’s BUIDL tokenized Treasury fund. BUIDL is used in an institutional collateral framework developed with OKX.
The participants therefore represent more than a conventional funding source. Circle and Ripple are stablecoin issuers, QRT contributes institutional trading and liquidity capabilities, and Standard Chartered provides a link to traditional banking infrastructure and custody. Their involvement aligns with OKX’s stated goal of building services around digital dollars, payments and tokenized financial assets.
Ripple said its investment could support deeper cooperation with OKX in stablecoins, payments and institutional markets. Circle Chief Executive Jeremy Allaire characterized the deal as an extension of the companies’ existing relationship involving USDC and on-chain market infrastructure.
The unchanged valuation also distinguishes the transaction from a higher-priced fundraising round. Instead, OKX has brought in partners positioned across different parts of the financial system it is attempting to develop, from stablecoin issuance and custody to liquidity and payments.
OKX Money takes the exchange into consumer payments
OKX’s broader strategy was reinforced by the launch of OKX Money, a standalone application aimed at people who want to save, transfer and spend dollar-backed stablecoins rather than trade crypto assets.
In participating markets, users can fund accounts with more than 50 currencies and hold USDG, USDC or USDT. The app combines stablecoin balances with international transfers and virtual or physical cards. OKX says it does not charge a foreign-exchange fee or conversion markup when customers make purchases in another currency.
Eligible customers may earn up to 10% annually on qualifying USDG balances without staking or lockups. A loyalty program also offers up to 10% cashback on eligible card purchases. The available features, rates and eligibility conditions vary by market and customer.
OKX said approximately 70% of the people it hopes to reach through Money have never used a crypto application. As a result, the company is attempting to keep the blockchain technology behind the service mostly out of the customer experience.
That objective puts OKX into competition with stablecoin issuers, fintech companies and other crypto platforms seeking consumers interested in dollar exposure, cross-border payments and card spending. Those customers may not want to trade digital assets or interact directly with blockchain infrastructure.
The company is initially concentrating on participating markets where currency volatility, limited banking access and foreign-exchange costs can make it harder to hold or spend dollars. OKX said the service will expand gradually, rather than becoming available immediately in all of the more than 30 jurisdictions where it operates under regulatory frameworks.
The adoption challenge
OKX now faces a test that differs from operating a crypto exchange. Reaching people with no previous crypto experience will require the company to develop consumer distribution, compliance and support capabilities suited to everyday payments.
The new investors have their own strategic interests in the expansion. Circle and Ripple stand to gain from broader stablecoin use, QRT is connected to institutional market activity, and Standard Chartered has been increasing its exposure to digital-asset infrastructure. The key question for OKX is whether these relationships can help generate payment activity and user adoption beyond the trading volumes that established the exchange.
Current market picture
Moneyiar market data at 10:48-10:49 on Oct. 7, 2026, showed XRP at $1.4464, down 4.14% over 24 hours and 4.34% over seven days. STABLE was priced at $0.02734, falling 2.78% in 24 hours and 4.97% over seven days.
Ethereum Name Service traded at $6.4175, down 7.03% over 24 hours and 9.14% over seven days, while Compound stood at $23.2550, down 5.41% in 24 hours and 8.08% over seven days. These figures are Moneyiar data at the stated times.
