Crypto exchange OKX reported a significant rise in trading activity across its licensed and regulated markets in 2025, pointing to its expansion into the United States and the European Economic Area as key growth drivers.
According to internal data shared by the company, trading volume in regulated jurisdictions surged 53 times year over year, reflecting a strategic focus on operating within formal regulatory frameworks. The exchange said daily active wallets doubled during the year, while an average of around 190,000 new wallets were created every day across its platforms.
OKX also reported strong momentum in both centralized and decentralized trading. Global decentralized exchange activity on its platform increased 262 percent, while centralized trading volume rose 16 percent over the same period. The exchange attributed this performance to increased user confidence in regulated access and product availability across major markets.
In Europe, OKX expanded across the European Economic Area in January after securing authorization under the European Union’s Markets in Crypto Assets framework. The MiCA regime introduced a unified licensing structure, allowing approved crypto service providers to operate across all member states under a single authorization.
OKX expands regulated footprint in Europe and the US
The company said its European rollout followed the full implementation of MiCA for exchanges in December 2024. Since then, competition among major crypto platforms to secure regulatory approval has intensified. In 2025, Bybit received authorization from Austria’s Financial Market Authority and named Vienna as its European headquarters. Coinbase followed with a MiCA license from Luxembourg, while Kraken obtained approval from the Central Bank of Ireland. Gemini also secured authorization from Malta’s Financial Services Authority, according to regulatory filings.
In the United States, OKX said its April market entry aligned with several favorable regulatory developments. These included the passage of the GENIUS Act, which established a federal framework for stablecoin issuance and usage, and steps taken by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency to allow chartering of crypto native trust banks.
Since the GENIUS Act became law in July, the stablecoin market has expanded to more than $310 billion, based on data from DefiLlama. US dollar backed stablecoins issued by Tether and Circle account for roughly 85 percent of total supply, highlighting the growing role of regulated stablecoins in the broader digital asset ecosystem.
Market data from CoinMarketCap currently ranks OKX fourth globally among cryptocurrency exchanges. The ranking methodology considers factors such as platform traffic, liquidity, reported trading volume, and confidence in volume authenticity.
Despite its expansion, OKX has also faced regulatory challenges in certain regions. In December, the exchange was among several global crypto platforms blocked in Belarus after the Ministry of Information restricted access to their websites. Authorities cited violations related to inappropriate advertising under the country’s Law on Mass Media.
As regulatory clarity continues to improve across major economies, OKX said it plans to maintain its focus on licensed market access, positioning compliance as a core component of its long term growth strategy.
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