Building the Next Era of Trust: OKX’s Compliance Blueprint

By Jonathan Brockmeier, Global Chief Compliance Officer

Crypto is moving into a new era defined by maturity, accountability, and security. The industry is shifting from experimentation to long-term infrastructure, and increased oversight is no longer viewed as a limitation, but as a catalyst for progress. Higher standards make the ecosystem safer, more trusted, and more resilient. This is a transition we welcome. And it’s one OKX has been preparing for.

From the beginning, we built with the expectation that digital assets would one day operate alongside and within the global financial system. That future is now taking shape. Transparent evaluations of platform integrity, blockchain maturity, consumer protections, and compliance effectiveness will define who leads the market in the years ahead. OKX is leaning into that shift with a security-first mindset and significant, ongoing investment in people, technology, and governance.

Our mission remains clear: stop bad actors, protect users, and strengthen the legitimacy of digital finance. To do that, we we operate one of the industry’s most advanced compliance and investigations programs built to scale with the next wave of institutional participation, on-chain activity, and regulatory coordination.

Security and consumer protection are embedded into every layer of our platform as we build for the next decade of digital markets. Our custody models, proof-of-reserves verification, AML/KYC frameworks, data-protection standards, and global governance systems form a foundation we continually strengthen as threats evolve and regulators raise the bar. As digital assets become integrated into global finance, the vast majority of activity on OKX is productive and powering real economic use cases.

Three Pillars for a Safer, More Mature Ecosystem

Protect Through Expertise As crypto enters its next phase, deep specialization matters more than ever. Our financial-crime, compliance, and market-integrity experts apply the same rigor expected in traditional markets, supported by:

• Tiered KYC/KYB/EDD

• Global sanctions controls

• On-chain behavioral analysis

• Continuous transaction monitoring

• STR/SAR processes

• Market surveillance for anomalies, manipulation, or abuse

• Strong margin and liquidity-risk models

This expertise ensures the ecosystem can scale responsibly as institutional and retail adoption grows.

Protect Through Technology 2026 will be defined by intelligent, automated, real-time defenses. Our AI-driven monitoring engines and in-house surveillance systems provide 24/7 oversight, reinforced by leading global standards and certifications:

• SOC 1 Type II & SOC 2 Type II

• ISO/IEC 27001

• CSA STAR Level 1

• Independent penetration testing

• Regular internal and third-party audits

These systems ensure that as crypto becomes part of everyday financial life, the underlying infrastructure is safe, resilient, and trustworthy.

Protect Through Partnership The next era of digital assets will be collaborative and shared intelligence will play an even larger role. We work closely with industry networks like Beacon, analytic partners such as Chainalysis and TRM Labs, and regulators and law-enforcement agencies worldwide.This includes:

• GDPR/CCPA-aligned global data-protection frameworks

• Encryption at rest and in transit

• Strict access controls

• Appropriateness checks for complex products

• Cooling-off mechanisms

• Clear risk disclosures

• Transparent incident reporting

• 24/7 support for global law enforcement requests

Accountability and Zero Tolerance - 2026 Imperative In a more mature market, action matters as much as policy. When credible risks emerge, we act immediately by pausing interactions, blocking transfers, restricting accounts, freezing funds, and escalating to law enforcement when appropriate.Our position is firm: zero tolerance for illicit activity. Bad actors evolve, but so do our controls, and we will continue to strengthen them as the global regulatory environment becomes more harmonized. We enter 2026 with a clear commitment: to continue building a safer, more transparent, more resilient digital-asset ecosystem in partnership with regulators, policymakers, and the industry, and to uphold the highest standards of responsible innovation as crypto converges with mainstream finance.