OKX, a renowned crypto exchange, has secured a strategic investment from Circle, Qube Research & Technologies (QRT), Ripple, and Standard Chartered’s SC Ventures. As per the announcement by OKX, it has secured investment at a $25 billion pre-money valuation.
The investment extends a funding round led earlier this year by Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), the parent company of the New York Stock Exchange. OKX has not disclosed the exact amount raised through the latest investment. ICE invested approximately $200 million in OKX in March 2026 at the same $25 billion valuation.
We’re announcing a strategic investment from @Circle, QRT, @Ripple and SC Ventures by @StanChart at a $25 Billion pre-money valuation.
This is how we’re aligning critical builders behind our vision for the next generation of onchain markets.
— OKX (@okx) October 6, 2026
Circle and Ripple Join Strategic Investment
In its announcement on X, OKX has said that the new investors were selected based on their involvement in stablecoins, payments, and liquidity. Circle, the issuer of USDC, already has a close relationship with OKX. QRT, a global investment manager, works with OKX as an institutional counterparty and provides liquidity. Ripple brings expertise in payments, liquidity, and stablecoins to the partnership.
Its RLUSD stablecoin is also available through OKX’s unified order book. Meanwhile, SC Ventures, the venture arm of Standard Chartered, is involved in institutional digital asset infrastructure and serves as custodian for BlackRock’s BUIDL tokenized Treasury fund, which supports OKX’s institutional collateral framework.
OKX Targets Stablecoins and Tokenized Assets
OKX CEO and founder Star Xu said the exchange intends to expand beyond cryptocurrency trading. The company plans to focus on areas including stablecoins, payments, institutional markets, and tokenization of real-world assets. Xu also described the latest investment as strategic rather than necessary for the company’s funding requirements.
The investment comes as OKX is making efforts to broaden its product offering beyond just a cryptocurrency exchange. The company recently launched OKX Money, a standalone application targeting emerging markets. The service allows users to convert more than 50 local currencies into dollar-backed stablecoins, including $USDC, $USDT, and $USDG.
Separately, the joint venture of OKX and ICE, OKXICE, has notified the US SEC of the plan to launch a tokenized securities venue.