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OKX adds Circle, Ripple and Standard Chartered arm at $25B

OKX says Circle, Ripple, QRT and Standard Chartered’s SC Ventures invested at a $25 billion pre-money valuation, extending its ICE-backed round.

The ChainBrief Editors

OKX adds Circle, Ripple and Standard Chartered arm at $25B

Crypto exchange OKX says Circle, Ripple, Qube Research & Technologies (QRT) and SC Ventures by Standard Chartered have made a strategic investment at a $25 billion pre-money valuation. In its investment announcement on Oct. 6, OKX said the financing extends a round led by Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), the owner of the New York Stock Exchange.

The investment brings firms already connected to OKX’s stablecoin, liquidity and custody infrastructure onto its investor roster.

OKX did not disclose the amount raised or the investors’ stakes. CoinDesk reported that the new financing extends ICE’s March investment and carries the same pre-money valuation. OKX described the latest round as a way to deepen ties with partners involved in different parts of its financial infrastructure.

What does each investor bring to OKX?

OKX said Circle issues USDC, which is integrated across its platform, while Ripple’s RLUSD stablecoin is available on OKX’s unified order book. The exchange described QRT as an institutional counterparty that supplies liquidity and risk capacity and works with OKX on new products and markets.

For Standard Chartered, the connection runs through its venture arm, SC Ventures, and its custody role. OKX said the bank serves as custodian for BUIDL, BlackRock’s tokenized Treasury fund, within a collateral framework developed with OKX and BlackRock. Those links span stablecoin issuance, trading liquidity and tokenized-asset custody; the announcement does not specify what additional commercial arrangements will follow from the investment.

How does the investment extend the ICE round?

OKX said the latest financing extends its March strategic investment from ICE, without giving a new total raised. CoinDesk reported that ICE is the parent company of the NYSE and that OKX did not disclose the amount invested in the new round. The $25 billion figure is a pre-money valuation, meaning it values the company before the latest investment proceeds are added.

The round comes as OKX pursues business beyond crypto trading. The company said its goal is to build a broader financial technology platform and use the capital to grow and tokenize real-world assets. CoinDesk reported that an OKX-ICE joint venture filed plans for tokenized stock trading under an SEC framework, with 24/7 trading in shares of 63 U.S. companies using OKX’s X Layer blockchain and stablecoins including USDC, USDT and USDG.

What has OKX disclosed about the deal?

The exchange announced the participating investors and valuation but did not publish the investment amount or ownership stakes. OKX founder and CEO Star Xu said the round gives the company capital to continue growing and tokenizing real-world assets. Circle CEO Jeremy Allaire and Ripple’s Jack McDonald also framed their firms’ investments as an extension of existing relationships with OKX, according to the company’s announcement.

Sources