{"id":"star-xu","version":1,"language":"en","title":"Mingxing Xu (Star Xu)","hidden":false,"content":"**Mingxing Xu,** also known as “Star” Xu, is a Chinese entrepreneur who founded [OKCoin](https://iq.wiki/wiki/okcoin) in June 2013 and founded [OKEx](https://iq.wiki/wiki/okx),which launched in 2017. OKEx is a [cryptocurrency](https://iq.wiki/wiki/cryptocurrency) exchange that offers spot and derivatives trading.[\\[16\\]](#cite-id-g90g7pbcwe)​\n\n[YOUTUBE@VID](s40lHdeZBuM)\n\n## Education & Early Life\n\nStar Xu graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Applied Physics from the University of Science and Technology Beijing in the year 2006.[\\[3\\]](#cite-id-9wcy1j5n9vc)​\n\n## Career\n\nStar founded [OKCoin](https://iq.wiki/wiki/okcoin) in June 2013, and it became one of the largest [cryptocurrency](https://iq.wiki/wiki/cryptocurrency) exchanges by user base and transaction volume.[\\[17\\]](#cite-id-2htrux41ja) Xu worked at Yahoo and Alibaba on search algorithms and served as CTO of DocIn.com.[\\[17\\]](#cite-id-2htrux41ja) He was listed as a speaker at TechCrunch China in Beijing, scheduled for August 11–12, 2014.[\\[18\\]](#cite-id-eufj7as20h)​\n\nIn 2017, Xu founded [OKEx](https://iq.wiki/wiki/okx), a Seychelles-based [cryptocurrency](https://iq.wiki/wiki/cryptocurrency) [exchange](https://iq.wiki/wiki/decentralized-exchange) , and derivatives exchange that offers basic trading including spot and simple options, and derivatives including margin, futures, perpetual swaps, and options. Xu has publicly identified as [OKX](https://iq.wiki/wiki/okx)’s founder and CEO.[\\[9\\]](#cite-id-9f0piw7ae7)​\n\nOn April 16, 2025, Xu announced that [OKX](https://iq.wiki/wiki/okx) Exchange and Wallet had launched in the United States, that the company’s U.S. headquarters was in San Jose, California, and that Roshan Robert had been appointed U.S. CEO.[\\[10\\]](#cite-id-qpeafltemd)​\n\nIn a speech on January 24, 2026, Xu described [OKX](https://iq.wiki/wiki/okx)’s priorities as providing regulated trading services, bringing more assets onchain through X Layer and [Web3](https://iq.wiki/wiki/web3) Wallet, and developing OKX Pay.[\\[11\\]](#cite-id-9n6f869231) On April 29, 2026, OKX published the Agent Payments Protocol (APP), an open, cross-chain standard for AI-agent commerce that enables agents to communicate and negotiate, as well as make payments and settle transactions. Escrow and dispute resolution were described as forthcoming.[\\[12\\]](#cite-id-5szg8p4io4)​\n\n[YOUTUBE@VID](STyoI-7HaxY)\n\n## Controversy\n\nOn October 16, 2020, [OKX](https://iq.wiki/wiki/okx) suspended [cryptocurrency](https://iq.wiki/wiki/cryptocurrency) withdrawals because an unavailable private-key holder cooperating with a public-security investigation could not authorize them. [CoinDesk](https://iq.wiki/wiki/coindesk) relayed media reports identifying the holder as Mingxing “Star” Xu and alleging that he had been taken by police.[\\[19\\]](#cite-id-4kc4vv9e7b) In a November 6, 2020 update, [OKX](https://iq.wiki/wiki/okx) said the person was cooperating with a public-security bureau investigation and refuted claims that a person connected with [OKX](https://iq.wiki/wiki/okx) was under criminal detention.[\\[20\\]](#cite-id-qhhsqpeq7v)​\n\nAfter being unreachable for more than 30 days, Xu made a media appearance on WeChat on November 19, 2020. He said he had assisted authorities investigating OK Group’s “backdoor listing in 2017,” in which the exchange had sought to partner with an “undisclosed third-party entity” to make its offerings available to clients all over the world. Xu said investigators clarified the matter after reviewing his prior business dealings.[\\[6\\]](#cite-id-q2p6jmzvpq)​\n\nOn February 24, 2025, Aux Cayes Fintech Co. Ltd., which operated [OKX](https://iq.wiki/wiki/okx)/OKEx, pleaded guilty to one count of operating an unlicensed money-transmitting business. The U.S. Department of Justice said the relevant conduct occurred from 2018 through at least early 2024 and that the company agreed to penalties totaling more than $504 million: $420.3 million in forfeiture and an approximately $84.4 million fine. The plea was by the company, an OKX affiliate, and was not a personal guilty plea by Xu.[\\[13\\]](#cite-id-uj9ed1sn7m)​\n\n## Public Statements\n\n### Market Outlook\n\nStar Xu in a tweet, expressed hope that 2023 would be more optimistic than 2022.\n\n> \"Luna, 3AC, Ftx, Genesis…A lot of accidents make crypto guys feel frustrated. But look back to the history of crypto, it’s a technology driven industry, Pow, ETH, SegWit ,Defi, ZK drive the whole market cap grow to trillion size. I’m optimistic to the 2023.\"[\\[4\\]](#cite-id-jbr6vb5jl8f)\n\nIn his tweet, “Star” Xu mentioned several key events that upset the space and put selling pressure on the [crypto](https://iq.wiki/wiki/cryptocurrency) market — the bankruptcy of the Three Arrows Capital fund (3AC), the [FTX](https://iq.wiki/wiki/ftx) exchange and SBF, the crash of the LUNA token, the problems with liquidity faced by Genesis and so on.[\\[5\\]](#cite-id-j73h2ifwwch)​\n\n### Thoughts on Compliance\n\nIn July 2023, Star Xu emphasized the importance of compliance controls in the [crypto](https://iq.wiki/wiki/cryptocurrency) industry through tweets, citing [Multichain](https://iq.wiki/wiki/multichain) as a risk example and questioning the nature of UniSat Wallet's [brc20](https://iq.wiki/wiki/brc-20)-swap.\n\nXu highlighted the risks associated with platforms lacking robust compliance measures and emphasized the need for regulatory adherence.\n\nHe also revealed [OKX's](https://iq.wiki/wiki/okx) proactive efforts to establish a global standard compliance infrastructure, underscoring the platform's commitment to security.\n\nAdditionally, Xu's inquiry into UniSat Wallet's [brc20](https://iq.wiki/wiki/brc-20)-swap reflects ongoing scrutiny of compliance measures within the industry.[\\[7\\]](#cite-id-avqpzwehkw)​[\\[8\\]](#cite-id-qfyg1enforf)​\n\nIn September 2025, Xu said [OKX](https://iq.wiki/wiki/okx) [Web3](https://iq.wiki/wiki/web3) had tested an onchain perpetuals product since 2023 but chose not to launch it on [mainnet](https://iq.wiki/wiki/mainnet) because of regulatory concerns, including concerns about regulatory enforcement.[\\[14\\]](#cite-id-67176phxou)​\n\nIn June 2026, Xu argued that exchanges should compete on products, technology, execution, governance, and trust rather than regulatory [arbitrage](https://iq.wiki/wiki/arbitrage).[\\[15\\]](#cite-id-feolik87n9)​\n","summary":"Mingxing Xu, or “Star” Xu, is a Chinese entrepreneur who founded the cryptocurrency exchanges OKCoin and OKEx.","categories":[{"id":"people","title":"People in crypto"}],"promoted":0,"tags":[{"id":"Founders"}],"metadata":[{"id":"twitter_profile","value":"https://twitter.com/starokg"},{"id":"linkedin_profile","value":"https://www.linkedin.com/in/star-xu-6a72aa56/"},{"id":"references","value":"[{\"id\":\"68auucpohbl\",\"url\":\"https://www.okcoin.com/\",\"description\":\"okcoin\",\"timestamp\":1674557921871},{\"id\":\"gj4qsdrfzqc\",\"url\":\"https://www.okx.com/\",\"description\":\"okx\",\"timestamp\":1674557986035},{\"id\":\"9wcy1j5n9vc\",\"url\":\"https://biographyinsider.com/mingxing-xu/\",\"description\":\"biography insider\",\"timestamp\":1674561874982},{\"id\":\"jbr6vb5jl8f\",\"url\":\"https://twitter.com/starokg/status/1609013342546587648?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1609013342546587648%7Ctwgr%5Ee95ac883ba939aa15e48b082d0c456ac398fc4c8%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fepointperfect.com%2Fcrypto-giant-founder-star-xu.html\",\"description\":\"Star's hopeful tweet\",\"timestamp\":1674562782030},{\"id\":\"j73h2ifwwch\",\"url\":\"https://epointperfect.com/crypto-giant-founder-star-xu.html\",\"description\":\"epointperfect- hope for 2023\",\"timestamp\":1674562935608},{\"id\":\"q2p6jmzvpq\",\"url\":\"https://cointelegraph.com/news/notorious-crypto-figures-arrested-in-2020\",\"description\":\"controversy\",\"timestamp\":1674562973450},{\"id\":\"avqpzwehkw\",\"url\":\"https://blockchain.news/news/OKX-Founder-Star-Xu-Advocates-for-Compliance-Controls-while-questioning-UniSat-Wallet\",\"description\":\"blockchain news - Ben Zhou on Compliance\",\"timestamp\":1709550302353},{\"id\":\"qfyg1enforf\",\"url\":\"https://twitter.com/star_okx/status/1680794079721029635\",\"description\":\"twitter - Star Xu\",\"timestamp\":1709550325854},{\"id\":\"9f0piw7ae7\",\"url\":\"https://www.okx.com/en-us/learn/to-another-year-of-building\",\"description\":\"OKX annual letter\",\"timestamp\":1793008909408},{\"id\":\"qpeafltemd\",\"url\":\"https://www.linkedin.com/posts/star-xu-6a72aa56_bringing-okx-to-america-a-new-era-for-crypto-activity-7318286251189514240-cuXw\",\"description\":\"Xu’s announcement\",\"timestamp\":1793008909408},{\"id\":\"9n6f869231\",\"url\":\"https://www.blocktempo.com/okx-star-2026-crypto-long-term-vision-strategy/\",\"description\":\"BlockTempo\",\"timestamp\":1793008909408},{\"id\":\"5szg8p4io4\",\"url\":\"https://www.okx.com/en-us/learn/agent-payments-protocol\",\"description\":\"OKX Agent Payments Protocol\",\"timestamp\":1793008909408},{\"id\":\"uj9ed1sn7m\",\"url\":\"https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/okx-pleads-guilty-violating-us-anti-money-laundering-laws-and-agrees-pay-penalties\",\"description\":\"U.S. Department of Justice\",\"timestamp\":1793008909408},{\"id\":\"67176phxou\",\"url\":\"https://cointelegraph.com/news/okx-delays-onchain-perps-launch-over-regulatory-concerns\",\"description\":\"Cointelegraph\",\"timestamp\":1793008909408},{\"id\":\"feolik87n9\",\"url\":\"https://www.cryptotimes.io/2026/06/18/okxs-star-xu-slams-binance-says-compliance-dodging-is-over/\",\"description\":\"The Crypto Times\",\"timestamp\":1793008909408},{\"id\":\"g90g7pbcwe\",\"url\":\"https://www.okx.com/en-us/learn/who-is-okb-founder\",\"description\":\"OKX background\",\"timestamp\":1793009069970},{\"id\":\"2htrux41ja\",\"url\":\"https://www.investopedia.com/tech/what-okcoin/\",\"description\":\"Investopedia\",\"timestamp\":1793009069970},{\"id\":\"eufj7as20h\",\"url\":\"https://technode.com/2014/07/25/techcrunch-china-2014-speaker-lineup-big-names-bitcoin/\",\"description\":\"TechNode\",\"timestamp\":1793009069970},{\"id\":\"4kc4vv9e7b\",\"url\":\"https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2020/10/16/okex-suspends-withdrawals-says-key-holder-not-available-due-to-cooperation-with-investigation\",\"description\":\"CoinDesk\",\"timestamp\":1793009069970},{\"id\":\"qhhsqpeq7v\",\"url\":\"https://www.okx.com/help/update-on-the-suspension-of-withdrawals\",\"description\":\"OKX update\",\"timestamp\":1793009069970}]"},{"id":"previous_cid","value":"QmcZt64k6ZN8TFJTtSV8jYou9eNT2FBskTuVGdF3eXqjU8"},{"id":"commit-message","value":"Update Mingxing Xu wiki summary, expand content, and add timeline"},{"id":"previous_cid","value":"QmcZt64k6ZN8TFJTtSV8jYou9eNT2FBskTuVGdF3eXqjU8"}],"user":{"id":"0x8af7a19a26d8fbc48defb35aefb15ec8c407f889"},"author":{"id":"0x1e23b34d3106f0c1c74d17f2cd0f65cdb039b138"},"media":[{"name":"STyoI-7HaxY","id":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=STyoI-7HaxY","size":"0","type":null,"source":"YOUTUBE"},{"name":"s40lHdeZBuM","id":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s40lHdeZBuM","size":"0","type":null,"source":"YOUTUBE"},{"name":"5FJrICer-0s","id":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FJrICer-0s","size":"0","type":null,"source":"YOUTUBE"}],"views":1580,"events":[{"title":"Graduated from the University of Science and Technology Beijing","date":"2006-01-01","type":"DEFAULT","description":"Xu graduated with a bachelor's degree in Applied Physics from the University of Science and Technology Beijing.","link":"https://en.theblockbeats.news/news/61880","country":"","continent":"","multiDateStart":null,"multiDateEnd":null,"id":"1672037e-4d26-42b5-b5d6-34cc566ca15d"},{"title":"Founded OKCoin","date":"2013-06-01","type":"DEFAULT","description":"Xu founded OKCoin in June 2013.","link":"https://technode.com/2014/07/25/techcrunch-china-2014-speaker-lineup-big-names-bitcoin/","country":"","continent":"","multiDateStart":null,"multiDateEnd":null,"id":"3f75f4dd-3b1f-4341-a233-3a05b261cca6"},{"title":"Founded OKEx","date":"2017-01-01","type":"DEFAULT","description":"Xu founded OKEx, later renamed OKX.","link":"https://www.okx.com/en-us/learn/who-is-okb-founder","country":"","continent":"","multiDateStart":null,"multiDateEnd":null,"id":"0497bd3f-0907-4cd4-980a-56c0bfabfc41"},{"title":"Aux Cayes Fintech pleaded guilty and agreed to penalties","date":"2025-02-01","type":"DEFAULT","description":"OKX operator Aux Cayes Fintech Co. 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