Cryptocurrency exchange OKX is accelerating its push into the United States by rolling out off-exchange settlement for its US institutional clients.
OKX has integrated the Off-Exchange Settlement (OES) platform by publicly listed digital asset custodian BitGo, the company said Thursday in an announcement shared with Cointelegraph.
The integration enables institutional clients to trade on OKX while keeping assets secured in BitGo’s cold custody, aiming to eliminate pre-funding requirements and improve capital efficiency.
“Institutional capital entering crypto requires capital to be protected and to be put to work,” OKX US CEO Roshan Robert told Cointelegraph. “Our proprietary custody infrastructure has been proven at scale, and our partnership with BitGo gives clients flexibility in how they protect assets while freeing capital to work harder,” he said.
The development marks a broader industry push to improve security and liquidity access by raising custody standards and securing partnerships with major custodians.
OKX’s first US steps after ICE took stake in the exchange
The integration with BitGo is among OKX’s first US institutional infrastructure steps since Intercontinental Exchange invested in the company at a $25 billion valuation in early March, with ICE executives taking a board seat at the exchange.
OKX Global CEO Star Xu then said the partnership would shape the platform’s approach to the US, adding that the company viewed its local presence as a “blank sheet of paper.”
The investment came about a year after OKX officially reentered the US in April 2025, alongside the appointment of former Barclays director Roshan Robert as its US CEO.
Related: BitMEX taps Zodia custody as exchanges tighten post-FTX safeguards
Addressing the BitGo integration, Xu emphasized that safeguarding customer assets has always been a foundation to OKX. “At the same time, we’ve expanded our custody partnerships with trusted leaders like BitGo to give clients greater flexibility and choice in how they secure their assets,” he added.
BitGo has disclosed risks tied to its off-exchange settlement platform
BitGo has operated its off-exchange settlement platform for at least a couple of years, acting as custodian and settlement facilitator for digital asset transactions executed on third-party exchanges.
Despite the operational efficiencies provided by its OES platform, BitGo said it still faces multiple categories of risk, including operational, regulatory and counterparty risks.
“Operational risks associated with our OES services include potential errors in processing trade data, delays or failures in asset transfers, employee or insider misconduct, cybersecurity incidents, technological disruptions and reconciliation errors,” the company said in its IPO filing in January.
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