Circle and Ripple Join OKX’s Strategic Investment Round Alongside QRT and SC Ventures

TLDR

• OKX has secured a strategic investment extension at a $25 billion pre-money valuation.
• New backers include Circle, Ripple, QRT and SC Ventures from Standard Chartered.
• The funding builds on a March round spearheaded by Intercontinental Exchange, owner of the NYSE.
• The specific amount raised in this extension remains undisclosed.
• Capital will be deployed across stablecoin infrastructure, tokenization, payments, custody services and institutional trading.

Cryptocurrency platform OKX has secured a strategic investment extension at a $25 billion pre-money valuation.

The round welcomed four strategic backers: Circle, Ripple, Qube Research & Technologies (QRT) and SC Ventures, the venture and innovation division of Standard Chartered Bank.

The transaction closed on October 6, 2026. OKX has not revealed the dollar amount raised through this extension.

This funding builds upon a prior financing round concluded in March 2026. Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), the corporation behind the New York Stock Exchange, spearheaded that earlier investment.

Pre-Money Valuation Holds Steady at $25 Billion

ICE committed approximately $200 million to OKX during the March transaction, establishing the platform’s valuation at $25 billion.

The latest extension maintains that same valuation level. Rather than pursuing an up-round with increased pricing, OKX retained the $25 billion assessment from seven months prior.

OKX positioned the investment as a strategic alignment with firms that deliver critical infrastructure across its ecosystem, including stablecoin issuance, market liquidity, payment rails and digital asset custody.

Strategic Value of Each New Backer

Circle is the issuer behind USDC, a leading stablecoin already integrated throughout OKX’s trading infrastructure.

Ripple delivers cross-border payment solutions, liquidity provision and stablecoin technology. The company’s RLUSD stablecoin has been incorporated into OKX’s unified order book system.

QRT operates as a global multi-strategy investment firm. The company serves as an institutional trading counterparty while supplying liquidity depth and risk capacity to the OKX platform.

SC Ventures strengthens OKX’s connections to institutional custody solutions and tokenized financial products. Standard Chartered serves as the custodian for BlackRock’s BUIDL tokenized Treasury fund.

That tokenized fund operates within a collateral infrastructure developed through collaboration between OKX and BlackRock.

OKX founder and chief executive Star Xu stated the firm’s ambition is to construct an integrated platform where participants can custody, transact, invest and compound assets within a unified financial ecosystem.

Xu emphasized that the exchange represents the company’s foundation, not its endpoint. OKX is now repositioning itself as a comprehensive financial technology infrastructure provider.

The fresh capital injection is earmarked for tokenized real-world asset initiatives, stablecoin infrastructure development and payment capabilities. Additional allocation will support institutional liquidity provision, custody operations and onchain market development.

The extension directly leverages OKX’s deepening relationship with ICE. Following the March investment, both organizations have broadened their collaboration on tokenized securities initiatives.

The partners have been constructing OKX ICE, a collaborative entity concentrated on tokenized US equity products. This initiative is developing infrastructure designed to bring US-listed stocks onchain through compliant regulatory frameworks.

Throughout 2026, OKX has significantly expanded its institutional trading and payment product offerings. The platform has intensified collaboration with stablecoin issuers and conventional financial institutions.

According to OKX, the new strategic capital will accelerate its tokenization roadmap, stablecoin capabilities, payment infrastructure and institutional market initiatives as its ICE partnership continues to evolve.