Seychelles-based cryptocurrency exchange OKX has pleaded guilty to operating an unlicensed money-transmitting business in the United States, agreeing to pay a massive $505 million in fines and forfeitures.
The charges, brought by the U.S. Department of Justice, emphasize the exchange’s alleged role in facilitating over $5 billion in suspicious transactions and criminal activity.
For years, OKX officially claimed to block U.S. users, but behind the scenes, prosecutors allege the exchange knowingly allowed American traders to access its platform. Court documents reveal that some OKX employees even encouraged users to falsify information to bypass KYC procedures.
Between 2018 and early 2024, U.S.-based traders reportedly processed over $1 trillion in transactions on the exchange, generating hundreds of millions in profits. However, by failing to register as a money services business (MSB) with FinCEN, OKX violated U.S. anti-money laundering laws, exposing its platform to illicit activity.
Reports indicate the exchange’s lax compliance measures enabled funds linked to fraud, sanctions evasion, and darknet markets to move undetected. This comes as OKX continues its global expansion, including establishing offices in Malta as a hub for accessing EU markets and complying with MiCA regulations.
OKX’s Historic Crypto Penalty
The guilty plea requires OKX to forfeit $420.3 million in illegal earnings and pay an additional $84.4 million fine. The exchange has also agreed to enhance compliance measures, including the continued oversight of an external compliance consultant through 2027. Regulators have warned that more offshore exchanges could face similar scrutiny.
Despite the legal setback, OKX maintains that U.S. traders were a small fraction of its total user base and attributes its compliance failures to “legacy gaps” in regulation. The company has since removed all U.S. customers from its platform while reinforcing KYC and monitoring procedures.
This latest crackdown comes amid growing regulatory scrutiny on offshore exchanges, following major enforcement actions against Binance and Bybit. With the DOJ tightening its grip, the crypto industry is bracing for stricter compliance demands, higher penalties, and possible investigations into other leading platforms.
