OKX China \China

OKX China was the mainland Chinese operations of OKX (formerly OKCoin), one of the world's largest cryptocurrency exchanges. Founded by Star Xu in 2017 as China's regulatory environment began tightening around crypto, OKX China attempted to maintain a compliant domestic presence while operating a global exchange. The value proposition was providing Chinese retail and institutional investors access to cryptocurrency trading, derivatives, and DeFi services during a period of explosive crypto adoption. The 'why now' was the 2017 ICO boom and Bitcoin's surge to $20k, creating massive retail FOMO. However, the Chinese government's escalating crackdown on crypto trading, mining, and services—culminating in the September 2021 blanket ban declaring all crypto transactions illegal—made the business model untenable. OKX China represented a $200M bet that regulatory arbitrage and offshore structuring could sustain a crypto business in an increasingly hostile jurisdiction.

SECTOR Financials
PRODUCT TYPE Financial & Fintech
TOTAL CASH BURNED $200.0M
FOUNDING YEAR 2017
END YEAR 2024

Discover the reason behind the shutdown and the market before & today

Failure Analysis

Failure Analysis

OKX China died from regulatory asphyxiation in a jurisdiction that fundamentally rejected its business model. The mechanics of failure unfolded in three phases: (1)...

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Market Analysis

Market Analysis

The global cryptocurrency exchange market is a $100B+ revenue industry (2024), dominated by Binance ($20B+ annual revenue), Coinbase ($3B revenue, Nasdaq-listed), and OKX international...

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Startup Learnings

Startup Learnings

Regulatory risk in authoritarian markets is binary, not manageable—if your business model depends on government tolerance rather than explicit approval, you're building on a...

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Market Potential

Market Potential

The global crypto market has exploded from $200B (2017) to $2.5T+ (2024 peak), with spot Bitcoin ETFs approved in the US, institutional adoption via...

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Difficulty

Difficulty

Rebuilding OKX China today is technically trivial (crypto exchange infrastructure is commoditized via white-label solutions like AlphaPoint, Hollaex, or building on Cosmos/Polkadot) but legally...

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Scalability

Scalability

Crypto exchanges have exceptional unit economics when operational: near-zero marginal cost per trade (software-based), 0.1-0.5% take rates on billions in volume, and viral growth...

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Rebuild & monetization strategy: Resurrect the company

Pivot Concept

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A compliance-first blockchain infrastructure platform enabling Chinese enterprises and government entities to build permissioned blockchain applications for supply chain, trade finance, and digital yuan integration—while providing offshore tokenization services for Chinese diaspora capital in Hong Kong and Singapore. ChainBridge operates a dual model: (1) Onshore: Enterprise blockchain-as-a-service (BaaS) for Chinese corporations and SOEs, focusing on government-approved use cases (BSN integration, e-CNY merchant tools, cross-border trade settlement via blockchain letters of credit). (2) Offshore: Tokenization platform for real-world assets (RWA) targeting Chinese capital in Hong Kong/Singapore, enabling compliant investment in tokenized real estate, commodities, and private equity—capturing the $500B+ in Chinese offshore wealth seeking yield and diversification. The wedge is solving the 'China blockchain paradox': the government wants blockchain technology but hates decentralized crypto. ChainBridge provides the permissioned, auditable, state-friendly infrastructure that aligns with policy while monetizing the offshore demand for tokenized assets. This isn't a crypto exchange—it's a regulated blockchain utility that serves both state priorities and capital markets.

Suggested Technologies

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Hyperledger Fabric (permissioned blockchain for enterprise clients, preferred by Chinese government projects)Cosmos SDK (for offshore tokenization platform, enabling interoperability with global DeFi)Fireblocks / Copper (institutional-grade custody for tokenized assets)Chainalysis / Elliptic (compliance and AML monitoring to satisfy regulators)Ant Group's AntChain APIs (integration with China's largest blockchain network for enterprise clients)Digital Yuan SDK (e-CNY integration for merchant payment solutions)AWS China / Alibaba Cloud (infrastructure in Chinese data centers for onshore operations)Securitize / Polymath (RWA tokenization frameworks for offshore platform)Next.js + React (enterprise dashboards for blockchain management)PostgreSQL + TimescaleDB (transaction and audit logging for compliance)

Execution Plan

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Phase 1

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Wedge: Launch a digital yuan merchant integration tool for 50 Chinese retailers (Starbucks franchises, luxury goods stores) enabling e-CNY payments with blockchain-based loyalty programs and supply chain tracking. Partner with a Chinese bank (e.g., China Construction Bank) to pilot the solution in Shenzhen or Shanghai free trade zones. This establishes government relationships and proves the 'permissioned blockchain for state priorities' model. Revenue: $50k in pilot contracts, but the real value is regulatory credibility and case studies.

Phase 2

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Validation: Expand to 5 enterprise clients (manufacturing, logistics, trade finance) deploying Hyperledger Fabric-based supply chain solutions integrated with China's Blockchain Service Network (BSN). Focus on solving pain points like cross-border trade documentation (replacing paper letters of credit with blockchain-verified smart contracts) and counterfeit prevention (luxury goods provenance tracking). Simultaneously, launch the offshore tokenization platform in Hong Kong with 3 RWA products: tokenized Shanghai commercial real estate, commodity-backed tokens (gold, lithium), and a tokenized venture fund investing in Southeast Asian startups. Target Chinese family offices and HNWIs seeking offshore diversification. Revenue: $500k ARR from enterprise contracts + 1% tokenization fees on $50M in RWA issuance.

Phase 3

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Growth: Scale the onshore BaaS to 50+ enterprise clients via partnerships with Chinese systems integrators (Neusoft, iSoftStone) and SOE relationships (China Merchants Group, COSCO Shipping). Build a self-service blockchain deployment platform (like AWS but for permissioned chains) enabling mid-sized Chinese companies to launch supply chain or trade finance blockchains in 48 hours. Offshore, expand RWA offerings to 20+ tokenized assets and integrate with global DeFi protocols (Aave, Compound) to enable yield generation on tokenized collateral. Launch a 'ChainBridge Wealth' product: a regulated digital asset management platform for Chinese diaspora investors, offering diversified portfolios of tokenized real estate, private equity, and commodities. Revenue: $5M ARR from enterprise BaaS + $10M in tokenization fees (1% of $1B in RWA issuance) + 0.5% AUM fee on $500M in managed assets.

Phase 4

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Moat: Build three defensible moats: (1) Regulatory moat—secure explicit licenses and partnerships with Chinese government entities (Ministry of Commerce blockchain pilots, BSN official service provider status), making ChainBridge the 'safe choice' for risk-averse enterprises and SOEs. (2) Network moat—create a two-sided marketplace where onshore enterprises use ChainBridge for supply chain tracking, and offshore investors buy tokenized exposure to those same supply chains (e.g., tokenized receivables from Chinese exporters), creating liquidity and data network effects. (3) Data moat—accumulate proprietary datasets on Chinese trade flows, supply chain performance, and cross-border capital movements, enabling AI-powered risk scoring and fraud detection that competitors can't replicate. Long-term, position ChainBridge as the bridge (hence the name) between China's permissioned blockchain economy and global tokenized capital markets—the only platform that can legally operate in both worlds. Exit: Strategic acquisition by Ant Group, Tencent, or a global financial institution (HSBC, Standard Chartered) seeking China blockchain exposure, or IPO in Hong Kong as a regulated blockchain infrastructure provider.

Monetization Strategy

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Dual revenue model: (1) Onshore Enterprise BaaS: $50k-500k annual licenses for blockchain deployment and management, plus $10k-50k per month in hosting and transaction fees (similar to AWS pricing but for permissioned chains). Target 200 enterprise clients by Year 3 = $20M ARR. (2) Offshore Tokenization Platform: 1% issuance fee on tokenized assets (industry standard) + 0.3% annual management fee on tokenized asset AUM. Target $5B in RWA issuance by Year 3 = $50M in issuance fees + $15M in annual management fees. (3) Transaction Fees: 0.1% take rate on secondary trading of tokenized assets on ChainBridge's offshore exchange (similar to traditional securities exchanges). Target $10B in annual trading volume = $10M in transaction fees. (4) Data & Analytics: Sell anonymized supply chain and trade finance data to Chinese enterprises, banks, and government agencies for risk assessment and market intelligence—$5M ARR by Year 3. Total projected revenue by Year 3: $100M with 60% gross margins (software-based business with low marginal costs). The key is that onshore BaaS provides regulatory credibility and stable enterprise revenue, while offshore tokenization provides high-margin, scalable growth. This model works because it solves the China blockchain paradox: serve the state onshore, serve capital offshore, and build the infrastructure connecting both.

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