To understand the access rules by regions for global exchanges, you must examine OKX Supported & Restricted Countries.
OKX provides advanced trading tools, high liquidity, and various crypto services, but they are not available universally since some places are sanctioned, have local bans, or varying regulations.
Knowing the available and restricted regions for OKX helps users safely trade, remain compliant, and select other platforms when necessary.
What is OKX?
OKX is a cryptocurrency exchange, offering a wide clientele a diverse range of services in digital asset trading since its foundation in 2017. OKX’s services include Spot & futures trading, options, and DeFi products which provides a full trading cycle for beginners and professionals.
OKX is a high liquidity trading platform, uses advance security features including two-factor authentication, cold storage which protect customer accounts, and uses trading tools to ensure efficient trade.
OKX is accessible anywhere in the world and has a multitude of fiat deposit options. OKX is considered as one of the Best Crypto Exchange Services for trustworthy transactions.
Which Countries Are Restricted on OKX?
In the OKX Risk & Compliance Disclosure, section 3 on the Regulatory Landscape outlines how the platform restricts users in over 20 countries and regions. These restrictions are a result of international sanctions, local cryptocurrency bans, and unregulated necessary licensing.
Some of the restricted regions are:
- Afghanistan, Iran, North Korea, Syria, and Cuba – These countries are classified as high sanctioned jurisdictions. Global sanctions in these regions make it impossible to provide crypto and financial services.
- Algeria, Bangladesh, Bolivia, and Nepal – These countries enforce strict national bans through local central banks, making it impossible to hold, use, or transact with cryptocurrencies.
- Canada, El Salvador, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Malaysia, Nigeria, and Uzbekistan – These are selective restriction markets, and OKX provides limited services due to licensing gaps or inconsistent local regulations.
- Crimea, Donetsk, and Luhansk – These regions are under international sanctions due to unlawful occupation and disputed territory.
- The United States and its territories – OKX is restricted in Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the US Virgin Islands due to US federal and state regulations.
Even when there isn’t a full ban in place, OKX still limits access to certain products in certain countries. For example, Australia, Brazil, South Korea, and the UK all have restrictions to the perpetual futures. The Bahamas has retail limits. Eritrea has P2P restrictions, and there are limits to fiat payments in Russia.
OKX Supported Countries
| Region | Countries |
|---|---|
| Asia | Singapore, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, Pakistan |
| Europe | Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine |
| Middle East | United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman |
| Africa | South Africa, Kenya, Egypt, Morocco, Ghana |
| Americas | Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Mexico, Colombia |
| Oceania | Australia, New Zealand |
OKX is among the finest global exchanges having over 50 million users in more than 100 countries. There is a presence in most countries of all developed and emerging economies in Asia, Europe, the Americas, the Middle East, and Africa.
The exchange supports more than 100 fiat currencies and offers over 900 localized payment methods for deposits and peer-to-peer trading. Some of the major supported currencies are the USD, EUR, GBP, JPY, BRL, MXN, and VND. This accommodates a variety of users in important global and regional trade centers.
According to Similarweb, the platform is most frequently accessed from Japan (14.16%), the United States (13.88%), Brazil (6.17%), Mexico (5.73%), and Vietnam (5.34%). The remaining 54.71% of the traffic comes from all over the world; this illustrates the platform’s outstanding global reach and diversification.
OKX Licensing and Regulation
OKX takes a global and local approach, becoming fully operational and compliant with local regulations across Asia, Europe, America and the Middle East. The platform is licensed with several approved and pending applications across jurisdictions.
Key Regulatory Authorizations
Seychelles: Licensed as a Virtual Asset Service Provider (VASP) by the Financial Services Authority (FSA) through Aux Cayes FinTech Co. Ltd
United Arab Emirates: VASP license from the Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA) in Dubai. Full operational approval for exchange services is in progress.
Hong Kong: OKX HK is in the final VASP licensing stages with the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC).
European Economic Area (EEA): OKCoin Europe Ltd, headquartered in Malta, uses a MiCA license across 30 EU/EEA nations, extending Euro services and also offering crypto financial services.
Australia: OKX Australia Pty Ltd and OKX Australia Financial Pty Ltd have received ASIC registration to provide compliant crypto exchange services.
Singapore: OKX SG Pte. Ltd. holds an MAS Major Payment Institution (MPI) license for digital payment token and money transfer services.
Bahamas: OKX Bahamas FinTech Company Limited holds a license by the Securities Commission of The Bahamas (SCB), and in the past, catered to users from Mexico.
United States: Within the United States, OKCoin USA Inc. is registered with FinCEN and holds a Money Transmitter license at the state level, therefore, operates under US law.
Netherlands: For crypto-to-fiat services, compliance of Dutch and EU anti-money laundering legislation is ensured through registration with De Nederlandsche Bank via crypto-to-fiat banking services.
Can You Access OKX with a VPN?
NordVPN or ExpressVPN and similar services may let you temporarily log in to an existing and verified OKX account while in restricted regions, but regional restrictions still stand for new users and accounts.
Account registration on OKX requires customers to go through KYC and provide identity and residency documentation for accounts. Since supported compliance and cross-referenced documentation systems check and verify user locations, account creation for a new user in restricted regions with a VPN is unfeasible.
To ensure compliant and safe access, it is best to use OKX in regions that are fully supported.
Does OKX Require KYC?
OKX does require Know Your Customer verification if users would like to access nearly all account functionalities and trading operations. For regulatory compliance, standard individual account users must provide personal information, government-issued IDs, and sometimes additional address verification documentation.
Identity verification selfies along with passports, driver’s licenses, or national IDs have to be submitted in order to complete the KYC process. Usually, users are granted access to all trading, deposit, and withdrawal functions on the platform after applications have been assessed, typically within a 24-hour timeframe.
Is OKX Restricted in Europe?
OKX is not blocked in Europe but does function within a regulated environment, most recently obtaining a MiCA license through its hub in Malta. This license allows OKX to passport services across all 30 members of the European Economic Area (EEA) under a single regulatory framework.
Users in the EEA will, from 30 December 2024, also be subject to the Travel Rule, which mandates exchanges to record details of the sender and recipient in a crypto transfer. Withdrawals and deposits over €1,000 may also require proof of wallet ownership, such as a Satoshi test for private wallets.
OKX Alternatives
If you’re in an area where OKX is unavailable or restricted, you can look at other trustworthy exchanges for your crypto trading.
If you’re in the U.S, BYDFi is OKX’s competitor for U.S. customers, and, unlike OKX, BYDFi is licensed and compliant to regulatory U.S. crypto guidelines. You can read our more in-depth for BYDFi review for information regarding the platform’s features, security, and trading options.
If you are outside the U.S, you can look at BTCC. It is known for low trading fees, high liquidity, and robust platform performance. You can look at our BTCC review that outlines the platform in a more useful approach.
IS OKX Safe To Use
Yes, OKX is regarded to be secure as it implements two-factor authentication, cold wallet storage, advanced risk monitoring, and other multi-layered security features. The exchange also publishes its monthly Proof of Reserves reports which recently confirmed $33.7 billion in holdings and verified a 1:1 asset backing.
Conclusion
OKX is a globally compliant organization, however, its accessibility differs from one part of the world to another due to international sanctions, local cryptocurrency bans, and specific licensing requirements.
While clients from compliant countries get to access the full services of trading, depositing, and withdrawing; people from closed countries such as the United States, North Korea, Iran, and a number of high-conflict, high-sanction regions are blocked from using the platform.
To avoid issues with crypto trading, it is essential to understand the reason behind these restrictions. Always verify the latest country policies with OKX before signing up or using an account.
FAQ
OKX restricts users in high-sanctioned countries like North Korea, Iran, Syria, Cuba, and Afghanistan. Other restricted regions include the U.S., certain conflict-affected areas (Crimea, Donetsk, Luhansk), and countries with strict local crypto bans like Algeria, Bangladesh, Bolivia, and Nepal.
Yes, but some products may be limited. For example, perpetual futures trading is restricted in Australia, Brazil, South Korea, and the UK, while P2P and fiat options may be limited in other regions.
A VPN may allow temporary access for existing, verified accounts while traveling, but it cannot bypass restrictions for new users due to strict KYC and compliance checks.
You should check OKX’s official Risk & Compliance Disclosure or account registration page. Only users in supported regions can create new accounts and access full trading services.