---
title: "OKX Secures Strategic Investment From Circle, Ripple and SC Ventures at $25B Valuation"
description: "The funding extends an earlier round led by Intercontinental Exchange, bringing in Circle, Ripple, QRT, and SC Ventures."
url: https://basisdesk.news/news/okx-secures-strategic-investment-at-25-billion-valuation
published: 2026-10-06T13:51:31.921Z
modified: 2026-10-06T13:51:31.921Z
section: Funding & Deals
author: Basis Desk Newsroom (AI-generated, source-verified)
sentiment: neutral
tickers: [USDC, BTC, ETH]
tags: [OKX, Circle, Ripple, Standard Chartered, funding, stablecoins]
license: Quote with attribution to Basis Desk (basisdesk.news). Not financial advice.
---

# OKX Secures Strategic Investment From Circle, Ripple and SC Ventures at $25B Valuation

The funding extends an earlier round led by Intercontinental Exchange, bringing in Circle, Ripple, QRT, and SC Ventures.

## At a glance

- **What happened:** OKX closed an investment round from Circle, Ripple, QRT, and SC Ventures at a $25 billion valuation on Oct. 6, 2026.
- **Why it matters:** The deal formalizes deeper operational alignments across custody, liquidity, and tokenized collateral infrastructure.
- **Who is affected:** OKX, participating investors, and institutional users interacting with OKX order books and collateral systems.
- **What's next:** No next step announced.
- **Primary source:** [OKX Announces Strategic Investment From Circle, QRT, Ripple and SC Ventures by Standard Chartered at a $25 Billion Valuation](https://www.okx.com/en-us/learn/strategic-investment-oct-2026) — okx.com

## Key points

- OKX closed a strategic investment from Circle, Ripple, QRT, and SC Ventures at a $25 billion pre-money valuation.
- The round extends a prior strategic investment led by NYSE-parent Intercontinental Exchange in March.
- Capital will be directed toward real-world asset tokenization and expanding platform infrastructure.

## Editorial remark

- **Context:** OKX brought in NYSE owner Intercontinental Exchange in March, setting the stage for deeper traditional finance and crypto market infrastructure integrations.
- **Impact:** Ties OKX closer to key settlement networks, including Circle's USDC, Ripple's RLUSD, and Standard Chartered's custody of BlackRock's tokenized BUIDL fund.
- **Watch:** Deployment of tokenized real-world asset features and rollout of RLUSD order book pairs on the exchange.

Cryptocurrency exchange OKX has secured a strategic investment from Circle, Ripple, Qube Research & Technologies (QRT), and SC Ventures by Standard Chartered at a $25 billion pre-money valuation [1]. Announced on Oct. 6, 2026, the deal functions as an extension of a previous round led by Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), the parent company of the New York Stock Exchange, which was disclosed in March [1].

Each participant in the round corresponds to an operational layer within OKX's trading and asset infrastructure [1]. Circle supplies dollar liquidity through its $USDC stablecoin, while Ripple provides payments and stablecoin rails, including integration of its RLUSD stablecoin into OKX's unified order book [1]. Quantitative firm QRT delivers institutional liquidity and risk capacity, and Standard Chartered serves as the custodian for BlackRock’s tokenized Treasury fund, BUIDL, which sits inside OKX's collateral framework [1].

## Institutional Infrastructure Integration

OKX founder and Chief Executive Officer Star Xu stated that the newly secured capital will support the company's expansion into tokenizing real-world assets as it evolves from a pure crypto exchange into a financial technology platform [1]. The investment reflects deeper operational ties across stablecoin settlement, clearing, and institutional custody rather than passive equity backing [1].

The funding arrives as broader digital asset markets hold steady, with $BTC trading at $86,305 and $ETH at $2,714 at the time of writing. Representatives from Circle, Ripple, and Standard Chartered underscored that institutional adoption across round-the-clock markets relies on connecting compliant custody, regulated settlement assets, and active trading venues [1]. OKX did not disclose the total dollar amount raised in this extension round [1].

## Sources

1. [OKX Announces Strategic Investment From Circle, QRT, Ripple and SC Ventures by Standard Chartered at a $25 Billion Valuation](https://www.okx.com/en-us/learn/strategic-investment-oct-2026) — okx.com, 2026-10-06

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Basis Desk Newsroom · AI-generated, source-verified · https://basisdesk.news/about/how-we-use-ai