At Token2049 Singapore, OKX founder and CEO Star Xu outlined a clear direction for the company’s next phase: moving beyond its role as a centralized exchange to becoming a full-stack infrastructure provider for Web3.

Xu clearly highlighted OKX’s belief that the next era of financial services will prioritize user control, on-chain transparency, and verifiability over institutional custody.

Shifting the Trust Model

Xu’s keynote emphasized the idea of “verify first, trust later” as a guiding principle for future finance. This reflects a broader industry movement toward blockchain-based systems that allow users to independently verify ownership, solvency, and risk without relying solely on third-party trust.

This framing informs OKX’s new approach: building tools and systems that give users direct control over assets while maintaining a user experience accessible enough for broader adoption.

OKX’s Roadmap: The Three-Part Strategy

At the heart of the company’s shift is X Layer, OKX’s Ethereum-compatible Layer-2 network built using Polygon’s zkEVM CDK. Xu described it as the foundation for OKX’s “everything on-chain” roadmap, structured around three phases:

The first step is the launch of USDG utility. Xu emphasized that retaining value within the on-chain ecosystem is critical: “You can’t have open finance if value keeps leaving the chain.” USDG will serve as a medium of exchange and a foundation for further utility within OKX’s ecosystem.

The second phase involves integrating major DeFi protocols—such as Aave, Uniswap, Balancer, and Chainlink—into X Layer. This would allow users to access a wide range of decentralized financial tools without needing to leave the OKX environment.

Builder Ecosystem–Vision Fund

Finally, OKX announced a $100M Vision Fund to support developers and projects that build on X Layer. This includes grants, ecosystem incentives, and startup support, positioning OKX not just as a product provider but as an enabler of new infrastructure.

The Role of the “New Money App”

Following Token2049, OKX rolled out its redesigned mobile interface, branded as the New Money App. The update focuses on simplifying crypto and fiat management, allowing users to toggle between basic trading, Web3 tools, and portfolio tracking.

Rather than being a standalone product, the app reflects OKX’s larger strategic direction, merging Web2 usability with Web3 autonomy. It’s one of the clearest signals yet that OKX sees its future not just in facilitating trades, but in offering infrastructure-level tools that support long-term adoption.

What to Watch

Several key metrics will determine whether OKX’s infrastructure strategy gains traction: Will users treat USDG stablecoin as a trusted medium for trading and payments? Will the $100M Vision Fund attract active developer participation? How OKB Token Utility, with its evolving use, as gas or governance token influences ecosystem design. And of course, how compliance in different jurisdictions will shape scalability.

Xu’s remarks at Token2049 didn’t just outline a product roadmap, they suggested a philosophy of infrastructure-led growth that prioritizes verification, user control, and ecosystem collaboration. If OKX executes well, it could emerge not just as a trading platform, but as one of the foundational providers powering the next generation of on-chain applications.

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