The 50 Most Interesting Companies In Bitcoin's History: 20/50
OKX / OKCoin
The Idea: One of China's first Bitcoin trading platforms. Xu, a former CTO at document-sharing site Docin.com, founded OKCoin on June 1, 2013 as a Bitcoin-to-yuan trading platform. Expanded globally as OKX in 2017.
Early Traction: Became one of the 'big three' Chinese exchanges alongside Huobi and BTC China, dominating global Bitcoin trading volume when China was the center of the market.
Peak Stats: OKX became the world's largest exchange by reported turnover in May 2018. Top 3 globally by volume consistently.
Status Today: Active. Relocated out of China after 2021 ban. Remains top ~5 digital assets exchange from spot volume and #2 in derivatives volume globally.
Why It Matters:
OKX represents the Chinese exchange era that dominated Bitcoin trading from 2013-2017, and remains a top player today. CZ's stint as CTO there before founding Binance is notable.