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    OKX Launches Regulated Crypto Derivatives in Europe

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    OKX said Wednesday it is rolling out a Europe-specific crypto derivatives product called X-Perps, extending its regulated offering across the European Economic Area (EEA) through its Malta-based MiFID business.

    The company said the new derivatives product is available to retail and institutional traders across all 30 EEA countries.

    OKX said the platform is purpose-built in compliance with the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (MiFID), a European Union regulatory framework governing financial instruments such as securities and derivatives.

    The launch follows OKX’s March 2025 announcement that it had acquired a MiFID-licensed entity in Malta, which allowed the exchange to expand its derivatives trading across the EEA.

    Platform features multi-asset collateral and up to 10x leverage

    OKX said X-Perps offers five-year expiry crypto derivatives with up to 10x leverage and supports multi-asset collateral, including euros, US dollars and crypto assets.

    At launch, the platform offers pairs for numerous crypto assets, including major coins such as Bitcoin (BTC), Ether (ETH) and XRP (XRP), as well as memecoins such as Dogecoin (DOGE) and Pepe (PEPE).

    “OKX will be rolling out more pairs and exploring high-demand products for retail and institutional traders as it builds out its fully featured, regulated European derivatives platform,” the company said in an announcement shared with Cointelegraph.

    A structurally different product designed for Europe

    OKX’s launch of X-Perps comes as the exchange has emerged as a major player in derivatives trading.

    According to CoinGlass, OKX ranked as the second-largest exchange in crypto derivatives in the first quarter of 2026, after Binance, with a cumulative quarterly trading volume of $2.19 trillion, versus Binance’s $4.9 trillion.

    The three largest crypto derivatives platforms by cumulative volumes in Q1 2026. Source: CoinGlass

    A spokesperson for OKX told Cointelegraph that X-Perps is specifically structured to comply with MiFID requirements and will differ from products offered under other regulatory frameworks.

    Related: Onchain perp DEX volumes fall for five straight months after October peak

    OKX Europe CEO Erald Ghoos said derivatives sit at the core of crypto markets, which continue to dominate overall trading activity, totaling $18.6 trillion compared with $1.9 trillion in spot trading in the past quarter.

    “With X-Perps, we’re extending our proven, high-performance derivatives offering into a regulated European framework, giving both institutions and retail traders access at scale,” Ghoos noted.

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