Building a Culture of Compliance at OKX

By Jonathan Brockmeier, OKX Chief Compliance Officer

Compliance is about building a culture rooted in trust, responsibility, and integrity. It shapes how we work, how we make decisions, and how we protect our community. Our three guiding principles, WE Before Me, Get Things Done, and Do the Right Thing, influence everything from our team structure, to the way we train employees, to the ethical standards we uphold across the company. In this post, I will explain how these values come to life at OKX and how they help us maintain a safe, responsible, and resilient platform for users around the world.

Compliance is a Team Game

OKX operates globally, and our compliance team reflects that reach. We have a robust organization of more than 500 professionals across key regions and time zones. Regional leaders bring local expertise to ensure compliance with jurisdiction-specific regulations, while centralized teams provide the core frameworks for anti-money laundering, embed compliant-by-design into the product development lifecycle, and manage core programs like data privacy and market surveillance.

This structure allows us to respond quickly to emerging risks while maintaining consistent global standards. It reflects WE before Me. Compliance is a shared responsibility across product, engineering, operations, and support teams. By working together, we embed compliance into every process and decision across the company.

Equipping People to Act

A culture of compliance depends on knowledge, awareness, and practical experience. Every new employee undergoes structured onboarding that introduces them to our policies, regulatory obligations, and ethical standards. Beyond onboarding, we provide continuous learning opportunities tailored to specific roles.

Training includes:

• Scenario-Based Learning: Interactive modules that replicate real-world compliance challenges, such as identifying suspicious transactions or assessing regulatory risks in new product features. This helps employees apply knowledge in practical context

• Role-Specific Training: Tailored e-learning ensures each function develops a deeper understanding of the laws, policies, and best practices most relevant to their responsibilities

• Knowledge Validation: Scored assessments reinforce accountability by measuring comprehension and confirming employees remain up to date on regulatory requirements

• Knowledge Sharing: Insights from audits, investigations, and emerging risks are shared across teams to build collective awareness and strengthen organizational resilience

• Practical Application: Exercises like phishing simulations and mock reporting drills give employees hands-on experience applying compliance and data security practices

This approach reflects the Get Things Done principle. By giving employees practical tools, knowledge, and hands-on experience, we ensure that compliance decisions are embedded in daily workflows. Employees are empowered to act decisively to protect the platform and its users.

Leading With Integrity

Technology and processes are important, but culture depends on choices. Our code of conduct sets clear expectations for how we work, how we treat others, and how we respond to challenges. Employees are encouraged to raise concerns, and we act quickly to address issues.

This reflects our principle of Do the Right Thing. Compliance is not just about following rules; it is about making ethical decisions that benefit our users and the wider ecosystem. Acting with integrity builds lasting trust and reinforces the foundation of our culture.

Building a Resilient, Trusted Platform

At OKX, compliance is part of the company’s DNA. Our robust global team, comprehensive and practical training programs, and high ethical standards create an environment where compliance is embedded in every action. By putting WE Before Me, we foster collaboration and shared responsibility. With a focus on Getting Things Done, we empower employees to act decisively and confidently. Through our commitment to Do the Right Thing, we ensure integrity guides all decisions.

This culture makes OKX safer for users and stronger as an organization. It also sets an example for the wider crypto industry by demonstrating how compliance, knowledge, and ethics can support responsible and sustainable growth.