Star Xu

Xu began his career as an engineer for Yahoo in Beijing. After one year, he became the chief technology officer of DocIn and remained in that position until 2012. Xu became an entrepreneur in 2013, when he founded Ok Group, a company concentrated on the development ofdeveloping the blockchain and its own cryptocurrency, Okcoin. He later founded OKX and registered it in Malaysia due to cryptocurrency regulations in China bannedbanning initial coin offerings in 2017.

Throughout his time in the DeFi industry, Xu has been questioned by authorities several times. Intimes.In 2018, he was questioned by police regarding bitcoin futures manipulation on his OKX platform, although he was never arrested. Then, inarrested.In October 2020, it was reported that Xu was brought by the police for questioning regarding an equity merger that had been completed several years prior. He made a statement on social media one month later, stating that he was innocent and had been cooperating with authorities.

As the cryptocurrency market took a downturn in 2022, Xu's exchange remained active. He has publicly stated that he intends to build OKX with best practices so both the platform and cryptocurrency market can have longevity in the DeFi industry.

Mingxing Xu — or “Star” Xu, as he’s known in the industry — founded OKCoin back in 2013 in China. The business then developed into the OKCoin exchange, which subsequently became a separate legal entity, and the OK Group, which focuses on blockchain infrastructure. In 2017, a separate exchange based in Malta was founded by Xu called OKEx, which once again, was a separate legal entity. Xu is currently CEO of OK Group, although he founded it, he is reportedly not affiliated with OKEx.

What a difference a person’s presence — or rather, the lack of it — can make in the blockchain industry. Crypto investors and media outlets went bonkers when reports first surfaced that the founder of one of the biggest crypto exchanges may have gone missing due to a Chinese police investigation.

Things got even worse when it turned out that for various reasons — which were at times difficult to explain, even for OKEx — withdrawals had to be frozen. That did not go down well with the industry and all the derivatives traders on the platform. The large withdrawals from the exchange that happened at around the time of the first leaks only confused everyone further, and those reports almost certainly moved the market. In the end, however, some of the rumors were confirmed when Xu reemerged and reportedly said that there was indeed an inquiry but that no wrongdoing on his behalf was discovered.

When OKEx opened up its withdrawals over a month after they were suspended, it undoubtedly left many people questioning how viable the semi-online multisignature system used by the exchange is. If a holder goes missing, withdrawals stop. So, it seems the CEO of OK Group will have tough work ahead of him in order to restore trust in his company’s brand.

Mingxing Xu, also known as Star Xu, is an entrepreneur and leader in the cryptocurrency and decentralized finance (DeFi) industries. He is best known for being the founder of OKX (formerly OkEx), a Seychelles-based cryptocurrency exchange.

Xu was educated in Beijing, China. In 2006, he earned a bachelor's degree in physics from the University of Science and Technology Beijing. He then earned his master's degree in the same field of study from Renmin University of China.

Xu began his career as an engineer for Yahoo in Beijing. After one year, he became the chief technology officer of DocIn and remained in that position until 2012. Xu became an entrepreneur in 2013 when he founded Ok Group, a company concentrated on the development of the blockchain and its own cryptocurrency, Okcoin. He later founded OKX and registered it in Malaysia due to cryptocurrency regulations in China banned initial coin offerings in 2017.

Throughout his time in the DeFi industry, Xu has been questioned by authorities several times. In 2018, he was questioned by police regarding bitcoin futures manipulation on his OKX platform although he was never arrested. Then, in October 2020, it was reported that Xu was brought by the police for questioning regarding an equity merger that had been completed several years prior. He made a statement on social media one month later stating that he was innocent and had been cooperating with authorities.

As the cryptocurrency market took a downturn in 2022, Xu's exchange remained active. He has publicly stated that he intends to build OKX with best practices so both the platform and cryptocurrency market can have longevity in the DeFi industry.

When OKEx opened up its withdrawals over a month after they were suspended, it undoubtedly left many people questioning how viable the semi-online multisignature system used by the exchange is. If a holder goes missing, withdrawals stop. So, it seems the CEO of OK Group will have tough work ahead of him in order to restore trust in his company’s brand.

What a difference a person’s presence — or rather, the lack of it — can make in the blockchain industry. Crypto investors and media outlets went bonkers when reports first surfaced that the founder of one of the biggest crypto exchanges may have gone missing due to a Chinese police investigation.

Things got even worse when it turned out that for various reasons — which were at times difficult to explain, even for OKEx — withdrawals had to be frozen. That did not go down well with the industry and all the derivatives traders on the platform. The large withdrawals from the exchange that happened at around the time of the first leaks only confused everyone further, and those reports almost certainly moved the market. In the end, however, some of the rumors were confirmed when Xu reemerged and reportedly said that there was indeed an inquiry but that no wrongdoing on his behalf was discovered.

Mingxing Xu — or “Star” Xu, as he’s known in the industry — founded OKCoin back in 2013 in China. The business then developed into the OKCoin exchange, which subsequently became a separate legal entity, and the OK Group, which focuses on blockchain infrastructure. In 2017, a separate exchange based in Malta was founded by Xu called OKEx, which once again, was a separate legal entity. Xu is currently CEO of OK Group, although he founded it, he is reportedly not affiliated with OKEx.