Key Takeaways:
ICE and OKX formed a 50-50 joint venture targeting U.S. broker-dealer and FCM registration, pending regulatory approval.The venture will give OKX’s 120 million global users access to ICE futures and NYSE tokenized equity markets.Former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo will co-chair the entity, which builds on ICE’s March 2026 strategic investment in OKX.Once operational, the entity will allow OKX customers in the United States and abroad to access ICE futures markets and NYSE tokenized equity products. The companies said the joint venture will also pursue adjacent opportunities in regulatory-compliant, blockchain-enabled markets.
The partnership follows ICE’s strategic investment in OKX announced in March, deepening a relationship that now extends into shared market infrastructure.
Cuomo Takes a Co-Chair RoleFormer New York Governor Andrew Cuomo will serve as co-chair of the joint venture alongside representatives from ICE. Cuomo, who previously served as New York State Attorney General and U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, began working with OKX in 2023.
What ICE BringsTrabue Bland, Senior Vice President of Futures Exchanges at ICE, framed the deal in institutional terms. “ICE’s global benchmarks and regulated market technology have earned the trust of institutions and traders everywhere,” Bland said, “and now, through our partnership with OKX, we are working towards extending that reach to OKX’s 120 million retail traders.”
ICE operates some of the world’s most widely used financial benchmarks and clearing infrastructure. Its involvement gives the venture direct access to regulated market rails that crypto-native companies typically cannot provide on their own.
What OKX BringsHeadquartered in San Jose, California for the Americas and Dubai for the Middle East, OKX has built out a global operational presence that the joint venture will draw on to reach customers across multiple jurisdictions.
Why It Matters
