Career
Star Xu (born Xu Mingxing) is a Chinese entrepreneur and blockchain executive best known as the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of OKX, one of the world’s leading cryptocurrency exchanges and Web3 technology companies. He is considered one of the earliest major entrepreneurs in the digital asset industry, helping shape the development of crypto trading infrastructure, derivatives markets, and blockchain ecosystems globally.
Xu studied Applied Physics at the University of Science and Technology Beijing, developing a strong analytical and technical foundation before entering the internet and financial technology sectors. Early in his career, he worked at Yahoo China and later founded several internet ventures, gaining experience in search technology, digital marketplaces, and online consumer platforms prior to entering cryptocurrency.
In 2013, Xu founded OKCoin, one of China’s earliest Bitcoin exchanges, during the first major wave of global crypto adoption. The platform rapidly grew into one of the largest digital asset exchanges by trading volume, serving both retail and institutional traders. As the crypto industry evolved, the company expanded internationally and later launched OKEx, which eventually rebranded to OKX as part of a broader push into Web3 services, decentralized applications, and blockchain infrastructure.
Under Xu’s leadership, OKX developed into a global crypto ecosystem offering spot trading, derivatives, options, DeFi integration, self-custody wallets, NFT marketplaces, institutional products, and blockchain development tools. The exchange became particularly influential in crypto derivatives and advanced trading products, competing directly with major global platforms in liquidity and innovation.
Xu has consistently advocated for blockchain technology as a transformative force for finance and the internet, supporting initiatives in decentralized finance, Layer-2 scaling, Web3 infrastructure, and crypto accessibility. He has also overseen OKX’s expansion into regulated markets and its efforts to strengthen transparency, compliance, and proof-of-reserves reporting following industry-wide calls for greater accountability.
Despite maintaining a relatively reserved public image compared to some crypto founders, Xu remains one of the most influential figures in the global digital asset industry. His work in exchange infrastructure, derivatives innovation, and Web3 ecosystem development has helped shape how millions of users interact with cryptocurrencies and decentralized technologies worldwide.
