Former New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo has joined the board of directors of cryptocurrency exchange OKX as the company expands its U.S. operations and strengthens its ties with traditional financial institutions.
- Andrew Cuomo joins OKX’s board after advising the exchange on U.S. regulatory strategy since 2023.
- His appointment comes as OKX expands U.S. operations and further deepens institutional ties with ICE.
- Cuomo will co-chair OKX and ICE’s tokenization venture linking traditional and digital markets more closely.
OKX announced the appointment on July 20, saying Cuomo had already worked with the company since 2023. During that period, he advised the exchange on its regulatory and institutional strategy in the U.S.
Cuomo previously served as New York’s 56th governor, the state’s attorney general and U.S. secretary of housing and urban development. His board appointment formalizes an existing relationship with OKX rather than starting a new advisory role.
Cuomo moves from adviser to OKX board member
OKX founder and CEO Star Xu said Cuomo had already played a role in shaping the exchange’s approach to the U.S. market. The company did not provide details about any specific board committees or additional responsibilities tied to the appointment.
“His move to the board formalizes a relationship that has already shaped how we approach the U.S. market,” Xu said.
OKX said Cuomo’s public-sector and regulatory experience would support the company as it develops services for both traditional and digital finance.
The appointment comes as OKX continues rebuilding and expanding its presence in the U.S. As crypto.news previously reported, the company relaunched its U.S. crypto exchange and self-custody wallet in April 2025 and established a regional headquarters in San Jose, California.
That relaunch followed a settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice over past compliance failures. OKX also appointed Roshan Robert to lead its U.S. business and said it had strengthened know-your-customer, fraud detection and other compliance systems.
ICE partnership expands OKX’s institutional strategy
Cuomo will also continue serving as co-chair of a joint venture between OKX and Intercontinental Exchange, the parent company of the New York Stock Exchange. The two companies announced the venture in June as part of a plan to connect traditional financial markets with blockchain-based products.
As crypto.news reported in June, the proposed platform could give OKX users access to ICE futures products and tokenized equity markets linked to the NYSE. The project remains subject to regulatory approval.
The companies plan to combine ICE’s exchange and market-data infrastructure with OKX’s onchain and self-custody technology. The structure is designed to support institutional access to tokenized financial products while linking established market infrastructure with digital asset systems.
The partnership followed an investment by ICE in OKX in March. According to OKX, the transaction valued the crypto company at $25 billion. The investment amount was not publicly disclosed in the earlier announcement covered by crypto.news.
OKX broadens its business beyond crypto trading
OKX has been adding products as it seeks a larger role in institutional and tokenized markets. The company said its licensing footprint now covers markets including the U.S., the European Economic Area, the United Arab Emirates, Singapore and Australia.
Its U.S. expansion is part of that broader strategy. The company returned to the market in 2025 with a centralized exchange and self-custody wallet after spending more than a year developing its compliance infrastructure, according to earlier reporting.
Meanwhile, the ICE partnership gives OKX another route into the growing market for tokenized traditional assets. The joint venture plans to work on products that connect blockchain infrastructure with established futures and equity markets, although the companies still need relevant approvals before launching the proposed services.
OKX has also launched an artificial intelligence marketplace where autonomous agents can find work, transact and build onchain reputations. The company cited that launch, its ICE partnership and its wider licensing activity as parts of its expansion during 2026.
Moreover, Cuomo’s appointment gives OKX a board member who has worked at both the state and federal levels of the U.S. government. He has also spent about three years advising the exchange directly on regulatory and institutional matters.
The move therefore connects two areas of OKX’s current strategy: its continued U.S. expansion and its effort to attract more institutional financial activity. The exchange has already returned to the U.S. market, while its partnership with ICE is targeting a separate route into tokenized assets and traditional market infrastructure.
