What is OKB (OKB)?

By CMC AI
25 September 2025 08:46PM (UTC+0)

TLDR

OKB is the native utility token of the OKX cryptocurrency exchange ecosystem, designed to unlock platform benefits, governance participation, and cross-chain functionality.

  1. Utility-driven ecosystem access – Grants holders discounts, passive income, and exclusive services.

  2. Deflationary tokenomics – Fixed supply of 21M tokens post-burn, mirroring Bitcoin’s scarcity.

  3. X Layer integration – Powers a high-speed zkEVM blockchain for DeFi and payments.


Deep Dive

1. Purpose & Value Proposition

OKB serves as the backbone of OKX’s ecosystem, enabling users to access trading fee discounts (up to 40%), participate in governance votes, and earn rewards via staking through OKX Earn. It also integrates with third-party platforms for financial services (e.g., lending on Constant) and utility applications like managing virtual assets on Enjin (OKX).

2. Tokenomics & Governance

Originally capped at 300M tokens, OKB underwent a deflationary overhaul in August 2025, burning 65M tokens to fix the supply at 21M. This mimics Bitcoin’s scarcity, reducing sell pressure. OKX uses a buyback-and-burn mechanism funded by 30% of spot trading fees, aligning incentives for long-term holders (CoinMarketCap).

3. Technology & Ecosystem

OKB migrated to X Layer, a zkEVM-based Ethereum Layer 2 chain built with Polygon’s CDK, achieving 5,000 TPS and near-zero fees. X Layer focuses on DeFi, cross-border payments, and real-world asset tokenization, with OKB as its native gas token. The network integrates seamlessly with OKX Wallet, Exchange, and Pay, creating a unified Web3 experience (Cryptonews).


Conclusion

OKB is a multifaceted utility token powering one of crypto’s largest exchange ecosystems, combining scarcity-driven economics with infrastructure designed for scalability. Its pivot to X Layer positions it at the intersection of centralized efficiency and decentralized innovation.

What role will OKB play as X Layer competes with other Ethereum scaling solutions?

CMC AI can make mistakes. Not financial advice.