OKX is building a social network directly into its trading app after massive $25 billion valuation

The move comes shortly after Intercontinental Exchange valued OKX at $25 billion and reflects a broader push to combine trading, community and market data in one platform.

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What to know:

• Crypto exchange OKX, recently valued at about $25 billion after a strategic investment from Intercontinental Exchange, is launching a built-in social network called Orbit in its trading app.
• This comes after social platforms are increasingly illustrating the growing convergence of trading communities and social media.
• The rollout, beginning Feb. 26 with a limited beta, comes as OKX expands its offerings through its ICE partnership, including plans for tokenized stocks and crypto futures that further link traditional markets with digital assets.

Crypto exchange OKX, which was just valued at $25 billion after a strategic investment from New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) parent Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), is launching a social network built directly into its trading app, the latest example of social media and digital asset platforms converging as traders increasingly rely on online communities for market signals.

The feature, called Orbit, allows users to post market commentary, livestream discussions and create trading groups while also displaying verified performance metrics such as portfolio returns, profit and loss and win rates, OKX said Thursday. The company said the feature is designed to help users distinguish credible trading insights from hype or manipulated social media posts.

Orbit will roll out gradually beginning Feb. 26 to a limited group of users before expanding more broadly once its beta testing phase concludes.

The launch comes as social interaction plays a growing role in crypto markets. Many traders now gather ideas from online platforms where screenshots, posts and influencer commentary can quickly shape sentiment around assets such as bitcoin BTC$71,271.08 or ether (ETH).

“People using our app will have a native social channel where ideas are shared with posts, livestreams and group chats,” said Haider Rafique, managing partner at OKX, in a statement.

Several platforms have begun blending trading with social media features. StockTwits, for example, is a social platform focused on equities where traders share ideas using ticker symbols such as $AAPL or $TSLA to create real-time conversations about markets. In crypto, newer networks such as Farcaster had emerged as decentralized alternatives, operating as Ethereum-based social protocols designed to function as blockchain-native versions of platforms like X.

“This is quite popular in equities trading,” Rafique said. “We want to bring similar features and give traders a place where they can share their performance and interpretation of the markets.”

OKX said Orbit aims to add accountability to social trading by allowing users who choose to share metrics to verify them directly within the trading app. The platform also supports market-specific discussions using cashtags such as $BTC, $ETH and $SOL and allows traders to create both public and gated communities.

The move comes during a period of expansion for the company. OKX just received a strategic investment from Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), the global trading giant that owns the New York Stock Exchange. The deal valued the San Jose, California-based firm at about $25 billion.

As part of that partnership, OKX plans to introduce tokenized stocks and crypto futures products, signaling deeper integration between traditional financial markets and digital asset platforms.

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