Crypto exchange OKX has announced a significant tightening of compliance controls on incoming transfers linked to gambling and unregulated P2P platforms. As I have found out, a deposit from an address flagged as high-risk can now automatically trigger a multi-stage AML review that will last 15 days or more. This decision is not a targeted measure, but part of a systemic response to growing regulatory pressure.
According to my data, the initiator and public mouthpiece of this policy was OKX CEO Star Xu. He directly stated that funds coming through "guaranteed" escrow services in Telegram groups, as well as through the Huione network (also known as Huione Guarantee), will now be treated as a source of elevated risk. This is not just about blocking specific transactions—if the illegal origin of funds is confirmed, the exchange reserves the right to fully restrict account functionality and freeze access to assets.
A signal for the shadow market
My analysis shows that this step strikes at an entire ecosystem of illegal financial operations. In 2025, before regulatory intervention, the volume of transactions through the Huione Telegram marketplace reached an astronomical $27 billion. After U.S. authorities, particularly FinCEN, cut Huione Guarantee off from the U.S. financial system in October 2025, part of these flows poured into other similar services, such as Tudou Guarantee. OKX, it seems, intends to cut off these channels on its platform.
Notably, the exchange began monitoring wallets linked to Huione as early as last year, but now this process has been formalized and tightened. Xu acknowledges that the new system is not perfect and false positives are possible. In July 2025, OKX already faced a wave of criticism over the erroneous blocking of accounts belonging to bona fide users on suspicion of fraud.
This tightening comes amid massive regulatory pressure. According to reports from CertiK analysts, AML claim risks have become the main source of regulatory headaches for the crypto industry, even surpassing disputes over securities. In the last year alone, OKX has paid more than $500 million in fines for violations in this area. The question is whether the new 15-day filter can effectively separate the wheat from the chaff without alienating legitimate traders.
My professional opinion: this is a clear signal to the market that the era of "gray" deposits on major centralized exchanges is coming to an end. However, the 15-day freeze on funds is an extremely harsh tool that could hit users who accidentally interacted with such services hard. OKX is balancing on the edge between complying with FinCEN requirements and maintaining customer loyalty, and the price of a mistake here could be very high.