OKEx Technology Company Limited based in Japan is expanding its operations in Malta, the government said in a statement. This was announced by the company - an announcement that followed various meetings with the government. OKEx expressed its confidence that Malta will serve as a base for the expansion of the company, the statement said.

OKEX is a leading digital asset exchange that provides global users with a robust digital-asset-only exchange and currently offers token-to token and futures-like trading. 

“We look forward to work with Malta’s government as it is forward-thinking and shares many of our values, the most important of which are the protection of traders, the general public, compliance with Anti-Money Laundering and Know Your Customer Standards, and the recognition of the innovation and the importance of continuous development in the blockchain ecosystem” Chris Lee, CEO of OKEx, was quoted as saying by the government.

Tim Byun, Chief Risk Officer, said that he sees a strong strategic partner in Malta, in an industry dominated by new emergent technology.

OKEx is looking forward to joining the blockchain community in Malta through its participation in the Delta Summit to be held in October 2018.

OKEx is the second biggest company in this sector and its announcement follows that of Binance - the biggest company in this sector - which is also establishing its operations in Malta.

Parliamentary Secretary for Financial Services, Digital Economy and Innovation Silvio Schembri said that the OKEx announcement is a certificate of trust in Malta. “The fact that Malta is at the forefront in launching a regulatory framework that regulates this sector by means of setting up an authority, in itself has attracted the interest of global companies such as Binance and OKEx”, added Silvio Schembri.

“This is just the start. Other companies will soon establish their operations in Malta”, said Silvio Schembri.