OKX Wants Transparency That Is ‘Better Than an Audit’

OKX is attempting to presumption itself arsenic the “transparent” speech arsenic it upgrades its Proof of Reserves (PoR) to see afloat liability histrion disclosure and zero-knowledge proofs (ZKP) for PoR solvency verification. Lennix Lai speaks exclusively to BeInCrypto about this news.

OKX is utilizing its presumption arsenic the fig 2 crypto speech to acceptable a caller modular for transparency, its Managing Director, Lennix Lai, told BeinCrypto.

Transparency is an “ongoing project” astatine OKX, helium says. “After FTX, we made it 1 of the apical priorities successful the organization. We’ve added to that by allowing each of our users to verify our reserves.  I deliberation successful bid to execute transparency wrong our industry, we request to marque usage of our precise ain portion of technology, specifically blockchain. So if blockchain tin marque it happen, we should let our users to bask those benefits.”

According to Cryptorank.io, OKX is the world’s second-largest cryptocurrency speech by adjusted volume successful the spot market. The spot marketplace is wherever cryptocurrencies are traded for contiguous delivery, meaning the existent plus is bought oregon sold astatine the existent marketplace price.

OKX announced connected Thursday has announced that it volition upgrade its Proof of Reserves (PoR) strategy successful the coming months. The upgrades purpose to heighten transparency portion maintaining lawsuit privacy. The speech has been publishing monthly Proof of Reserves reports since the implosion of FTX. The astir recent showed USD 8.6 cardinal held by the speech successful BTC, ETH, and USDT.

The Upgrade Will Keep User Privacy While Disclosing Total Liability

According to their announcement, the archetypal upgrade, effectual successful the upcoming March PoR report, volition see afloat liability histrion disclosure. This upgrade volition alteration anyone to download the afloat liability Merkle tree, thereby enhancing transparency. Meanwhile, it volition divided and shuffle each user’s equilibrium into respective segments, ensuring privateness regarding relationship balances.

The 2nd upgrade, and the astir interesting, effectual successful the coming months, volition impact utilizing zero-knowledge proofs (ZKP). This cryptographic method guarantees solvency by comparing the nett equity of idiosyncratic assets to speech reserves and allows users to verify their funds exist.

In elemental terms, this would corroborate that each the wealth deposited by the users is accounted for. It besides ensures that the speech has capable wealth to wage everyone if they privation to retreat their funds. “We privation to disclose the full liability without disclosing the idiosyncratic equilibrium of their user,” Lai tells BeInCrypto.

It volition beryllium imaginable to verify whether your Bitcoin has been deposited into an OKX-branded nationalist code by checking the blockchain.“We fundamentally let a idiosyncratic to cheque each the time, immoderate time, whether your Bitcoin exists successful your addresses,” says Lai. “ If your Bitcoin does not exist, meaning OKX, oregon the exchange, moved it truthful they tin bash thing else, that is not good. We privation to person a transparency level that is amended than an audit.”

Haider Rafique, their Chief Marketing Officer, said successful a connection the institution wanted to “exceed marketplace expectations for transparency.” 

Where Was The Transparency Before?

The caller developments successful transparency person undoubtedly been bully for the industry. The FTX debacle, which outgo the crypto marketplace billions of dollars, could person been avoided if these safeguards had been successful spot before. The nationalist lone became alert of FTX’s leverage and solvency concerns aft they were reported by CoinDesk. 

Why hasn’t determination been a greater absorption connected transparency successful the past? Lai says that the manufacture was preoccupied with the accustomed concern concerns. “Everyone was focused connected growth, marketing, and impervious of conception with antithetic tokens.”

After the FTX incident, 2 affirmative developments happened wrong the industry, according to Lai. Regulators got a batch of unit to supply much clarity, and “the information is the user, the client, demanded much clarity and transparency. Otherwise, they won’t commercialized with us.”

There has been a increasing consciousness of spot wrong the industry, which is simply a affirmative development, says Lai. “OKX is doing a precise elemental occupation and providing a precise elemental speech service. We don’t person immoderate different business. [The users] are starting to recognize this value.” 

OKX Is Spending A Lot More Time On Compliance

Lai tells BeInCrypto that the institution is spending overmuch much clip speaking to regulators post-FTX. “They besides person a batch much questions than before,” helium says. “Our compliance squad has grown a lot.”

Each merchandise squad is required to person a compliance function, which entails gathering features into a well-designed merchandise portion taking into relationship the regulatory model of each jurisdiction. Lai tells BeInCrypto that their purpose is to make products that fulfill each regulatory requirements successful a azygous attempt.

Based connected this work, “In 12 months, we anticipation to use for galore licenses simultaneously.”