Cryptocurrency exchange OKX, which just hit a $25 billion valuation after receiving a strategic investment from New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) parent company Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), is launching a social network built directly into its trading app, the latest example of the convergence of social media and digital asset platforms as traders increasingly rely on online communities for market signals.
OKX said on Thursday that the feature, called Orbit, allows users to post market comments, live stream discussions and create trading groups, while also displaying proven performance metrics such as portfolio returns, profits and losses and win rates. The company says the feature is designed to help users distinguish credible trading insights from hype or manipulated social media posts.
Orbit will gradually roll out to a limited group of users starting on February 26, before expanding more broadly after the beta testing phase ends.
The launch comes as social interaction plays an increasingly important role in the cryptocurrency market. Many traders now gather their ideas from online platforms, where screenshots, posts and influencer comments can quickly shape sentiment around assets like Bitcoin Or Ethereum (ETH).
“People using our app will have a native social channel to share their thoughts through posts, live streams and group chats,” OKX managing partner Haider Rafique said in a statement.
Some platforms have begun integrating trading with social media features. For example, StockTwits is a stock-focused social platform that allows traders to share ideas using stock tickers like $AAPL or $TSLA to create real-time conversations about the market. In the crypto space, new networks like Farcaster have emerged as decentralized alternatives, operating as social protocols based on Ethereum and designed to act as blockchain-native versions of platforms like X.
“This is very popular in stock trading,” Rafiq said. “We hope to bring similar functionality and give traders a place to share their performance and interpretation of the market.”
OKX says Orbit aims to increase accountability in social trading by allowing users who choose to share indicators to verify those indicators directly within the trading application. The platform also supports market-specific discussions using cash tags such as $BTC, $ETH, and $SOL, and allows traders to create public and closed communities.
The move comes amid the company’s expansion. OKX just received a strategic investment from Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), the global trading giant that owns the New York Stock Exchange. The deal values the San Jose, Calif.-based company at about $25 billion.
As part of the partnership, OKX plans to launch tokenized equity and crypto futures products, signaling a deeper integration between traditional financial markets and digital asset platforms.
