- Star Xu addresses account freezes caused by OKX system flaws.
- Users faced delays from false-positive compliance flags.
- OKX upgrades tech to reduce erroneous account freezes.
On July 5, 2025, the CEO of OKX, Star Xu, publicly apologized to users whose accounts were subjected to freeze due to inaccuracies in the compliance system of the cryptocurrency exchange. False positives created the problem because the actual user activity was misidentified as suspicious, which locked out some users to their money. This led to overall indignation because one of the users could not withdraw 11,000 USDT since June 21, yet he managed to pass the verification process.
False Positives Disrupt User Access
The reason for the account freezes was the OKX system of compliance that was designed to detect fraud and money laundering, with the regular user accounts being flagged as risky. Xu acknowledged that these errors created significant inconvenience.
Source –X
In a public post, he wrote, We are deeply sorry that we have upset people with high false-positive rates and poor user experiences in the compliance process. One of the affected users testified that he had submitted tonnes of documents, including evidence of funds, and had been rejected severally due to a mismatch in the system.
The issue gained popularity when the Internet was filled with the complaint of a user, which highlighted the delays and frustrating verification requests. It is also reported that the system of OKX also required local authorities to provide evidence; this was believed to have been too much on the part of the users. Xu accepted the challenge of eliminating false positives by noting that even their most exemplary systems of compliance fail to achieve a zero-error rate.
OKX’s Response and Future Improvements
With over 600 staff members on its global compliance team, OKX is attempting to optimize its operations. Xu also said that they were in the process of optimizing anti-fraud algorithms and customer response time. The exchange also includes machine-learning improvements to detect legitimate action and threats. According to Xu, the question of finding a balance between security and user access remains on the agenda, so the issue of global compliance in a regulated crypto world remains complex.
Much of the openness that was shown by OKX was portrayed through the confession of the issue by Xu. The exchange will reduce unnecessary verification procedures without lowering high regulatory standards. However, the industry insights show that the users in the jurisdiction with restrictive guidelines could still have issues, which may occur in the future when the regulations change. The incident is a sign of bigger concerns in the crypto industry, where exchanges are highly regulated because they are struggling to maintain client trust.