Crypto exchange OKX announced on Thursday the rollout of a native social networking feature called Orbit, embedded directly within its trading application. The platform is designed to blend social media with market activity, allowing users to discuss markets, host livestreams, form groups, and crucially, execute trades directly from posts using cashtags like $BTC or $ETH.
A key innovation of Orbit is its focus on transparency and credibility. The platform addresses a common issue in online trading communities where influencers share unverifiable screenshots of profitable trades. Users who opt-in can display a verified "performance" tab on their profile, which updates in real-time with data pulled directly from their OKX trading history. This includes holdings, total profit and loss, and detailed trading history (open, closed, and existing positions), with leverage visibility. The data can be sorted across multiple time frames: 7 days, 30 days, 90 days, and one year.
"When you view an Orbit user's profile, you can toggle at the top between 'posts' and 'performance,'" an OKX spokesperson stated. "These update in real time and are calculated based on the user's trading history via the OKX app." While sharing this data is optional, users cannot selectively edit or omit the information shown, ensuring the metrics are authentic and exchange-derived.
The launch follows a strategic investment from Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), the parent company of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), which valued OKX at $25 billion. As part of this partnership, OKX plans to list tokenized NYSE stocks and crypto futures products, bridging traditional equities with digital assets in the same app.
Orbit also introduces a creator rewards system tied to follower engagement and activity, including follower trading activity, posting content, and livestreaming. The beta rollout began on February 26 to a limited group of users, with a broader release planned after testing. However, the feature will not be initially available in several major markets including the U.S., Europe, Singapore, Australia, or the United Arab Emirates due to regulatory scrutiny around social trading and investment promotion.
