OKX to close accounts interacting with Tornado Cash

As a seasoned crypto investor with over a decade of experience in this dynamic digital economy, I find myself constantly navigating the intricate web of regulations and security concerns that shape our landscape. The recent stance taken by OKX against Tornado Cash (TORN) is an interesting development that underscores the evolving regulatory climate.


The COO of OKX, Star Xu, advised users not to engage with Tornado Cash (TORN) as any involvement could lead to their accounts being suspended.

As an analyst, I’m sharing this perspective: In a recent post on their platform, the CEO clearly communicated that individuals who have faced sanctions in the past are prohibited from creating new accounts on OKX. Additionally, the crypto exchange is taking action to deactivate the accounts of users who make deposits from entities under sanction, such as Tornado Cash and Garantex.

人们被限制在OKX平台成功开户,因为他们已被制裁。对于已经成功开户的用户:

— Star (@star_okx) August 9, 2024

It seems that OKX is implementing restrictions on crypto mixers’ usage to adhere to worldwide regulations. Various entities like Tornado Cash have attracted scrutiny from regulators globally due to suspicions that they are often utilized for illicit transactions and are preferred by international criminal groups, as well as rogue nations such as North Korea, which have been linked to these services.

Regarding the issues with Tornado Cash and the OKX hack, the cryptocurrency exchange is making efforts to rebuild user confidence after several security weaknesses led to financial losses for users in June.

Based on an article from Crypto News, it appears that two individuals using the platform OKX suffered significant monetary losses due to a potential SIM-swapping incident.

It’s possible that the security breach at the exchange was caused by a vulnerability in their two-factor authentication (2FA) setup, allowing unapproved users to gain access to accounts. This suspicion comes from the blockchain security firm, Slowmist.

Confidence in OKX has been rattled due to the security issues they’ve experienced. In an effort to win back the public’s trust, they are now diligently adhering to worldwide regulatory standards for cryptocurrency exchanges.

As a seasoned financial analyst with over two decades of experience in the banking industry, I have witnessed the evolution of digital currencies and their associated technologies, including blockchain and crypto mixers. From my perspective, the proposed Blockchain Integrity Act seems like a prudent step towards combating money laundering activities that exploit the anonymity provided by these services.

The opinion expressed by the House on Tornado Cash was mirrored by the European Union as well. In April, they decided to enforce tracking of non-custodial wallets and prohibited the use of crypto tumblers and anonymity-focused cryptocurrencies.

As regulatory pressure mounts towards a potential resolution or even prohibition of cryptocurrency tumblers like Tornado Cash, these platforms and exchanges that facilitate the trading and listing of their tokens could find themselves in the ranks of the illicit crypto market.

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2024-08-09 11:02