OKX has announced a major upgrade of its public chain, X Layer, built on zkEVM and launched in 2023 in partnership with Polygon. According to the statement, the upgrade is aimed at improving performance, reducing fees, and expanding the ecosystem in DeFi, global payments, and real-world asset tokenization. As part of the changes, the exchange will discontinue OKTChain support and perform a one-time burn of over 65 million OKB.
Technological Upgrade
On August 5, 2025, X Layer completed integration of the updated Polygon CDK stack (formerly zkEVM) and executed the “PP upgrade.” This increased the network’s throughput to 5,000 TPS, reduced fees to minimal levels, and improved Ethereum compatibility, creating a more developer-friendly environment.
Ecosystem and Infrastructure
OKX will focus X Layer’s development on DeFi, global payments, and the issuance of tokenized real-world assets. Plans include launching a fund and liquidity program to attract teams and projects. The infrastructure will be enhanced through upgrades to cross-chain bridges, oracles, and compliance services.
Integration with OKX products will include:
- OKX Wallet gaining full support for X Layer with low fees.
- The addition of 0 Gas fast withdrawal on OKX Exchange for gas-free USDT and other asset transfers.
- X Layer becoming the primary network for OKX Pay, enabling faster and cheaper payment settlements.
Shutdown of OKTChain
Due to functional overlap with X Layer, OKX will gradually phase out OKTChain support.
- On August 13, 2025, at 14:10 (UTC+8), OKT trading on the exchange will be halted, and all pending orders will be canceled automatically.
- Starting August 15, 2025, OKT balances in user accounts will be automatically converted to OKB at the average closing price for the period from July 13 to August 12, 2025.
- OKTChain support will continue until January 1, 2026, with the option to deposit OKT for subsequent automatic conversion to OKB.
OKB Economic Model
OKB will remain the sole native token and gas payment asset in X Layer. The Ethereum L1 version of the token will be gradually phased out. Withdrawal of OKB to Ethereum L1 will end on August 13, 2025, at 15:00 (UTC+8).
OKX will carry out a one-time burning of 65,256,712.097 OKB from historical buybacks and reserves, fixing the total supply at 21 million tokens. Future burning will be executed automatically through a smart contract.
Key dates:
- August 13, 2025, 14:10 - Halt of OKT trading.
- August 13, 2025, 15:00 - End of OKB withdrawals to Ethereum L1.
- August 15, 2025, 10:00 - Automatic OKT-to-OKB conversion.
- August 15, 2025, 14:00 - OKB burn.
- August 18, 2025, 14:00 - Smart contract update for OKB removing minting and burning functions.
Against the backdrop of this news, the OKB token rose 133% over the past 24 hours to $107.56.
This post is for informational purposes only and is not an ad or investment advice. Please do your own research making any decisions.