OKX

OKX needed to acquire verified new traders at scale in markets where crypto-native audiences were reachable but standard paid channels offered limited precision targeting. Four obstacles defined the problem:

• Restricted inventory: Google and Meta impose strict geo and category restrictions on crypto exchange advertising across OKX's key expansion markets.
• Intent mismatch: Broad display networks served impressions to general finance audiences rather than wallets-active crypto users.
• KYC drop-off risk: Driving sign-ups is straightforward. Driving users through identity verification to become active traders requires matching creative to audience readiness.
• Competitive noise: Multiple top-tier exchanges were running acquisition campaigns in the same markets during the same period.

Standard programmatic channels could not reach OKX's ideal audience with enough precision to justify the cost. Google and Meta restricted crypto exchange advertising in several of OKX's target geos, and broad networks delivered reach without intent signal, producing sign-up volume that did not convert through KYC. OKX needed a platform that could identify and reach crypto-active users at the wallet level, not the interest proxy level. Blockchain-Ads provided that through four capabilities:

• On-chain audience segments: Campaigns reached DeFi Users, Frequency Traders, BTC/ETH Whalers, High Value Traders, and Web3 Natives, all identified through verified on-chain behaviour.
• Crypto-native publisher inventory: Ads ran across crypto and Web3 publisher environments where audiences had demonstrated active market participation.
• Segment-level spend control: Each audience segment ran as a discrete targeting line, allowing spend to be read against conversions per segment.
• Incentive-compatible creative environment: OKX's offer-led creatives matched the commercial intent of the crypto-native audiences the network reaches.

• New traders acquired: 3,095 sign-up and KYC completions across 2 months.
• Impressions: 1.5M+ delivered across Turkey, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Indonesia.
• CTR: 1.74% blended across all display placements.
• Transactions generated: 21,470 trades completed by new traders post-registration.
• Trading volume attributed: $5.16M across the campaign window.

The campaign launched across all five on-chain audience segments simultaneously. Display ads ran in parallel across each segment to establish baseline conversion data. Two creative angles entered the market: a utility offer promoting 15 USDT in contract vouchers and an action-led creative pushing the sign-up, deposit, and trade sequence. Both carried a direct Sign Up CTA and ran at equal weight to generate comparable performance data across segments.

Segment performance data revealed clear differentiation early. DeFi Users, Frequency Traders, and BTC/ETH Whalers produced the highest transaction volumes and the most consistent new trader counts. A third creative entered the rotation in this phase. The Mystery Box creative led with a KYC-completion reward of up to $10,000, targeting users showing high sign-up rates but lower completion through to verified status.

Spend consolidated behind the three highest-performing segments: DeFi Users, BTC/ETH Whalers, and Frequency Traders. The Mystery Box creative scaled across all active segments given its stronger KYC completion pull. Web3 Natives and High Value Traders continued at maintained spend levels, contributing 616 and 548 new traders respectively. The campaign closed across two months with 3,095 verified new traders at a blended CPA of $14.