OKX Announces Major Technical Upgrade for zkEVM Public Chain “X Layer”
On August 13, 2025, OKX released an announcement regarding a significant technical upgrade for its zkEVM public chain “X Layer,” codenamed “PP Upgrade.” Simultaneously, adjustments were made to the token economic model of OKB as the native Gas Token. This upgrade includes performance enhancements, on-chain integration, community incentive mechanisms, and the announcement of the full phase-out of OKTChain, the fair exchange of OKT for OKB, as well as a one-time destruction of 65.25 million OKB. This marks OKX’s formal acceleration of its “modular decentralized finance infrastructure” strategy.
X Layer Technical Upgrade Completed: TPS Increased to 5000, Gas Costs Almost Zero
The X Layer has now completed integration with the latest Polygon CDK technology stack (formerly zkEVM), officially finishing the “PP Upgrade” on August 5, 2025. This upgrade significantly optimizes performance and compatibility:
- TPS increased to 5,000, sufficient to support high concurrency transaction demands;
- Gas costs have dramatically decreased, nearing zero, enhancing user experience;
- Higher Ethereum mainnet compatibility allows developers to seamlessly deploy dApps;
- Strengthened chain security and developer friendliness.
These upgrades bring X Layer closer to its goal of being an “efficient, low-cost, decentralized” public chain, laying a foundation for subsequent ecological expansion.
Application Scenarios Focus: DeFi, Payments, and RWA as Core Themes
OKX stated that the future strategy of X Layer will focus on three major application directions:
- Decentralized financial services (DeFi)
- Global payment solutions
- Real-world asset (RWA) issuance and circulation
To promote ecological growth, OKX will establish an ecological fund and liquidity incentive mechanisms to encourage development teams and project builders to settle in. Additionally, infrastructure such as oracles, cross-chain bridges, and compliance modules will be successively upgraded.
Deep Integration with OKX’s Full Product Line: X Layer Becomes Default Main Chain for OKX Pay
This upgrade also marks that X Layer will undergo closer integration with the OKX ecosystem, including:
- OKX Wallet: Fully integrates X Layer, allowing for low gas cost on-chain interactions;
- OKX Exchange: Introduces “0 Gas Quick Withdraw,” enabling users to withdraw assets like USDT without gas fees;
- OKX Pay: X Layer will become the default payment public chain, providing low-cost, fast, and secure transaction settlements.
These changes are expected to strengthen X Layer’s infrastructural position in the global Web3 ecosystem.
Official Phase-Out of OKTChain: All OKT Exchanged for OKB, OKT Trading Stops Today
Due to significant functional overlap with X Layer, OKX announced the gradual closure of OKTChain and the cessation of support for OKT. Key timelines are as follows:
- From 14:10 (UTC+8) on August 13, OKT trading will stop, and unexecuted orders will be automatically canceled;
- From 10:00 (UTC+8) on August 15, OKX will automatically exchange OKT for OKB based on the average closing price of OKT and OKB from July 13 to August 12;
- Before January 1, 2026, on-chain OKT can continue to be deposited to OKX, automatically converting to OKB;
- OKTChain will officially close on January 1, 2026.
OKX adopts an “average closing price” method to convert assets, striving for fairness and transparency in the exchange process.
OKB Model Optimization: After Destroying 65.5 Million, Total Supply Will Be Fixed at 21 Million
OKB will retain and strengthen its position as the sole native Gas Token for X Layer. Meanwhile, OKX announced significant adjustments to the supply and contract model for OKB:
- Destruction of 65,256,712.097 OKB: These are sourced from historical buybacks and reserves;
- Future destruction operations will be automated: Directly transferred to a black hole address through smart contracts;
- Total supply will be permanently locked at 21,000,000;
- Contract function upgrade: The new contract will remove “mint and burn” rights, ensuring no new issuance.
Furthermore, OKX will gradually cease support for the Ethereum L1 version of OKB, and users will need to use the “One-Click Transfer to X Layer” function for inter-chain transfers. This signifies that OKB officially enters a deflationary era, structurally reducing supply, which theoretically helps stabilize and increase long-term value.
Implementation Timeline Overview
| Time (UTC+8) | Event |
|---|---|
| August 13, 14:10 | Stop OKT spot trading |
| August 13, 15:00 | Stop OKB deposits to Ethereum L1 |
| August 15, 10:00 | Initiate automatic exchange of OKT to OKB |
| August 15, 14:00 | Execute OKB destruction operation (65M+) |
| August 18, 14:00 | Complete OKB smart contract upgrade |
OKX Advances Toward Modularization and Public Chain, OKB Becomes Core Engine of On-Chain Economy
The release of the PP upgrade and the optimization of the OKB model by OKX not only represent a technical upgrade but also signal a strategic transformation. From the gradual phase-out of OKTChain to the shift towards the modular X Layer architecture, and the fixed total amount of OKB with further decentralized destruction logic, OKX is clearly paving the way for the future of DeFi and on-chain payment systems.
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