What EX.IO does

EX.IO is a Hong Kong-headquartered, SFC-licensed virtual asset trading platform (full VATP license, CE Ref: BUT670, obtained December 2024) operating as EXIO Limited under parent EXIO Group. The platform offers a regulated digital asset order book matching network for spot trading, exclusive one-on-one OTC services for large asset conversions, institutional digital asset custody with 98% cold wallet storage and 100% hot wallet insurance, and an RWA suite comprising Issuance & Distribution, Secondary Market, and Launchpad services. Its product shelf includes third-party tokenized instruments such as Franklin Templeton's grBENJI money market fund (Stellar), OCBC-LionGlobal's GoldX (Ethereum), and OpenEden's HYBOND bond fund (Ethereum), available exclusively to Professional Investors.

The platform serves a primarily institutional client base — 71% of users are Professional Investors as of June 2026 — with a four-tiered account structure (Individual, Individual PI, Corporate, Institutional PI) differentiated by withdrawal limits up to $10M USD daily. Revenue is generated through five streams: maker/taker trading fees, withdrawal fees, RWA tokenized asset services, OTC desk fees, and asset yield services on idle custody balances. Go-to-market is sales-led and direct-to-institution, with partnerships spanning securities firms (Forthright, ZR), asset managers (M&F, Mandford), brokerages (Valuable Capital, Eddid), and real estate groups (China New City).

Geographically, EX.IO operates from Hong Kong and Shenzhen engineering offices, with active expansion across MENA (Saudi Arabia sandbox approval, UAE license pending) and Latin America (Argentina VASP partnership). Technical infrastructure includes REST and WebSocket APIs with HMAC-SHA256 session authentication, an omnibus account model for institutional batch access, and a 15-minute account onboarding flow. Leadership combines TradFi pedigree (CEO Chen WU, Tsinghua; CSO Terence NG, HKUST; Deputy CEO Heddy TSANG, Cambridge) with crypto-native expertise (CTO Elvis LAM, 20 years in IT/finance/trading systems).

Name

EX.IO

Legal name

EXIO Limited

Website

https://ex.io

Company type

Private

Founded year

2023

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

EX.IO is a Hong Kong SFC-licensed virtual asset trading platform offering spot trading, OTC services, institutional custody, and tokenized real-world assets, primarily serving Professional Investors and TradFi financial institutions seeking compliant crypto market entry.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cryptocurrency Exchange

NAICS

Securities and Commodity Contracts Intermediation and Brokerage (5231), Securities and Commodity Exchanges (5232)

SIC

Security & Commodity Brokers, Dealers, Exchanges & Services (6200)

akta.pro primary industry

OTC Spot Trading & Block Execution (FSADAJAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

RWA Custody, Escrow & Collateral Management (FSADAEAO), Institutional Multi-Asset Trading Platforms (OTC/RFQ) (FSAFAEAB), Digital Asset Custody & Tokenization Servicing (FSAAAOAO), Institutional API Connectivity, OMS/EMS & FIX Gateways (FSADAJAJ), Managed Accounts, Separately Managed Accounts (SMA) & Funds Platforms (Crypto) (FSADAHAM)

Keywords

• Virtual asset trading
• Cryptocurrency exchange
• Tokenized real-world assets
• Institutional digital custody
• OTC crypto trading

Headquarters

HQ city

Hong Kong

HQ country

Hong Kong SAR China

HQ region

Asia

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Trading Fees (Maker/Taker): Platform charges maker and taker fees for spot trading transactions on the order book. Fee schedule is available to verified account holders under 'Account Overview' with tiered pricing based on client type.
2. Withdrawal Fees: Fees charged for cryptocurrency and fiat withdrawals. Withdrawal fees vary by asset and network, with daily withdrawal limits based on client type (Individual: 600K-1M USD, Individual PI: 1.8M-3M USD, Corporate: 2M-5M USD, Institutional PI: 5M-10M USD).
3. RWA Tokenized Asset Services: Revenue from tokenized real-world asset issuance and distribution services, including products like grBENJI (Franklin Templeton), GoldX, and HYBOND. Services include RWA secondary market trading and market-making support.
4. OTC Services: Exclusive one-on-one over-the-counter services for large asset conversions, providing two-way conversion channels as the first gateway for TradFi institutions.
5. Asset Yield Services: Yield services on idle digital assets held in custody, generating returns while maintaining secure custody.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

EX.IO is a Hong Kong SFC-licensed Virtual Asset Trading Platform (VATP) operated by EXIO Limited that delivers compliant spot trading, OTC trading, and institutional-grade digital asset custody for virtual assets and tokenized real-world assets (RWAs). The platform also provides end-to-end RWA tokenization services, including issuance, distribution, a secondary market, and a launchpad, alongside omnibus account access for financial institutions and asset-yield services. Its target users are professional investors, financial institutions, and individual retail users in regulated jurisdictions.

Product overview

EX.IO operates as a unified compliant cryptocurrency exchange platform offering institutional-grade digital asset trading, tokenized real-world assets (RWAs), OTC services, and secure custody. The platform's core offerings span Spot Trading (order book matching network), OTC Services (1-on-1 large asset conversion), and Omnibus Account Access (for institutions/brokerages). The RWA product suite includes Issuance & Distribution (full-lifecycle tokenization), RWA Secondary Market (trading and market-making), and RWA Launchpad (private equity liquidity reshaping). Treasury & Custody services provide institutional digital asset custody with 98% cold wallet storage, plus Asset Yield Services for generating returns on idle assets. The platform also lists third-party tokenized products including grBENJI (Franklin Templeton money market fund), GoldX (OCBC-LionGlobal physical gold fund), and HYBOND (OpenEden BNY bond fund). API access enables programmatic integration.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Spot Trading Spot trading of listed virtual assets on EX.IO's SFC-licensed VATP for professional and retail investors, with maker/taker fees, order book liquidity, and API access.
• OTC Services Over-the-counter trading desk for sized block virtual asset transactions, targeted at professional investors and institutions needing off-order-book execution.
• Institutional Digital Asset Custody Custody of client virtual assets under Hong Kong AMLO rules with insurance coverage on hot and cold wallets, integrated with Chainlink CCIP for institutional connectivity.
• Asset Yield Services Yield-generating services for eligible virtual asset balances held on the EX.IO platform, providing clients a way to earn returns on idle holdings.
• RWA Issuance & Distribution End-to-end tokenization service enabling issuers to mint and distribute tokenized real-world assets on the EX.IO regulated platform.
• RWA Secondary Market Secondary trading venue on EX.IO for tokenized real-world assets, allowing eligible users to trade issued products post-issuance.
• RWA Launchpad Launchpad service for new tokenized real-world asset offerings, providing issuers a primary distribution channel on the EX.IO platform.
• Omnibus Account Access Omnibus account access enabling financial institutions such as securities firms and asset managers to sub-broker virtual asset trading and custody through EX.IO.
• grBENJI Tokenized money market fund product by Franklin Templeton (grBENJI) made available to EX.IO users as a tokenized real-world asset yield product.
• GoldX Tokenized gold product distributed on EX.IO, enabling users to gain tokenized exposure to gold within the regulated Hong Kong VATP environment.
• HYBOND Tokenized yield note product distributed on EX.IO, offering eligible users access to structured on-chain yield within the regulated Hong Kong VATP environment.

Quantifiable outcome

• 23x+ YoY trading volume growth over past 12 months
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Franklin TempletonflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 June 2026EX.IO became Franklin Templeton's Licensed VATP Partner in Hong Kong, offering BENJI (grBENJI) - a Franklin OnChain U.S. Government Money Fund as a compliant on-chain financial instrument. The tokenized money market fund primarily invests in U.S. government securities with target APY of 3.48%-3.80%. Available to Professional Investors only.
• OASES (Open Architecture for Securities Ecosystem)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEX.IO is recognized as the only VATP (Virtual Asset Trading Platform) in the OASES policy-support ecosystem, designated as a strategic enterprise within this framework. OASES is a strategic enterprise framework in Hong Kong supporting compliant digital asset operations.
• DigiFT Tech (Singapore) Pte. Ltd.coreTechnology or IntegrationDigiFT Tech issues GoldX, a tokenized security backed 1:1 by LionGlobal Singapore Physical Gold Fund. The underlying asset is managed by Lion Global Investors Limited (OCBC Group), with physical gold bars vaulted in Singapore meeting LBMA Good Delivery standards.
• OpenEden Digital LimitedcoreTechnology or IntegrationOpenEden issues HYBOND, a tokenized BNY High-yield Bond Fund through a segregated account regulated by Bermuda Monetary Authority (BMA). The underlying fund is custodied by BNY Mellon and managed by Insight Investment, rated 5-star by Morningstar.
• Valuable CapitalminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFinancial services partner using EX.IO as trusted partner for cryptocurrency services in Hong Kong's regulated digital asset market.
• Eddid FinancialminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFinancial services partner valuing EX.IO's user-friendly interface, stable connectivity, and competitive pricing for smooth trading experience.
• Forthright SecuritiesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSecurities firm benefiting from EX.IO's strong platform and liquidity for broader digital asset growth and diversification.
• M&F Asset ManagementminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAsset management firm gaining cryptocurrency expertise and innovative investment strategy insights through partnership with EX.IO.
• Mandford FinancialminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFinancial services partner engaging in Web3 knowledge exchange and compliance-aligned digital asset operations with EX.IO.
• ZR SecuritiesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSecurities firm with long-term trusted partnership for reliable virtual asset spot trading services in Hong Kong's regulated market.
• China New City GroupminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerReal estate group partnering with EX.IO to explore blockchain-driven financial innovations and advance digital transformation goals leveraging crypto expertise.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• HKVAX: Hong Kong-licensed virtual asset exchange focused on institutional and professional investors; overlaps with EX.IO in regulated spot trading, OTC and tokenized product distribution.
• HashKey Exchange: One of the first licensed VATPs in Hong Kong operated by HashKey Group; directly competes with EX.IO for institutional and Professional Investor digital-asset trading, OTC and custody flows in Hong Kong.
• OSL Digital Securities: Long-standing Hong Kong SFC-licensed virtual asset trading platform serving institutional and professional clients; competes head-to-head with EX.IO in regulated spot trading, OTC and custody.

Broad incumbents

• Interactive Brokers: Global multi-asset broker serving professional and institutional clients; competes with EX.IO for institutional crypto exposure through traditional brokerage channels and is increasingly offering regulated digital-asset products.
• FalconX: Institutional digital asset prime brokerage offering OTC, trading and custody globally; competes with EX.IO's institutional OTC and API-trading rails, particularly for cross-border TradFi onboarding.
• Coinbase Institutional: U.S.-headquartered incumbent exchange with an institutional prime brokerage and custody arm; competes with EX.IO for global TradFi institutional digital-asset allocation, though outside EX.IO's licensed Hong Kong home market.

Regional players

• ZA Bank: Hong Kong's largest virtual bank exploring regulated digital-asset services for retail and SME clients; an adjacent regulated Hong Kong financial services provider increasingly overlapping with VATP client segments.
• Tiger Brokers (TradeUP): Asia-focused online brokerage with growing crypto and digital-asset offerings; comparable to EX.IO in targeting Hong Kong and regional Professional Investors, though via a broader multi-asset brokerage model.

Emerging players

• Matrixport: Hong Kong-headquartered crypto financial services platform offering trading, lending and custody; comparable to EX.IO's institutional trading and treasury yield offerings for professional investors.
• Panthera Capital: Asia-focused digital asset prime brokerage and OTC desk; competes with EX.IO's institutional OTC and large-block execution capabilities for TradFi clients entering crypto.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/exio_hk

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about EX.IO