New users do not need to hold OKB in advance. OKB is the native utility asset on the OKX platform, but it is not a mandatory entry ticket for trading, and acts more like a cost-saving tool. The first priority for new users is to complete KYC identity verification and deposit funds (for example, purchase USDT), instead of buying OKB first.
The most direct use of OKB is trading fee discounts. Per OKX's standard rules, holding OKB can get you a small percentage discount on spot and futures trading fees. However, new traders usually have small per-trade amounts. If you buy extra OKB just to save a tiny fraction of a percent in fees, you will take on the unnecessary price volatility risk of OKB itself.
You can refer to the following criteria to decide whether you should buy OKB first:
- Scenario A: You have very low trading volume and are just testing the platform. We recommend not considering OKB for now. Complete your first transaction directly with USDT to get familiar with the full process. The difference in fees will only be a few cents, which is not worth the extra operation for such a small discount.
- Scenario B: You plan to trade consistently long-term and have a large monthly total trading volume. When you confirm you will use OKX for a long time, you can consider buying a small amount of OKB and store it in your spot account to deduct trading fees. Note that OKB stored in your funding account or spot account counts for the discount, but OKB in your earn/yield account does not apply.
The most common mistake new users make is treating "buying OKB" as a required step after signing up. After you finish registration, your first deposit should be used to buy stablecoins like USDT, which is the essential "fuel" for your trading activities. Without USDT, you cannot buy other crypto assets even if you hold OKB.
Next Step: After registering and completing KYC, deposit USDT via P2P trading or the fast buy crypto function. After you finish your first spot trade, calculate your actual trading fees based on your volume: if your monthly trading fees exceed tens of USDT, then you can consider buying OKB for fee deduction; if you only make small test trades, you do not need to spend time on this.
