How to Connect Trading Tools to OKX Broker? Application and Commission Attribution

OKX

05 October 2026

OKX Broker access is not mainly about technical ability. The key is whether your business type matches OKX's definition of a broker. Your platform must offer services such as aggregated trading, strategy tools, trading bots, asset management, or social trading. Only then will OKX accept your application. After approval, you will receive a Broker Code. When users place orders through your platform, OKX uses this Code to identify the orders and pay you commissions.

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Who Can Apply

According to OKX, eligible platform types include: aggregated trading platforms, trading strategy platforms, technical strategy providers, trading bot platforms, asset management and payment platforms, and social trading communities. If your product does not fall into these categories, your application will likely be rejected.

The application process is simple: log in to your OKX account, go to the broker website, select the broker model based on your business type, and fill out the online application form. You will get a review result within 2 days. If approved, an OKX account manager will contact you to sign the onboarding contract. Then your technical team can start integration according to the API documentation.

Choosing Between Two Integration Modes

OKX Broker has two modes: API Broker and OAuth Broker. The fee standards are the same. The difference is how users authorize access.

API Broker requires users to generate an API Key on OKX themselves and then manually bind that API Key to your platform. When users place orders, your platform sends them to OKX using the Broker Code plus the user's API Key. This mode has more steps for users, but your platform has more direct control over orders.

OAuth Broker does not require users to expose their API Key. Users are redirected from your platform to OKX for authorization. OKX returns an authorization code, and your platform places orders using the Broker Code plus that authorization code. The user experience is smoother, making it suitable for trading tools aimed at everyday users.

If you are building tools for professional traders who are familiar with API Key management, API Broker is more direct. If you are building social trading or strategy copy-trading for regular users, the OAuth flow is smoother.

Commission Attribution: Which Trades Earn You Commissions

This is the easiest part to miscalculate. Only orders submitted through your platform's API count toward commissions. Trading volume from users opening the OKX App or website directly does not count.

At the order level, OKX uses the tag field (for brokers partnered after 2022) or the clOrdId field (before 2022) to identify which Broker a trade came from. If your system does not correctly pass the Broker Code into the tag field when placing orders, that trade will not be attributed to you.

There are also several cases where commissions are clearly not paid:

The counterparty is not on OKX (the other side of the trade comes from external liquidity)
The user's fee tier is VIP 7 or above
The user uses a special fee rate (such as a market maker program)
The user uses a rebate card to offset fees
Trades generated through asset management sub-accounts

When Affiliate and Broker coexist: If a user registers through an affiliate's invitation link and later trades on your Broker platform, the commission for that trade is calculated separately for the affiliate and the Broker. Each receives their share according to their own tier. One party does not lose out because the other party also receives a commission.

Settlement Rules

Commissions are settled on a T+1 hour basis. This means every hour, the commissions generated in the previous hour are settled and paid out in USDT to the backend account bound to the Broker Code.

You can view commission details through the Broker backend or query them via API. If settlement is delayed, it is usually because heavy market volatility caused a surge in calculation volume. OKX states that delays of several hours are normal.

If You Want to Share Commissions Downstream

OKX has a Sub-Broker feature. You can set up second-level brokers, assign them a Sub-Broker Code, and configure what percentage of each commission they can receive.

The rules are: a user can only be bound to one Broker Code, and a Sub-Broker can only be bound to one main Broker. If a Sub-Broker wants to become a main Broker, they must open a new OKX account. When you set commission percentages for Sub-Brokers and users, the total percentage cannot exceed your own Broker commission rate.