OKX Card Launches in Europe to Remove Friction from Everyday Crypto Payments at Retailers Worldwide

VALLETTA, Malta--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan 28, 2026--

OKX, a leading global cryptocurrency platform and onchain technology company, today announced the European launch of the OKX Card, designed to knock down barriers to everyday crypto use.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260128534008/en/

While most crypto cards require users to manually convert assets, preload balances, or absorb hidden fees before paying, the OKX Card enables direct stablecoin payments anywhere in the world Mastercard is accepted - with zero fees and instant crypto rewards of up to 20% on eligible purchases.

Built for modern Europeans who want to use crypto as everyday money without giving up control, OKX Card removes the friction traditionally associated with crypto payments. Users can tap to pay directly while earning instant crypto rewards.

OKX Card is designed around onchain self-custody and instant execution. Stablecoins remain in the user’s wallet until the exact moment of purchase, converting seamlessly at checkout to connect crypto with real world purchases at any retailer that accepts Mastercard worldwide.

Key benefits of OKX Card include:

"With OKX Card, we’re making it simple for anyone in Europe to use crypto for real-world purchases - instantly, securely, and transparently," said Erald Ghoos, CEO of OKX Europe. "Crypto was originally conceived as a means of payment and with OKX Card our users can turn this vision into reality. We are making stablecoins practical and accessible for everyday finance for everyone, powered by one of the world’s most trusted digital asset platforms."

"Stablecoins bring more choice to users, and by partnering with OKX, Mastercard is helping bring them into the financial mainstream with trust, scale, and utility,” said Christian Rau, Senior Vice President, Global Digital Commercialization. “Expanding the OKX card to Europeans is a natural next step."

OKX Card is issued through a licensed European payments partner and operates within the European Economic Area under strict AML and KYC standards. OKX continues to advance its own payments licensing as part of its long-term commitment to compliant, regulated crypto services across Europe.

The launch of OKX Card marks a major step in OKX’s broader strategy to bring crypto into everyday finance — setting the stage for premium card tiers, expanded rewards, merchant partnerships, and Web3 commerce integrations across the region.

About OKX

Trusted by more than 100 million customers around the globe, OKX is a technology company building a decentralized future that makes the world more tradable, transparent and connected. We're known for being one of the fastest and most reliable crypto apps in the world, and have processed trillions of dollars in transactions.

We have key regional offices, including headquarters in San José, California, for the Americas and in Dubai for the Middle East. We also have offices in São Paulo, New York, Hong Kong, Singapore, the Republic of Türkiye, Australia and Europe. Over the past several years, we've built one of the world's most comprehensive regulatory compliant, licensed crypto companies. We hold licenses in the United States, the UAE, EEA, Singapore and Australia, as well as in other markets.

We're steadfastly committed to transparency and security and publish Proof of Reserves reports on a monthly basis. To learn more about OKX, download our app or visit: okx.com.

Leading global cryptocurrency exchange OKX launches OKX Card in Europe, enabling stablecoin payments anywhere Mastercard is accepted.

Amazon is slashing about 16,000 jobs in the second round of mass layoffs for the ecommerce company in three months.

The tech giant has said it plans to use generative artificial intelligence to replace corporate workers. It has also been reducing a workforce that swelled during the pandemic.

Beth Galetti, a senior vice president at Amazon, said in a blog post Wednesday that the company has been “reducing layers, increasing ownership, and removing bureaucracy.”

The latest reductions follow a round of job cuts in October, when Amazon said it was laying off 14,000 workers. While some Amazon units completed those “organizational changes” in October, others did not finish until now, Galetti said.

She said U.S.-based staff would be given 90 days to look for a new role internally. Those who are unsuccessful or don't want a new job will be offered severance pay, outplacement services and health insurance benefits, she said.

“While we’re making these changes, we’ll also continue hiring and investing in strategic areas and functions that are critical to our future,” Galetti said.

CEO Andy Jassy, who has aggressively cut costs since succeeding founder Jeff Bezos in 2021, said in June that he anticipated generative AI would reduce Amazon’s corporate workforce in the next few years.

The layoffs are Amazon’s biggest since 2023, when the company cut 27,000 jobs.

Meanwhile, Amazon and other Big Tech and retail companies have cut thousands of jobs to bring spending back in line following the COVID-19 pandemic. Amazon's workforce doubled as millions stayed home and boosted online spending.

Hiring has stagnated in the U.S. and in December, the country added a meager 50,000 jobs, nearly unchanged from a downwardly revised figure of 56,000 in November.

Labor data points to a reluctance by businesses to add workers even as economic growth has picked up. Many companies hired aggressively after the pandemic and no longer need to fill more jobs. Others have held back due to widespread uncertainty caused by President Donald Trump’s shifting tariff policies, elevated inflation, and the spread of artificial intelligence, which could alter or even replace some jobs.

While economists have described the labor situation in the U.S as a “no hire-no fire” environment, some companies have said they are cutting back on jobs, even this week.

On Tuesday, UPS said it planned to cut up to 30,000 operational jobs through attrition and buyouts this year as the package delivery company reduces the number of shipments from what was its largest customer, Amazon.

That followed 34,000 job cuts in October at UPS and the closing of daily operations at 93 leased and owned buildings during the first nine months of last year.

Also on Tuesday, Pinterest said it plans to lay off under 15% of its workforce, as part of broader restructuring that arrives as the image-sharing platform pivots more of its money to artificial intelligence.

Shares of Amazon Inc., based in Seattle, rose slightly before the opening bell Wednesday.

FILE - Shopping carts are positioned outside an Amazon Fresh grocery store in Warrington, Pa., Feb. 4, 2022. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

FILE - People walk out of an Amazon Go store in Seattle, March 4, 2020. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)