OKX plans to use Malta as its European Union hub to comply with the region's new MiCA regulation; previously, it had targeted France for this. "Compliance in Malta is way more lenient, and that's not the tag you want to have when you're in crypto and trying to make it in the EU," said a person with direct knowledge of OKX's European regulatory efforts. The cryptocurrency exchange is looking to fill several high-profile roles in Malta, including head of compliance, operations lead and head of internal audit.