Crypto exchange OKX is introducing markets linked to OpenAI and Anthropic across Europe, following other cryptocurrency trading platforms in providing speculators a method to wager on private firms whose equities are otherwise hard to acquire.
The platform announced on Thursday the rollout of pre-IPO perpetual futures dedicated to the two artificial intelligence developers.
Engaging with these instruments does not grant investors any equity ownership in either organization; rather, participants speculate on valuation shifts by taking long or short positions utilizing up to 10x leverage.
These offerings capitalize on surging enthusiasm for major private tech enterprises that have avoided public listings. For the typical retail investor, securing direct exposure to entities like OpenAI and Anthropic ahead of an initial public offering remains challenging, as private shares generally trade through financing rounds or secondary venues with restricted participation eligibility.
Pre-IPO perpetual contracts present an alternative pathway, although they do not replace actual stock ownership.
OKX is not pioneering this concept independently. Hyperliquid features markets connected to OpenAI and Anthropic via HIP-3, while Binance provides pre-IPO perpetual agreements for both firms as well.
This rollout arrives in tandem with a broader expansion into tokenized equities. OKX is introducing 100 stocks and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) for 24/7 trading availability, featuring Nvidia NVDA $218.37 · Market Closed, Google GOOG $330.43 · Market Closed, and Palantir (PLTR), alongside SPY and QQQ.
These digital tokens monitor the value of the underlying assets but do not grant owners physical shares or governance privileges. Certain tokens can additionally be transferred off OKX and stored within personal self-custody wallets.
OKX Europe CEO Erald Ghoos noted in an official comment that interest in the platform’s derivatives division continues to expand. Based on organizational figures, European trading volume for its X-Perps has multiplied by four since the conclusion of the MiCA transition phase in July.
Originally published at https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2026/09/10/okx-brings-openai-and-anthropic-bets-to-europe-as-pre-ipo-trading-grows.
