Star Xu: How Crypto and AI Could Reshape Financial Services

This episode features a public talk by OKX founder and CEO Star Xu at OKX NOW, the company's global product and ecosystem conference. Xu explores how the internet, crypto, and AI are converging to reshape financial services — from payments and investing to wealth management.

He argues that the line between crypto and traditional finance will continue to blur, combining crypto's 24/7 markets, programmable money, global settlement, and self-custody with the liquidity and infrastructure of traditional finance. AI could accelerate that shift by transforming everything from software development and compliance to personalized financial services. In the future, Xu envisions AI agents that understand an individual's assets, risk preferences, and financial goals — potentially bringing private-banking-style services to a much broader audience.

Timeline:

00:00 The Convergence of the Internet, Crypto, and AI

01:35 Why Financial Infrastructure Still Lags Behind the Internet

02:25 Why Cross-Border Payments Remain Expensive

03:20 From Early Experiment to Mainstream Finance: Crypto's Evolution

04:57 From Crypto Exchanges to Broader Financial Services

06:15 Four Trends Shaping the Next Generation of Finance

07:20 Could AI Give Everyone a "Private Banker"?

08:05 Why Global Finance Still Needs Regulation and Trust

09:21 Crypto and TradFi Are Moving Toward Convergence