OKEx, a major global cryptocurrency exchange, is embracing the Latin American crypto market by launching a fiat gateway for three local currencies.
According to a July 3 announcement, OKEx users can now buy Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH) in exchange for the Argentine peso (ARS), the Brazilian real (BRL), and the Mexican peso (MXN) via a direct bank transfer.
OKEx implements Settle Network’s Latamex tool
OKEx’s partnership with a company called Settle Network allowed them to enable these features. Settle Network is claimed to be the largest digital settlement network in Latin America. The new service is provided through Latamex, Settle Network’s proprietary product. Latamex is designed to unlock crypto purchases using local currencies in Latin America.
Jay Hao, CEO of OKEx, highlighted that the cooperation will allow OKEx to work with the LATAM market in a compliant way. The executive promised that OKEx will continue to add more cryptocurrencies “to allow more users to purchase cryptocurrencies more conveniently.”
Cointelegraph reached out to OKEx with additional queries about the development. This article will be updated as new comments come in.
Binance unlocked a similar feature in late 2019
OKEx is not the first major exchange to implement Settle Network’s Latamex. Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, partnered with Settle Network to provide a similar feature in late 2019. As reported, Binance’s LATAM offering featured BTC, ETH as well as Binance’s native token BNB and proprietary stablecoin, BUSD. The gateway was initially available for ARS and BRL.
