Cuomo to co-chair ICE and OKX tokenization venture

Andrew Cuomo will co-chair a new venture between Intercontinental Exchange, the owner of the New York Stock Exchange, and crypto exchange OKX, the companies announced Monday, according to Fortune. The project puts a former New York governor and 2025 New York City mayoral candidate at the center of a Wall Street push to use blockchain technology for traditional financial assets.

An OKX spokesperson told Fortune the venture will work on tokenizing NYSE-listed assets, meaning putting them into blockchain-based wrappers. Intercontinental Exchange, known as ICE, will also work with OKX to give the exchange’s users access to tokenized futures and equities, the spokesperson said.

Cuomo told Fortune the effort could let people reach the New York Stock Exchange through a smartphone and use that access seven days a week in ways that were not previously possible. He said the project is about blockchain and financial technology rather than cryptocurrency trading.

ICE deepens ties with OKX

The venture follows ICE’s March announcement that it had invested in OKX at a $25 billion valuation, Fortune reported. Bloomberg reported that the NYSE owner put about $200 million into the crypto exchange.

Cuomo will lead the project alongside ICE Senior Vice President Trabue Bland, Fortune reported. Cuomo told Fortune he expects to spend most of his time overseeing the ICE-OKX venture while also working with several nonprofits and philanthropies, which he did not identify.

The new role follows Cuomo’s loss to Zohran Mamdani in New York City’s 2025 mayoral election, according to Fortune. Asked by Fortune whether he was considering another political move, Cuomo said he had no plans, while adding that he would not rule it out.

Cuomo’s earlier work with OKX

Cuomo has had ties to OKX since 2023, when he began advising the company during a Department of Justice investigation, Fortune reported. Cuomo had previously served as New York attorney general before becoming governor.

OKX agreed in 2025 to pay $500 million and pleaded guilty to violating anti-money laundering laws, according to Fortune. After that agreement, the company relaunched in the United States and sought to expand as large financial firms increased their work in digital assets during President Donald Trump’s administration, Fortune reported.

Cuomo resigned as governor in 2021 after multiple women accused him of sexual harassment, Fortune reported. He has repeatedly denied the allegations.

In his interview with Fortune, Cuomo said he supports blockchain technology but not necessarily crypto as a category. He said the venture is focused on applying blockchain to other assets, while noting that he does not work with other crypto companies.

Cuomo did not tell Fortune whether he owns cryptocurrencies. He said only that he owns multiple asset classes.

This story draws on original reporting from Fortune.