Crypto exchange OKX has restricted employees in Hong Kong and staff traveling through China from using Anthropic’s Claude after its corporate account was briefly suspended earlier this month.
According to a Bloomberg report, OKX has restricted Claude access for affected employees, while its corporate account has since been restored. The exchange said it spends between $6 million and $8 million a month across multiple leading AI providers.
OKX said some employees in Hong Kong may have used Claude in ways that did not fully comply with Anthropic’s geographic access policies. The exchange will now restrict Claude access where required and redirect affected requests to other AI models.
Anthropic rules trigger access changes
Anthropic’s policies do not allow Claude to be used in Hong Kong or mainland China. OKX said it recently identified potential gaps between employee access and those regional restrictions.
An internal message circulated earlier in August told employees traveling to Hong Kong or China that the company would not provide support for accessing Claude through virtual private networks.
Another staff message this week reiterated that Claude could only be used in regions supported by Anthropic. The restrictions come even though OKX operates internationally and does not currently run its crypto exchange business in mainland China under the country’s regulatory environment.
$8M monthly spend on AI
The Claude restrictions come as OKX continues to expand its use of artificial intelligence across the company. OKX said its monthly spending across several leading large language model providers ranges from $6 million to $8 million. If spending remains at that level, the exchange would be on track to spend roughly $72 million to $96 million annually on AI models.
The company has also encouraged employees to incorporate AI into their daily work and has included AI proficiency in employee performance evaluations.
OKX employees have access to multiple AI tools, including Claude and OpenAI’s ChatGPT. With several providers in use, the exchange can shift employees to alternative models when access to a particular service is restricted. This multi-model approach gives OKX more flexibility as AI providers apply different regional access rules.
Hong Kong’s Claude access restrictions
OKX is not the only financial company to encounter Anthropic’s geographic restrictions.
Goldman Sachs previously cut Claude access for Hong Kong-based employees after determining that its agreement with Anthropic did not cover use in the territory. JPMorgan also restricted Claude access for staff in Hong Kong after reviewing similar licensing requirements.
The issue highlights a growing challenge for multinational companies that rely on US-developed AI systems. Employees can work for the same global organization but have different software access depending on their physical location.
For Hong Kong, the situation is particularly notable because the territory remains a major international financial center and an important hub for the cryptocurrency industry.
AI rules affect crypto firms
For OKX, the Claude restriction is unlikely to halt its broader AI strategy because the exchange has access to multiple model providers.
However, the episode shows how AI services are increasingly becoming part of corporate infrastructure rather than optional productivity tools. Geographic licensing rules can affect which models employees are allowed to use, while companies must also monitor how those systems are accessed.
OKX’s monthly AI spending of as much as $8 million further underscores the importance of maintaining reliable access to multiple providers.
The company is expected to continue discussions with Anthropic over access while strengthening internal controls to ensure employees use AI models only in permitted jurisdictions.
Also Read: BitGo Korea Secures VASP Registration for Institutional Custody
