How OKX convinced F1 star Daniel Ricciardo it’s safe to promote crypto

Australian F1 driver Daniel Ricciardo and his Olympic snowboarder mate Scotty James say they always think long and hard about the risks of promoting the wrong thing. 

And as brand ambassadors for crypto exchange OKX, that no doubt was at the forefront of their minds when FTX collapsed and markets crashed — mere months after they signed on.

The risks then became all too apparent in the acres of

As a mate of Ricciardo’s, four-time Olympian James already had a personal connection when he signed on with OKX and was already interested in NFTs. But it still would have been a shock when FTX collapsed a month later.

“Until you understand something 100% at its full capacity, naturally you’re going to have reservations,” he said, but added that the platform’s attempts to simplify and educate about crypto and trading put him at ease. 

“I built trust over time with doing that, and we feel pretty good about it,” he said. “But to say 12 months ago, I would say the same thing? No.”

James said that snowboarding was a lifestyle choice that appeals to a “young demographic” and crypto is too due to its decentralization.

“I think my generation and younger than me are the ones that are really going to change that narrative for investing, whether it’s in cryptocurrency or other investments moving forward.”

While the pair joked about releasing NFTs during their onstage appearance at Token2049, that’s not going to happen until markets recover, said Rafique.

“For their NFTs, it’s certainly not going to be about a speculative asset. It’s going to be baked into how we can bring their fans closer to them through this asset that they can own. So I don’t think it’s going to happen anytime soon.”

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