Decentralized Exchange DYdX To Build Its Own Blockchain

The expansion is part of the exchange’s plan to be fully decentralized by the end of 2022

article-image
share
  • The goal for dYdX V4 is to have high throughput for the order book while remaining decentralized, the company said
  • DYdX is positioning itself as the largest decentralized derivatives exchange, with more than $690 million in trading volume in the past 24 hours

A crypto derivatives platform based on Ethereum layer-2 blockchains is developing its own blockchain.

The new product from dYdX plans to be based on Cosmos, using Tendermint’s proof-of-stake consensus protocol to validate transactions. Layer-2 protocols are built on top of popular blockchains, such as Ethereum and Bitcoin, and are typically used to increase efficiencies, add features and scale the technology. 

The game plan for dYdX V4 — the exchange laid out by the company in January — is to be fully decentralized by the end of the year. 

“Developing a decentralized, off-chain order book and matching engine and moving from Ethereum to a dYdX-specific chain as a major [decentralized finance] protocol is very much untested, but we believe it gives the dYdX ecosystem the best shot at having a network that could offer a long term competitive product experience with centralized exchanges,” the company said in a statement. 

Founded in 2017 by ex-Coinbase and Uber engineer Antonio Juliano, dYdX is positioning itself as the largest decentralized derivatives exchange — with more than $690 million in trading volume in the past 24 hours, according to CoinGecko data. 

The company noted the existing dYdX product processes at about 10 trades per second and about 1,000 order placements/cancellations per second.

In the company’s vision for dYdX V4, each validator will “run an in-memory orderbook that is never committed to consensus” such as off-chain. Meanwhile, on a real time basis, “orders will be matched together by the network. The resulting trades are then committed on-chain each block.” 

A spokesperson for the company didn’t immediately return a request for comment.

In August 2020, dYdX partnered with StarkWare to scale decentralized trading. The company raised $65 million in a Series C funding round in June 2021 led by Paradigm.


Get the news in your inbox. Explore Blockworks newsletters:

Tags

Decoding crypto and the markets. Daily, with Byron Gilliam.

Upcoming Events

Javits Center North | 445 11th Ave

Tues - Thurs, March 24 - 26, 2026

Blockworks’ Digital Asset Summit (DAS) will feature conversations between the builders, allocators, and legislators who will shape the trajectory of the digital asset ecosystem in the US and abroad.

Old Billingsgate

Mon - Wed, October 13 - 15, 2025

Blockworks’ Digital Asset Summit (DAS) will feature conversations between the builders, allocators, and legislators who will shape the trajectory of the digital asset ecosystem in the US and abroad.

recent research

Unlocked by Template.png

Research

Institutional staking providers specialize in offering secure, compliant, and scalable solutions for organizations, asset managers, and individuals who wish to stake large volumes of digital assets. Staking-as-a-Service Providers (SaaSPs) act as intermediaries, running blockchain nodes and managing the technical complexities of staking on behalf of clients, often providing custody, reporting, and yield optimization features across a broad range of assets and networks.

article-image

The open-source marketplace reshapes Solana block building while boosting JitoDAO revenue and inviting new challengers

by Blockworks /
article-image

The successes of BNB and Aster have something in common

article-image

Zeus’s BitcoinKit is unveiled in its latest epoch to empower BTC-native apps on Solana

by Blockworks /
article-image

Wall Street notes Riot’s pivot to high-performance computing while downgrading IREN and CleanSpark amid miner shake-up

by Blockworks /
article-image

Funding at a $15B valuation comes as executive shake-ups and market timing test the exchange’s path to listing

by Blockworks /
article-image

Korea’s “Google” just bought the country’s “Coinbase” in a bold bid to build a super app spanning payments, stocks and crypto