Ekiden has launched its mainnet, bringing what it describes as the first order book-based derivatives exchange infrastructure to Canton Network. The launch adds a professional trading layer to the Canton ecosystem, which is designed around privacy, compliance, settlement and institutional asset movement.

Ekiden designed the platform for professional trading firms, market makers, funds, banks and institutional trading desks seeking execution workflows closer to those in traditional capital markets than those offered by retail-focused decentralized finance venues.

The platform combines central limit order book and request-for-quote settlement with PropAMM integration, a trading terminal and API connectivity for trading aggregators, algorithmic platforms, exchanges and funds.

Institutional derivatives infrastructure

The launch comes as institutional interest in digital assets rises while on-chain derivatives infrastructure remains at an early stage compared with traditional markets. According to recent survey data, 73% of institutional decision-makers plan to increase their digital-asset allocations in 2026, while 56% expect to engage with DeFi protocols by 2028.

Traditional derivatives markets remain much larger. Average daily turnover in over-the-counter interest-rate derivatives alone reached $7.9 trillion in April 2025.

Ekiden said existing on-chain markets have largely been shaped around retail order flow, passive liquidity and public execution environments. The company said professional trading firms instead need deeper liquidity, deterministic execution, improved price discovery, customizable privacy, reliable API access and infrastructure capable of handling larger and more systematic order flow.

“Tokenization alone does not create institutional markets,” said Vitali Dervoed, founder and CEO of Ekiden. “For tokenized assets to trade at scale, institutions need execution quality, liquidity, privacy, and workflows that reflect how professional trading actually works. Canton provides the institutional environment. We add the trading infrastructure layer for on-chain derivatives.”

“Ekiden’s mainnet is a notable addition to Canton’s application layer, bringing order book execution, privacy, and settlement into a single venue designed for professional trading,” said Viv Diwakar, Head of the Canton Foundation. “Launches like this act as a catalyst as the network broadens its offerings in on-chain derivatives, and we look forward to seeing a range of venues and participants contribute to that growth over time.”

Testnet activity and expansion plans

During its first week on the Canton testnet, Ekiden recorded 1,502 active users, more than 72,000 trades and approximately $8.9 million in trading volume. The company is working with 11 integration partners and has integrated 12 market makers as it prepares to expand mainnet liquidity.

In May 2026, Ekiden raised $2 million in a seed round to build institutional-grade infrastructure for on-chain derivatives. The round included investors and strategic participants connected to GSR, Flowdesk, Pyth, Aptos, G20, DCF God, Curiosity Capital and Keyrock.

Ekiden said its live mainnet allows the full lifecycle of an institutional derivatives trade, from execution through settlement, to take place on-chain without exposing positions, order flow or capital movements. Market makers supporting liquidity on the platform include Keyrock, Kappa Lab and Flowdesk.

The company plans to deepen liquidity, add more market makers and broaden its product range.

Source: Incrypted