If you look back at the last six months of ApeX Protocol, you won't just see growth; you'll see a relentless drive to reward those who build with us.

We proved our commitment to value with the Token Buyback Program, locking $12 million of past revenue and pledging 50-90% of future fees to buy back APEX tokens from the open market. We ignited the community with Ape Season 1, distributing 69,000,000 Ape Points to the pioneers who traded alongside us. And just last month, we bridged the gap between crypto and the real world by integrating Chainlink Data Streams to power institutional-grade RWA Perpetuals across five chains.

We have built a thriving ecosystem, a loyal community, and a robust product suite. But as we looked toward 2026, we realized that "building a better DEX" wasn't enough.

To solve this, we had to stop building on chains and start building the chain.

Why the Trading Chain

These milestones weren't endpoints; they were preparation. As we watched the industry evolve, particularly with the rise of fully on-chain perpetual platforms, we recognized both the promise and the limitations of current approaches.

The market has spoken clearly: transparency and self-custody are non-negotiable. The success of protocols like Hyperliquid proved that traders want verifiable, auditable exchanges. But full transparency introduced new challenges.

This tension between transparency and execution efficiency isn't theoretical. We've seen it play out in real markets, where front-running and liquidation hunting have become systemic issues. Large traders and institutions need privacy for their strategies, yet they also demand the verifiability that only blockchain can provide.

Introducing the Trading Chain: Our Answer to the Industry's Challenge

Today, we're unveiling the trading chain, a delegated proof-of-stake blockchain purpose-built for decentralized exchanges. This isn't an incremental upgrade; it's a fundamental re-architecture from the ground up.

The Technical Breakthrough:

• 1 Million TPS: Not for competition, but to support true institutional, Nasdaq-level concurrency

• Sub-100ms Block Time: Sub-100ms blocks bringing instant execution to on-chain trading

• Optional Privacy: Encrypted mempools and intent protection, letting traders choose when to reveal their strategies

• Native Cross-Chain Assets: Unified liquidity across BTC, SOL, and other ecosystems on a single ledger

The Innovation Stack:

• Semantic Risk Engine: Context-aware execution that identifies constructive market participants and filters toxic flow

• On-Chain Credit Layer: Verifiable reputation that translates trading quality into economic benefits

• Value-Centric Economics: Token mechanics that reward value creation, not speculation

• Diverse Yield Opportunities: Risk-adjusted earning options for every type of participant

Building in Public: Our Roadmap

Core development is nearing completion. Our engineering team has been working quietly but intensely, pushing the boundaries of what's technically possible while maintaining the principles that define DeFi.

• Q1 2026: Testnet launch with global institutions and top traders invited for stress testing

• Q2 2026: Mainnet launch with full technical documentation

This timeline reflects our commitment to getting it right, not just getting it fast. We're building infrastructure that will serve traders for decades, not quarters.

The Continuous Journey

The trading chain represents our latest chapter, but not our final one. From eAMM's structured liquidity experiments to ApeX Pro's ZK-powered self-custody, from ApeX Omni's multi-chain breakthrough to now the trading chain's performance revolution, each iteration has been a response to real trader needs.

We're not building this chain because we can; we're building it because the industry needs it. The convergence of performance, privacy, and decentralization isn't just technically interesting; it's essential for on-chain trading to reach its full potential.

To our community of 545,000 users who've traded over $331 billion in volume: thank you for pushing us to be better. To the builders and partners who've supported us through every evolution: this is just the beginning.

Let's define the next era of trading. Together.