Panama City — In a major leap forward for Bitcoin DeFi, Velar has officially launched Velar PerpDex, the first decentralized perpetuals exchange built directly on Bitcoin infrastructure. Running on the Stacks Layer 2, Velar PerpDex brings leveraged trading to Bitcoin holders—without compromising custody or decentralization.
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Now live at perpdex.velar.com, the platform debuts with the sBTC-USDh trading pair, powered by USDh, the first synthetic Bitcoin dollar developed by Hermetica. Additional trading pairs will be introduced gradually, allowing users to open long and short positions on a wider range of assets within the Bitcoin ecosystem.
A New Chapter for Bitcoin DeFi
Perpetual futures trading has long been a staple of crypto markets—but until now, it’s remained largely inaccessible to Bitcoin-native users without bridging to other chains or relying on custodial platforms. Velar PerpDex changes that by enabling non-custodial, leveraged trading while maintaining full alignment with Bitcoin’s core principles: security, transparency, and user sovereignty.
Built on Stacks, Bitcoin’s leading Layer 2, the platform offers near-instant execution with five-second block times and final settlement on Bitcoin. Traders can access deep liquidity, robust security, and powerful trading infrastructure—directly on Bitcoin.
“Our mission at Velar is to build trading infrastructure that keeps both users and liquidity anchored to Bitcoin. Launching the first Bitcoin-native PerpDEX is a defining moment—not just for us, but for the evolution of DeFi on Bitcoin.”
Mithil Thakore, CEO of Velar
USDh: The Stablecoin Built for Bitcoin DeFi
The initial USDh trading pair offers a yield-bearing stablecoin optimized for the Bitcoin economy. Developed by Hermetica, USDh provides the stability needed for margin trading while preserving the self-custody and composability essential to DeFi.
“Perpetual trading is one of the most used products in crypto. With Velar, it’s finally available on Bitcoin. USDh is the foundation, giving traders a stable base to operate without relying on external chains or custodians.”
Jakob Schillinger, CEO of Hermetica
Unlocking Bitcoin’s Idle Capital
With billions of dollars in idle BTC sitting off-chain or in cold storage, Velar’s launch introduces a critical primitive for Bitcoin DeFi—one that allows native holders to participate in high-volume trading without giving up control of their assets.
This milestone marks the beginning of a new era for Bitcoin, transforming it from a passive store of value into an active hub for decentralized finance. Velar’s roadmap promises continued innovation across trading tools, liquidity solutions, and Bitcoin-native assets.
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About Velar
Velar is building the next generation of trading infrastructure for Bitcoin. Its flagship product, Velar Dharma, makes it easy to swap Bitcoin-based tokens through a seamless, user-friendly interface. With a focus on unlocking Bitcoin’s financial potential, Velar is paving the way for a more secure, decentralized, and capital-efficient future. Learn more at velar.co