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§ Private Profile · Singapore, Central Region, Singapore
Merkle Trade is a technology company.
Merkle Trade operates a gamified perpetual decentralized exchange, offering a unique platform where users can trade cryptocurrencies, forex, and commodities. The platform integrates gaming elements with advanced trading functionalities, including leveraged trading up to 1,000x, distinguishing itself within the DeFi space. It provides a seamless and high-performance environment, aiming to make complex financial markets more accessible and engaging for a broad audience.
The company was founded in 2022 by co-founders Ye and Patrick. Ye, with a background in programming since a young age, and Patrick, a proficient full-stack and smart contract developer, conceived Merkle Trade from an insight into the need for a more intuitive and gamified approach to decentralized finance. Their combined expertise drives the platform's technical innovation and operational management.
Merkle Trade caters to traders seeking decentralized, high-leverage opportunities across various asset classes. The company envisions transforming the traditional trading landscape by blending entertainment with sophisticated financial instruments, democratizing access to complex markets. Its long-term goal is to redefine user engagement in decentralized trading through continuous innovation and a commitment to a gamified, user-centric experience.
Merkle Trade has raised $2.0M across 1 funding round.
Merkle Trade has raised $2.0M in total across 1 funding round.
Merkle Trade has raised $2.0M across 1 funding round. Most recently, it raised $2.0M Seed in March 2024.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 1, 2024 | $2M Seed | Hashed, Michael Arrington | CrunchFund, Portag3 Ventures, Amber Group, MO Shaikh, DoraHacks, Morningstar Ventures, RE7 Capital | Announced |
Merkle Trade is a decentralized trading platform (perpetual DEX) built on the Aptos blockchain, offering gamified perpetual contracts for crypto, forex, and commodities with up to 1000x leverage, zero gas fees, and fast execution.[2][3][4][5] It serves cryptocurrency traders, forex traders, and commodity traders—both novices and experts—by solving pain points like high fees, slow on-chain trades, complex order books, and lack of engagement through features like XP rewards, loot boxes, one-click omnichain onboarding via LayerZero, reliable Pyth Network price feeds, and a passive market-making system where the Merkle LP acts as counterparty for all USDC-settled trades.[2][3][4][5] With 165,000+ global users, $300K+ monthly trading rewards, and a focus on mobile-optimized, self-custodial trading starting at just $2, the platform shows strong growth momentum since its 2023 launch in Singapore, including recent funding under $5M.[2][4][5]
Founded in 2023 and headquartered in Singapore, Merkle Trade emerged to gamify decentralized trading amid the rise of high-performance blockchains like Aptos, which enables its 1.3-second order execution and scalability for high-volume trades.[2][3] The founding team drew from blockchain expertise to address fragmented DeFi experiences, integrating LayerZero for cross-chain assets and Pyth for real-time oracles, while simplifying UX with passive liquidity provision instead of order books.[3] Early traction came from its unique rewards system—earning XP, items, and loot boxes—sparking community-driven competitions and rapid user adoption to over 165,000 traders, fueled by audited protocols and mobile accessibility.[3][4][5]
Merkle Trade rides the DeFi 2.0 wave of gamified, high-leverage perpetual trading on performant L1s like Aptos, capitalizing on crypto's maturation where speed, low costs, and interoperability via LayerZero address Ethereum's gas bottlenecks and fragmented liquidity.[3] Timing aligns with surging demand for non-custodial alternatives to CEXs post-FTX, plus forex/commodities expansion into DeFi amid tokenized real-world assets (RWAs). Market forces like rising mobile trading (its optimization) and oracle reliability via Pyth favor it, while its community tools influence the ecosystem by onboarding retail traders to on-chain perps, boosting Aptos TVL and cross-chain adoption.[2][3][5]
Merkle Trade's momentum—165K users, ongoing rewards, and funding—positions it for explosive growth as gamified DeFi captures retail from Web2 apps and high-leverage forex draws TradFi inflows. Expect expansions in RWA trading, deeper Aptos integrations, and potential Layer-2 scaling amid 2026's bull cycles. Its influence could evolve by setting standards for fun, accessible perps, drawing more chains via LayerZero and amplifying Aptos as a trading hub—transforming "trade at the best rates" into a self-reinforcing ecosystem.[3][4][5]
Merkle Trade has raised $2.0M in total across 1 funding round.
Merkle Trade's investors include Hashed, Michael Arrington, CrunchFund, Portag3 Ventures, Amber Group, Mo Shaikh, DoraHacks, Morningstar Ventures, Re7 Capital.