Antarctic Exchange Raises $7 Million From Wall Street Investors to Back Its Retail-Focused DEX

Antarctic Exchange raises $7 Million from Wall Street Derivatives Traders in their latest fundraising round to target new retail traders.

SINGAPORE, SINGAPORE, September 7, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Antarctic Exchange has raised $7 million from Wall Street derivatives investors in a round that values the company at $70 million, backing its push to build a retail-focused decentralized exchange with a CEX-grade trading experience. Backed by Valisa Capital Markets, Lucidity Capital, and a consortium of proprietary traders making their first crypto allocation, the DEX is already a top-10 platform on CoinMarketCap and is purpose-built to deliver a CEX-grade trading experience. The SAFE-plus-token round was backed by Valisa Capital Markets, Lucidity Capital, and a group of ultra-high-net-worth derivatives traders from traditional finance. Republic Crypto, the token advisory arm of Republic, structured the token component and provided strategic support, bridging traditional venture mechanics with Web3-native token design.

A DEX Built by CEX Veterans, for Serious Traders
Antarctic Exchange was founded by a team of former executives from OKX, Binance, MEXC and a collection of the world’s largest centralized exchanges. Having witnessed firsthand the faults that plague centralized venues, the leadership team set out to build an exchange that focus on the interests of retail traders. “We’ve spent years inside the biggest CEXs. We know exactly where they break trust with users. We all trade ourselves, so we know what retail traders need,” said Kai, CEO of Antarctic Exchange. “This raise lets us deliver the product we wish we had ourselves. Features are designed with large retail traders in mind, not market makers.”

Trader Revival Account
Despite launching at a time of market saturation, Antarctic Exchange has already reached top 10 on CoinMarketCap’s DEX ranking. A major driver of this growth is the pioneering TRA (Trader Revival Account), which gives traders a funded account matched to the amount they have previously lost on the exchange. The program has become one of the most powerful onboarding tools in on-chain derivatives today. Designed so that retail users can have a second chance if they get liquidated by unexpected market conditions, this feature is considered the most trader friendly features for retail users. “We’re not buying users with airdrops that attract mercenaries. We’re giving real traders their confidence back,” the Antarctic spoke person added. “That’s how you build a loyal, lasting community.”

Why Wall Street Derivatives Traders Invested
The capital raise deliberately drew from traditional derivatives markets. Valisa Capital Markets, Lucidity Capital, and the accompanying UHNW traders all specialize in options, futures, and structured products. For them, Antarctic Exchange is both a first crypto allocation and a bet that global trading volume will migrate on-chain as decentralized infrastructure matures. “We have been waiting for a team that speaks our language,” said a Partner at Lucidity Capital. “Antarctic Exchange is the first DEX we’ve seen that truly understands the trader’s experience. This team has the battle scars from running centralized exchanges and the technical depth to make on-chain derivatives the default for the next generation of traders.” Republic Crypto’s involvement as token structurer adds a layer of compliance and institutional rigor often absent in DEX launches, ensuring the token economy meets the expectations of both regulators and institutional participants.

About Antarctic Exchange
Antarctic Exchange is a decentralized perpetuals exchange (DEX) purpose-built for large retail traders. Founded by former executives from top CEXs, the platform combines CEX-grade speed, leverage, and tooling with the self-custody and transparency of a DEX.

Wesley Hsu
Antarctic Exchange
wesley@antarctic.exchange
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