AFX Launches Sovereign Layer 1 Mainnet Dedicated to Derivatives Trading... A New Horizon for the On-chain Perpetual Futures Market

On May 18, 2026, AFX, a Sovereign Layer 1 project designed for decentralized derivatives trading, officially commenced its mainnet operations. This launch is evaluated as a significant milestone that ends the era where transaction execution speeds were slowed by network congestion on general-purpose blockchains, providing an environment optimized for on-chain perpetual futures (Perp) trading.

The architectural foundation of AFX represents a fundamental departure from existing decentralized platforms that are tied to the high latency and structural bottlenecks of shared networks.

AFX aims to resolve the latency issues that existing decentralized exchanges have faced through a dedicated network built for high-frequency trading execution. By establishing a sovereign execution environment, it focuses on maximizing the efficiency of derivatives trading alone, excluding resource competition with other applications.

Technical Innovation: DAG Consensus and ABCI Modular Architecture

AFX's performance is realized through a Directed Acyclic Graph (DAG)-based consensus algorithm and an ABCI modular architecture. This design differentiates itself from traditional blockchain structures, enabling transaction processing (TPS) of over 50,000 per second and finality of less than 100 milliseconds (ms).

• Implementation of parallel processing through DAG-based consensus algorithms
• Customized execution environment utilizing ABCI modular architecture
• Securing high throughput of over 50,000 transactions per second (TPS)
• Providing ultra-low latency finality of less than 100ms

These technical metrics position AFX as a high-performance alternative capable of competing with current market leaders in 2026. The core focus is providing professional traders, who are sensitive to latency, with a seamless trading experience in an on-chain environment that rivals centralized exchanges (CEX).

AFX does not merely emphasize speed; it provides a programmable architecture specialized for derivatives trading. This supports the efficient on-chain management of real-time trading data processing and complex order types, focusing on overcoming the limitations of existing general-purpose Layer 1 or Layer 2 solutions.

A 'Fair Launch' Model Without Venture Capital

AFX is also taking a differentiated approach to its token distribution method. It has adopted a community-centric 'Fair Launch' model without large-scale venture capital (VC) allocations. This stands in contrast to existing Layer 1 projects where supply is concentrated among early investors, and is interpreted as an intention to provide fairer opportunities to ecosystem participants.

Prior to the mainnet launch, AFX verified network stability through a testnet phase in April 2026. At that time, it attracted significant community interest by operating a prize pool of 28,000 points convertible into tokens for testnet participants, and through this preparation process, it reached a successful mainnet launch on May 18, 2026.

Competitive Landscape of the Perpetual Futures DEX Market in 2026

Currently, the on-chain derivatives market is led by powerful platforms such as Hyperliquid and dYdX. According to data as of April 5, 2026, Hyperliquid is providing deep liquidity, recording an overwhelming market share with 67 times the daily trading volume and 112 times the open interest compared to dYdX.

AFX has thrown down the gauntlet in this market environment through its independent Layer 1 infrastructure. Against the strong market dominance established by Hyperliquid, how quickly AFX's sovereign model can absorb professional traders and new ecosystem projects is expected to be a major variable determining the future landscape of the DeFi market.

This mainnet launch goes beyond simply opening an exchange; it will serve as a testing ground to prove the utility of a 'sovereign chain' specialized for specific financial services. Depending on AFX's success, the movement to leave general-purpose chains and build dedicated infrastructure in other DeFi sectors is expected to accelerate in the future.