Hey everyone! We’re building Vortum, a non-custodial perp trading platform on the Internet Computer (ICP). Our goal is to deliver a fast, familiar “exchange-like” experience while keeping the core logic verifiable and the custody model on-chain.
Pitch video: https://youtu.be/M5oh2V4MEuk
Web app: https://app.vortum.finance
Canister: https://e7obc-vqaaa-aaaas-qdsya-cai.icp0.io/
GitHub: https://github.com/mfactory-lab/vortum (repo is closed; access can be provided to DFINITY users on request)
Docs: https://bbv65-xiaaa-aaaas-qd6lq-cai.icp0.io/
Project highlights
What’s live today:
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Account system and core infrastructure.
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Multi-chain wallet flows for Bitcoin, Solana, and ICP (deposits/withdrawals).
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On-chain order book + matching engine supporting spot trading.
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Settlement & audit history and rate limiting / DoS protection.
This means you can sign in, deposit and withdraw assets, view balances, place market and limit orders, and track order status/history.
What we’re building next: Perpetuals are in progress, with risk engine & liquidations planned.
How it’s built
Vortum runs as canisters on ICP. The backend is written in Rust and exposed via a Candid interface. The system is organized around modules for accounts, wallets, assets, trading, and settlement, plus supporting infrastructure like event logging, background tasks, request guards, and stable storage.
On the Chain Fusion side, we integrate with ckBTC (minter + ledger) and the Bitcoin canister for BTC flows, use Solana RPC via HTTPS outcalls for SOL flows, and integrate the ICP ledger for ICP operations.
Internet Computer superpowers
ICP is what makes this architecture practical:
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Chain fusion integrations allow multi-chain deposits and withdrawals without relying on traditional bridges.
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Canisters + deterministic execution make the trading engine verifiable.
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Reverse-gas UX helps deliver a more “web-app-like” feel for users.
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Stable memory patterns make upgrades and persistence more manageable.
Go-To-Market strategy
We’re focused on launching with real distribution and liquidity rather than “hope marketing.” We have a strategic partnership with a Swiss fintech and trading aggregator company, and a launch plan designed around cohort migration, committed trading flow, and backstop liquidity. We’re also working with professional market makers and building a distribution pipeline through communities, bots/integrations, and aggregators.
Monetization
Vortum is intended to monetize via protocol trading fees (with maker rebates as part of the structure). We’ll publish a clear, user-friendly fee schedule as we get closer to the full-scale launch.
Status of the project + future plans
You can sign in, deposit from multiple chains, trade, and withdraw — all without giving up custody:
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Multi-chain wallets — Deposit/withdraw BTC, SOL, and ICP tokens natively -
Spot trading — Limit and market orders with a familiar exchange interface
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On-chain order book — Matching engine runs entirely on ICP (~400 ns per match)
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Account security — Subaccounts, multi-device auth, optional TOTP 2FA
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Perpetual contracts — Leverage trading with funding rates (in progress) -
Risk engine — Liquidations, insurance fund, position limits (planned)
Examples of UI
If you try it, feedback from the ICP community (especially traders, market makers, and builders) is very welcome.
but maybe you can pivot this into something