DerivaDEX LAUNCHES ITS LICENSED DERIVATIVES TRADING PLATFORM, MARKING THE FIRST DAO-GOVERNED DEFI EXCHANGE TO OPERATE WITH A REGULATORY LICENSE

HAMILTON, Bermuda, Feb. 17, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- DerivaDEX today announced the launch of its platform and the start of derivatives trading following approval by the Bermuda Monetary Authority. With the approval of DerivaDEX's T license, DerivaDEX has become the first DAO-governed decentralized exchange to receive licensure from a respected financial regulator while preserving the core benefits of decentralization. With the commencement of crypto perpetual swaps trading on a platform that achieves performance comparable to centralized exchanges and far faster than other decentralized alternatives, DerivaDEX is pioneering a new path forward for decentralized finance.

"Today's DerivaDEX launch marks a milestone in the relationship between traditional finance and decentralized trading," said Aditya Palepu, Founder of DerivaDEX developer DEXLabs and leading R&D for DerivaDEX. "As the first decentralized exchange to receive a regulatory license, we're proving that decentralization and institutional standards are not mutually exclusive. Institutional traders will have, for the first time, access to an exchange that brings the performance and liquidity of TradFi together with the security and transparency of DeFi."

DerivaDEX is a decentralized derivatives platform supporting user-empowered, peer-to-peer trading of major derivatives with high-performance execution and security. Under its current Bermuda license, DerivaDEX will support a limited number of advanced retail and institutional traders, offering centralized exchange-level execution speeds alongside on-chain settlement and noncustodial funds. At launch, DerivaDEX supports trading in major crypto perpetual products, with aims to expand to additional markets and assets ranging from prediction markets to traditional securities.

DerivaDEX provides execution speeds, durability, and performance comparable with those of leading centralized platforms, including sub-5 millisecond order acknowledgment latency, fast deposits and withdrawals to Ethereum, and real-time price feeds. DerivaDEX also incorporates front-running resistance through encrypted order handling and trusted execution environments, helping to prevent market manipulation and extractive trading behavior.

At the same time, as a decentralized, non-custodial exchange, DerivaDEX allows users to retain direct control of their assets rather than relying on a centralized intermediary. Trades are governed by transparent rules, enabling greater resilience during periods of market stress while preserving the efficiency and sophistication required by professional traders.

"DeFi is just getting started. High-performance execution, on-chain settlement, and a clear regulatory framework are what is needed to unlock institutional participation at scale. DerivaDEX has pulled all of these pieces together and we are excited to see it launch," said Avichal Garg , Co-Founder and General Partner of Electric Capital.

"It is exciting to see DerivaDEX with decentralization as its North Star launch - demonstrating how thoughtful, sound innovation and regulatory clarity can drive user adoption and long term sustainability," said Michael Mosier and Jane Khodarkovsky, Partners of Arktouros, pllc, a boutique law firm dedicated to emergent technology and civil society.

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