Arbitrum

**The evolution of settlement infrastructure** Stock trades that once required 5 business days to settle now complete instantly on blockchain networks. Smart contracts automatically update ownership records, eliminating the need for traditional clearinghouses and settlement delays. **Key changes:** - Settlement time reduced from days to seconds - Automated ownership transfers via smart contracts - Removal of intermediary clearinghouses - Capital can be redeployed immediately instead of sitting idle This shift represents a fundamental change in market infrastructure, moving from physical certificates and manual processes to programmable, automated systems. The technology enables faster capital flow and reduces costs by removing back-office operations.

**Ostium is positioning itself as a leading platform for commodities and Nasdaq-powered equity perpetuals** by combining onchain markets with traditional brokerage infrastructure. **Key features:** - Decentralized, programmable, and verifiable trading system - Access to stocks, commodities, forex, and crypto markets - Built on Arbitrum for deep liquidity and fast execution - Over $50B in total trading volume **The platform is now "going programmable,"** enabling developers to build on top of traditional financial markets in ways previously impossible. This bridges the gap between DeFi innovation and TradFi infrastructure, making global markets accessible through blockchain technology. Ostium's approach represents a shift toward making traditional financial instruments available onchain while maintaining the reliability and depth of established brokerage systems.

EdgeX has launched V2 of its perpetual futures platform, built on Arbitrum's infrastructure. The platform processes **300,000 orders per second** with **sub-100ms latency**, enabling continuous trading in digital assets. **Key technical specifications:** - High-performance trading engine on EDGE Chain - Parallel execution capabilities via FlashLane - Direct connection to Ethereum settlement layer - Maintains reliability during market volatility The platform has processed over **$800 billion in cumulative trading volume**. V2 introduces round-the-clock trading access without compromising performance or liquidity depth.

The Arbitrum Foundation's **Open House London Buildathon** begins tomorrow, offering a 3-week online program for early-stage teams building onchain products. **Program Support:** - Technical guidance from [Robinhood](http://openhouse.arbitrum.io/?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=oh-london-buildathon), Alchemy, GMX, OpenZeppelin, and Offchain - Product development workshops - Infrastructure readiness training - Access to industry leaders in the Arbitrum ecosystem **Prizes & Opportunities:** - $115K in prizes - Top teams advance to an in-person Founder House accelerator in London - Focus areas include payments, DeFi, RWAs, privacy, AI agents, and consumer applications The program is open to teams worldwide looking to launch products on the Arbitrum Platform. Registration remains open at [openhouse.arbitrum.io](http://openhouse.arbitrum.io/?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=oh-london-buildathon).

Arbitrum is actively looking for early-stage teams to build onchain startups. The Layer 2 scaling solution is encouraging founders with new ideas to develop on their platform. The initiative appears to be part of Arbitrum's ongoing effort to support pre-mainnet projects and teams bringing fresh concepts to the blockchain space. For more information, teams can check the [official announcement](https://x.com/arbitrum/status/2056834995122229739?s=20).

Arbitrum has launched **Earn** on its Portal, a new feature that simplifies access to onchain yield opportunities. **Key Features:** - Cross-chain token swaps powered by [LI.FI Protocol](https://lifi.tech) - Unified vault management interface - Portfolio tracking capabilities - Integration with major DeFi protocols including Aave, Morpho, and Pendle **Infrastructure Partnership:** Arbitrum partnered with [Vaults.fyi](https://vaults.fyi) as their core infrastructure provider. The platform handles data aggregation, transaction processing, and portfolio tracking for the Earn feature. Users can now access yield opportunities across multiple chains through a single interface at [portal.arbitrum.io/earn](https://portal.arbitrum.io/earn). More details available in the [official blog post](https://blog.arbitrum.io/portal-earn/).

**Programmable markets are revolutionizing trade settlement**, compressing what traditionally takes days into mere seconds. **The traditional gap**: When you buy or sell a stock on Monday, settlement typically occurs on Tuesday - a full day later. **The tokenized advantage**: In blockchain-based markets, value transfer and settlement happen in seconds, not days. **Key benefits**: - Dramatically reduced settlement time - Lower operational friction - Increased market efficiency Fintechs adopting this technology are positioned to gain competitive advantages in the evolving financial landscape.

El Dorado has introduced an **International VISA Card** that enables global USDT payments powered by Arbitrum. **Key features:** - Pay, send, and receive USDT worldwide - Low transaction costs with instant settlement - 24/7 accessibility - Eliminates traditional payment friction The card builds on El Dorado's existing platform, which serves **over 1 million users across 7+ countries in Latin America**. The company addresses regional challenges including inflation, high transfer costs, and limited USD access by converting stablecoins into practical financial tools. Users can save, send, convert, and now spend digital dollars through USDT on Arbitrum, all within a single application. This development represents a step toward making cryptocurrency-based payments more accessible for everyday transactions in markets where traditional banking infrastructure faces limitations.

**Ostium Labs has reached over $50 billion in total trading volume** on Arbitrum, marking a significant milestone for programmable markets. The platform enables trading across: - Stocks - Commodities - Forex - Crypto **Key features:** - Deep liquidity pools - Fast execution speeds - Built on Arbitrum's infrastructure This achievement demonstrates growing institutional adoption of blockchain-based trading infrastructure. Ostium's success follows a broader trend of traditional financial markets moving onchain, with platforms choosing Arbitrum for its reliability and execution capabilities.

Arbitrum has launched the **Fiet model**, a new approach to reserve-backed liquidity designed for institutional adoption in DeFi. **Key features include:** - Reserve-backed liquidity without requiring idle capital - Integration with existing custody and treasury systems - Onchain policy enforcement at execution level - Lower-cost, scalable market infrastructure Built by @usher_web3 on the Arbitrum Platform, Fiet addresses a critical challenge: **capital efficiency for institutions moving onchain**. The model allows DeFi protocols to integrate with traditional capital systems, creating a more practical pathway for institutional participation in the programmable economy. This development represents a bridge between traditional finance infrastructure and decentralized systems, potentially lowering barriers for institutional entry into onchain markets. [Read the full technical details](https://blog.arbitrum.io/how-fiet-made-reserve-backed-liquidity-practical-onchain/)