Apex Fusion Launches VECTOR, Cardano's Institutional-Focused Expansion Chain

Apex Fusion, a blockchain protocol specializing in EVM-UTXO interoperability, has officially launched VECTOR, a new Cardano-aligned blockchain designed for institutional use cases. The network is now live and open for project onboarding from across the Cardano ecosystem.

VECTOR is positioned as Cardano's expansion layer, aiming to provide immediate performance headroom while Cardano's long-term scaling upgrades like Leios are still in development. It addresses known Cardano constraints, offering transaction confirmation speeds roughly four times faster than the Cardano mainnet and targeting high-volume DeFi and Real-World Asset (RWA) applications.

A key feature is its finality assurance. According to Apex Fusion, VECTOR delivers 99.9% confidence in transaction finality within 13 seconds under standard conditions, with 98.6% confidence at submission under optimized settings. The chain retains a UTXO-based architecture, providing a familiar development environment for existing Cardano teams.

The development was a collaborative effort with original Cardano architects, including Duncan Coutts, Neil Davies, and Peter Thompson. A peer-reviewed finality assurance report was produced to validate the chain's design and performance, aligning with Cardano's culture of formal verification.

Interoperability is a core component of the launch. VECTOR ships with native LayerZero integration, providing access to over 150 external chains and cross-chain liquidity from day one. It also features institutional-grade USDC rails powered by Stargate, a critical requirement for RWA and regulated financial products.

Christopher Greenwood, Chief Operating Officer at Apex Fusion Foundation, stated, "We're proud to launch VECTOR as a strategic partner chain for Cardano, designed to bring performance, finality, and confidence to builders, teams, and institutions alike... This is a value add to the Cardano ecosystem, which now enables projects to expand into other ecosystems, gaining access to liquidity and reach."

The launch follows Apex Fusion's earlier initiative in November 2025 to bring native USDC to Cardano. The company views VECTOR as part of a broader strategy to act as Cardano's expansion partner, mirroring the L1-L2 model common in EVM ecosystems.