Katana, a DeFi-native blockchain, has completed the acquisition of veteran on-chain trading infrastructure team IDEX and simultaneously launched Katana Perps, its native perpetual futures platform. The platform is now live at perps.katana.network. This strategic move marks a significant step in Katana's plan to own the core economic engines of its chain, moving away from reliance on third-party applications for trading volume.
The newly launched Katana Perps will be integrated directly into the Katana App alongside spot trading and routing, making derivatives a native part of the platform rather than a separate, external product. To lead this expansion, Matthew Fisher has been appointed CEO of Katana. Fisher brings experience from Diem, Polygon Labs, and prior roles at Katana itself.
The acquisition brings IDEX's nearly decade of experience in building on-chain trading infrastructure to Katana. The platform's matching engine is designed to deliver centralized exchange (CEX)-grade performance on-chain, featuring low-latency execution, advanced order types, chart trading with take-profit and stop-loss functionality, and mature API support for professional integrations.
Katana Perps is positioned to serve professional and institutional traders, market makers, and crypto-native users seeking a high-performance venue. The launch reflects broader market shifts, including growing global demand for always-on, high-performance derivatives venues. Market makers including GSR, Selini Capital, and Auros are providing initial liquidity.
Financially, the integration ties derivatives into Katana's existing economic flywheel. Over time, vKAT token holders will be able to direct incentives toward perps-related markets and earn fees from them, integrating derivatives revenue with the chain's spot, lending, and launch activities. The launch is accompanied by Season 1 of a Points Program designed to reward organic trading, sustained participation, liquidity contribution, and referrals. The product is not available to persons located in the United States.
With this launch, Katana's DeFi stack now covers four core verticals: Sushi for spot trading, Morpho for lending, Kensei for token launches, and Katana Perps for derivatives. The KAT and vKAT token model serves as the coordination layer across all four. The M&A advisory firm Acquire.Fi served as the exclusive sell-side advisor to IDEX and originated the transaction.
