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Bartosz Bilicki
Bartosz Bilicki

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Hybrid perps in practice: CEX-style books without the usual KYC wall

Perp traders usually pick one corner:

  • CEX: fast books, KYC friction
  • DEX: self-custody, UX / liquidity tradeoffs

A third lane is hybrid: order-book style execution with a lighter onboarding stance.

Why teams ask for hybrid

  1. International builders hit KYC walls early
  2. Agents need API / MCP access without human spreadsheet ops
  3. Multi-asset books (crypto + some traditional underlyings) beat single-niche DEXs for routines

What we shipped

We run a live hybrid USDT perpetual futures venue:

Rough shape:

  • 500+ pairs across crypto / equities / commodities classes
  • Order book feel for pro charts
  • Non-custodial angle vs classic CEX custody

Agent path

If you want agents on top of that venue, keep write tools remote and policy-gated:

Open questions for builders

  • Do you optimize first for latency, custody, or onboarding friction?
  • For agents, do you prefer venue-native APIs or MCP wrappers?

Curious how others are ranking hybrid vs pure Hyperliquid-style stacks in 2026.

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