Trading competition platform for exchanges and perp DEXs.
Voltrade is trading campaign infrastructure for crypto exchanges, perp DEXs and token teams: on-chain volume acquisition through trading competitions, with registration, tracking, leaderboards and anti-wash controls built in.
To date, Voltrade has run 48 competitions for 2,343 registered traders, with $923.2M in volume competed across 12 venues and partners.
Venues and partners we have run campaigns with
Selected results
Across 35 ended volume campaigns with a prize pool valued in USD, the median result was 249× counted volume per $1 of prize pool, ranging from 17× to 8,943×. Results depend on the venue, the markets in scope, the pool and the rules; past campaigns do not predict a new one.
| Campaign | Venue | Format | Traders | Prize pool | Counted volume | Volume per $1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lighter Stocks Trading Competition 14 days | Lighter | Pro rata | 268 | 3,000 LIT ($10,777 at launch) | $96,380,446 | 8,943× |
| dYdX ETH Trading Competition 14 days | dYdX | Leaderboard tiers | 87 | $14,300 | $43,830,490 | 3,065× |
| Defx Trading Competition 28 days | Defx | Leaderboard tiers | 111 | $8,600 | $33,073,220 | 3,846× |
| Derive Options Cup 14 days | Derive | Pro rata | 50 | $4,000 | $6,673,467 | 1,668× |
| $HTR Trading Competition 14 days | KuCoin | Pro rata | 60 | $5,000 | $1,327,830 | 266× |
| Talisman $2500 Trading Competition 11 days | QuickSwap | Pro rata | 40 | $2,500 | $213,941 | 86× |
Counted volume is the volume scored under each campaign's rules (after any daily cap), from the Voltrade database. Prize pool is the main pool; a token pool is valued in USD at launch, and separately funded raffles are not included. Campaigns with no tracked volume are left out of the median and range. Read the Lighter stock-perps case study for how one of these was designed.
Run trading competitions
Volume or PnL competitions paid by leaderboard tiers or pro rata, with optional daily raffles. Prize pool, dates, eligible markets and eligibility rules are shown to traders before they register.
Acquire on-chain volume
Your reward budget goes to traders who generate measurable, eligible volume on your venue. Only trades on the markets you scope, inside the campaign window, are scored.
Track and rank automatically
Wallet-first registration, venue data ingestion and points computation. Leaderboards refresh on a recurring sync from the venue's own data, typically every 20 minutes.
Distribute rewards by published rules
Projected rewards are shown on the leaderboard while the campaign runs, and final standings are computed from the same published rules when it ends.
How a campaign works
- 1
Scope the campaign
Pick the venue, the eligible markets (for example 67 stock and pre-IPO perps on Lighter), the scoring (volume or PnL), the payout structure (leaderboard tiers or pro rata), the dates and the prize pool, in USD or in your own token.
- 2
Set the integrity rules
Optional daily counted-volume cap per trader, minimum counted volume to qualify, a points floor, a minimum trade count or a verified X account. All of them are published on the competition page.
- 3
Fund and publish
Self-serve campaigns fund the prize pool in USDC on Base (or on Solana for Solana-tracked competitions) before publishing. Exchange-tracked campaigns created self-serve are reviewed by Voltrade before they are listed.
- 4
Traders register and trade
Traders register with a wallet (and link their venue account where the venue requires it), then trade on your venue as usual. Voltrade never takes custody of trading funds.
- 5
Settle
When the window closes, final standings come from the published rules. The leaderboard shows each trader's raw traded volume next to the score earned from counted volume, so everyone can see what was scored and why.
Typical timeline: you choose the window; the median ended volume campaign ran 11 days, and one- and two-week runs are the most common. Fees: self-serve campaigns pay the prize pool plus a 10% platform fee.
Integrity controls
- Daily counted-volume caps: only volume up to the cap counts toward a trader's score each campaign day, so manufactured volume past it earns nothing.
- Minimum thresholds: a minimum counted volume, a points floor, a minimum trade count or a verified X account can be required before a wallet shares in the pool.
- Self-trade exclusion: where the venue's data shows both sides of each fill (Derive options), trades between two registered participants earn nothing for either side.
- Wash-trade audit: for KuCoin campaigns, an admin audit re-reads the full fill records to find participants who traded against each other, and operators can remove a wallet from a competition.
- Raw volume next to the score: leaderboards show each wallet's raw traded volume next to the score earned from counted volume, so volume far beyond a cap is visible to everyone.
More detail in wash-trading resistance in volume campaigns.
Frequently asked questions
What is Voltrade?
Voltrade is a trading competition platform. Exchanges, perp DEXs and token teams fund a prize pool; traders register with a wallet and trade on the venue as usual; Voltrade tracks eligible volume or PnL from the venue's data, ranks traders on a public leaderboard and computes rewards from the published rules.
Which venues and partners has Voltrade run campaigns with?
Voltrade has run trading competitions and campaigns with QuickSwap, dYdX, KuCoin, Throne, Blofin, Defx, Derive, GMX, Gryps, Lighter, Overtime and Robinhood Chain.
How much volume does a trading competition generate?
It depends on the venue, the markets in scope, the prize pool and the rules. Across 35 ended Voltrade volume campaigns with a prize pool valued in USD and tracked volume, the median was 249× counted volume per $1 of prize pool, with a range from 17× to 8,943×. Past campaigns do not predict the result of a new one.
How does Voltrade handle wash trading?
Campaigns can cap counted volume per trader per day, require a minimum counted volume to qualify, and add a points floor, a minimum trade count or a verified X account. Under pro rata, a fixed pool means self-trading pays real fees to win back a diluted share. Where the venue's data shows both sides of each fill (Derive options), trades between two registered participants earn nothing for either side. For KuCoin campaigns, an admin audit re-reads the full fill records to find participants who traded against each other, and operators can remove a wallet from a competition.
What does a campaign cost?
Self-serve campaigns pay the prize pool plus a 10% platform fee, in USDC on Base (or on Solana for Solana-tracked competitions), before publishing. Campaigns set up with the Voltrade team are agreed directly.
How long does a trading competition run?
You choose the window. The median ended volume campaign on Voltrade ran 11 days; one- and two-week runs are the most common.
Does Voltrade hold traders' funds?
No. Traders trade directly on your venue with their own account. Voltrade reads trading activity from the venue's data for the campaign window and the eligible markets only.
Can we integrate competitions into our own app?
Yes. A versioned REST API lists competitions, returns leaderboards and registers traders in one call, with partner API keys and per-key attribution stats. See the partner API documentation at /docs/api.
Further reading
- What is on-chain volume acquisition
- Trading campaign infrastructure for perp DEXs
- Volume competitions vs market making
- Trading competitions as token launch marketing
- Case study: stock and pre-IPO perp competitions on Lighter
- Wash-trading resistance in volume campaigns
- Measuring campaign ROI
See the platform from a trader's side: browse live DEX trading competitions and permissionless PnL challenges, or read the partner API documentation.
Ready to launch a campaign?
Set up a trading competition or volume campaign for your exchange or perp DEX and start rewarding real trading activity.