Synthetix perps return to Ethereum with a capped launch and new trading incentives

A flagship perp DEX is about to reshape derivatives trading as the Synthetix perps ecosystem prepares its high-profile return to Ethereum with strict caps and fresh incentives.

Synthetix comes back to Ethereum Mainnet

On December 17, Synthetix will relaunch its canonical perpetuals DEX on Ethereum, marking a full-circle move after leaving the Mainnet in 2022 for Optimism‘s lower fees and larger blockspace. However, the team now concedes that the layer two scaling roadmap introduced tough trade-offs for complex applications.

The new exchange will debut as a perp DEX on Ethereum with tight access controls. At launch, participation will be capped at 500 users, including historical Synthetix and Kwenta power traders, sUSD and 420 pool stakers, trading competition participants, and a selected group of Synthetix Teams depositors.

Moreover, individual deposits will be limited to a maximum of $100,000 per account. The protocol plans to raise user caps, market coverage, and deposit plus open interest limits rapidly as on-chain performance and risk metrics are validated.

Launch parameters and withdrawal controls

At day one, the Mainnet exchange will support three core markets: Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), and Solana (SOL), each with leverage of up to 100X. That said, the team is already planning a fast expansion cycle, with more markets and features queued for rollout in early 2026.

Withdrawals will not be enabled at launch. Instead, the team will monitor the on-chain deposit contract for around one week before allowing funds to be withdrawn. This precautionary step aims to de-risk the launch phase while still enabling aggressive trading activity from the initial cohort.

The Synthetix Liquidity Provider (SLP) vault, the community-owned market-making engine, will also go live from day one. However, access to the SLP will initially be whitelisted, with plans to open the community market-making vault to the public so users can earn real yield from trading flows as soon as practical.

Trading competitions and the road to Mainnet

Over recent months, Synthetix has used trading competitions to stress-test its new infrastructure and attract high-intent users. Season 1 of the Synthetix Mainnet trading competition distributed more than $1,000,000 in synth trading competition prizes to the top 10 traders from a roster of 100 of X’s most influential voices and long-term Synthetix and Kwenta power users.

Season 2 is ongoing, with hundreds of traders competing for a share of a $1,000,000+ prize pool. Moreover, the competition has doubled as a live testbed for the new lightning-fast, gasless perpetuals engine that will back the canonical DEX on Ethereum.

According to the team, this new architecture underpins the synthetix perps relaunch on Mainnet, combining efficient order execution with on-chain transparency and a familiar DeFi-native UX.

Core product experience: portfolio and markets

The new Synthetix Portfolio interface will function as a central hub for active traders. Users can monitor all open positions, account balances, and active orders in a single view. In addition, they will be able to review open and closed orders, full order and trade history, funding payments, and other key performance metrics.

Several traders from Seasons 1 and 2 have already highlighted the redesigned UX. Interestingly, some reported that even liquidations felt less painful because the interface is so clean and intuitive. This anecdotal feedback underscores the focus on professional tooling for advanced derivatives traders.

The markets dashboard is designed as the one-stop overview of price action and market activity. Traders can quickly see total open interest, 24-hour trading volume, top assets by volume, and the best and worst performers, all split into clear sections for fast scanning.

Enhanced order tools and “chase” functionality

To support active strategies, Synthetix has introduced a new “chase” feature for limit orders. In the order entry panel, traders will find a chase toggle that automatically positions a limit order at the top of the book, at the current best bid or ask.

This tool aims to reduce the frustration of watching an order consistently miss fills as the book moves away. However, it also increases execution likelihood for aggressive users who want to stay close to the market while still using limit orders instead of pure market orders.

On the markets dashboard, a blue fire icon will appear beside the highest volume assets, letting traders quickly identify the pairs attracting the most activity. Users can also mark favorite assets, making it easier to navigate straight to their preferred markets from the main interface.

Synthetix perps Teams and early access incentives

The Synthetix Teams initiative offers a way to front-run public access and secure additional perks. Traders who deposit USDT under their preferred team code can qualify to trade on Ethereum’s canonical perp DEX from day one, before broader access opens.

Depositors also gain exposure to a potential 500,000 SNX prize pool. The more USDT deposited and the longer it is held, the larger the eventual share: deposits are prorated by size and duration, meaning $1 locked for 7 days equals $7 for 1 day.

If a team leader wins, the 500,000 SNX reward is distributed among that team’s members. However, to claim a share, participants must trade 10 times the volume of their final deposit and execute more than 10 trades within the first three months after launch.

New Market Mondays and feature rollouts

Every Monday, Synthetix plans to introduce additional trading pairs in a program dubbed new market mondays. These listings will be guided by broad trader demand, focusing on the most popular, volatile, or best-performing tokens across the crypto market.

Alongside fresh markets, the team will roll out incremental UX upgrades and new features, including multicollateral margin support, real-world asset integrations, and deeper composability with other DeFi protocols. Moreover, Synthetix is preparing optimistic and trust-minimized orderbooks and collaborations with leading Ethereum-based teams.

Traders are encouraged to follow the official Synthetix X account and blog to stay updated on weekly releases. The protocol also expects to plug into Infinex soon, with additional incentives promised for early participants in that integration.

Reviving SNX and sUSD at the core of the protocol

Over the past year, the SNX token has reclaimed center stage in the Synthetix ecosystem as a primary source of yield, liquidity, and aligned governance. The team has simplified staking so that users can stake SNX and earn protocol fees directly, without needing complex hedging strategies or active debt management.

Synthetix also issues sUSD, the protocol’s stablecoin, which is the third longest-living stable asset in DeFi. While the v3 design experimented with external collateral, many other protocols mirrored Synthetix and launched their own stablecoins. The new Mainnet architecture restores the critical role of sUSD, unlocking millions in staked SNX liquidity to fuel the exchange.

Instead of individual stakers minting sUSD, that function now belongs to the Treasury Market, which dynamically mints, burns, and deploys sUSD to maintain its peg and supply liquidity to the orderbook. sUSD becomes the deposit asset for AMMs to provide liquidity on the exchange, generating yield from trading fees and liquidations, effectively creating a new model for susd staking rewards.

Outlook for SNX, staking, and Mainnet growth

Synthetix perps have been a DeFi pioneer since launch and continues to position itself at the forefront of on-chain derivatives. With more than 50% of SNX currently staked and Treasury-funded buybacks underway, the token is being re-anchored as the primary economic engine of the protocol.

In addition, the upcoming synthetix ethereum launch in just 5 days is expected to give both SNX and sUSD a renewed role in decentralized finance. The combination of a capped, controlled Mainnet rollout and a robust incentive stack aims to balance growth with prudent risk management.

Community members can follow Synthetix as it ushers in perps on Ethereum Mainnet via Discord at discord.gg/synthetix, Telegram at t.me/+v80TVt0BJN80Y2Yx, and X at x.com/synthetix. The next chapter for Synthetix is only just beginning, with 2026 set to deliver an expanding product pipeline and deeper DeFi integrations.

In summary, the Mainnet return, revamped token economics, and feature-rich perp DEX position Synthetix for a new growth phase, tightening the link between SNX, sUSD, and on-chain derivatives liquidity on Ethereum.