> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.nexus.xyz/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.nexus.xyz/exchange/introduction.md). # Introduction The Nexus Exchange is a verifiable perpetual futures exchange built directly into the Nexus blockchain. The order book, matching engine, and risk system run as native protocol components — not as a smart contract on a general-purpose chain — so the exchange settles at CEX-class speed while every fill, funding payment, and liquidation remains independently verifiable. ### What's live today The exchange is **live on Nexus Testnet** as a development preview. You can connect a wallet, create API keys, fund a synthetic-USDX account from the faucet, and trade the live perpetual futures markets programmatically over REST and WebSocket. * **4 perpetual markets live today** — BTC, ETH, SOL, and NDQ, all collateralized and quoted in synthetic USDX. The configured set expands to 32 — additional crypto, FX, commodities, and equity indices — across upcoming releases. * **Leverage is configurable per market.** * **API-first.** All trading happens over the REST and WebSocket APIs. The web frontend at [exchange.nexus.xyz](https://exchange.nexus.xyz) is a read-only market and portfolio view — order entry is via the API. * **Non-custodial by design.** Balances and collateral are held by the exchange protocol, never by a private operator. * **Synthetic test funds.** Each API key can claim test USDX from the faucet to trade against live, bot-seeded liquidity. > This is a development preview on testnet. It is not a regulated venue and not an offer or solicitation. Markets are seeded with automated liquidity for testing; prices and balances have no real-world value. ### What's coming Perpetual futures are the first market type. Spot, additional derivatives, and broader asset classes — equities, FX, commodities, RWAs — follow in later releases. The roadmap progresses through a sequence of release gates, each adding robustness, risk controls, and on-chain settlement guarantees before the next. --- # Agent Instructions This documentation is published with GitBook. GitBook is the documentation platform designed so that both humans and AI agents can read, navigate, and reason over technical content effectively. Learn more at gitbook.com. ## Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter, and the optional `goal` query parameter: ``` GET https://docs.nexus.xyz/exchange/introduction.md?ask=&goal= ``` `ask` is the immediate question: it should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. `goal` is optional and describes the broader end goal you are ultimately trying to accomplish on behalf of the user. GitBook uses it to tailor the answer towards what is most useful for that goal. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.