The Solana Foundation has rolled out a new program to support fully onchain perpetual futures and derivatives. The initiative bundles funding, technology, and infrastructure, aiming to spur development of these complex trading products directly on the Solana blockchain.
What the program provides
Backing includes financial grants, technical resources, and infrastructure support. The foundation says the goal is to lower barriers for builders working on onchain derivatives, a sector that remains a small but growing part of decentralized finance. No specific funding amounts or timelines were disclosed.
Why onchain derivatives
Perpetual futures let traders bet on price moves without an expiration date. Moving the entire order book and settlement onto a blockchain — rather than relying on offchain components — is technically demanding. Solana’s throughput and low fees make it one of the few chains where fully onchain derivatives are feasible, and the foundation is betting that dedicated support will attract more projects to the ecosystem.
Competing in a crowded field
Other blockchains like Ethereum and Arbitrum already host major perpetuals protocols. Solana’s move signals a push to catch up in the derivatives race, though the foundation has not named specific partners or projects that will receive backing. The initiative is open to developers — the foundation said it will evaluate applications based on technical merit and alignment with the network’s goals.
The program adds to a series of recent efforts by the Solana Foundation to strengthen its DeFi infrastructure, following earlier grants for lending and spot trading protocols. Whether it can turn that support into a lasting derivatives market will depend on the quality of projects that emerge.
