Decibel, an on-chain trading platform built on Aptos, today launched BTC-USDC and APT-USDC spot markets, marking its first foray beyond perpetual futures. This launch integrates spot holdings, perpetual contract trading, and collateral management within a single account, offering traders a broader suite of tools without the need to transfer assets across different platforms.
The launch follows the continued growth of on-chain spot trading. In June 2026, decentralized exchanges handled a spot trading volume of $195 billion, a 9.1% increase from the previous month. Over a longer timeframe, the share of decentralized spot trading volume relative to centralized exchange volume has grown from 6% in January 2021 to 21.2% by November 2025.
The addition of spot functionality expands what traders can do on the Decibel platform. Users can now hold BTC or APT, trade these assets directly, use eligible spot holdings as collateral, and hedge positions via perpetual contracts—all from the same account. This creates a more comprehensive portfolio management workflow. For example, a user wanting to maintain a long-term BTC position can manage short-term downside risk through a perpetual contract position while continuing to hold the underlying asset, without selling it or moving funds to another platform.
Brylee Whatley, Head of the Decibel Foundation, said: "Decibel started with perpetuals because that's where on-chain trading activity was concentrated. But a truly mature trading platform can't stop there. Traders want to be able to hold assets, trade around those positions, and manage risk without cobbling together multiple different platforms. Adding spot trading is an important step toward providing more markets and tools for traders in one place, while ensuring that activity remains fully on-chain."
Spot orders on Decibel are matched and settled on the Aptos mainnet, without an off-chain order book. The same on-chain infrastructure now supports both Decibel's spot and perpetual markets. The launch also expands how traders can utilize existing assets. Eligible spot holdings can be used as collateral, allowing BTC or APT funds to support other trading activities, no longer segregated from a trader's derivative positions.
Decibel also supports deposits via external wallets and supported exchange accounts using approved assets, allowing traders to bring assets directly from their existing holdings into the platform without starting from Aptos-native assets.
This launch includes:
- BTC-USDC and APT-USDC spot markets;
- Spot and perpetual contract trading via a single account;
- Eligible spot holdings usable as collateral;
- Fully on-chain order matching and settlement on the Aptos mainnet;
- Support for deposits via external wallets and exchange accounts;
- AMPs rewards for spot trading activity;
Decibel's cumulative trading volume recently surpassed $5 billion, with all trades matched and settled on-chain, demonstrating the platform's strength and growing user base. More spot markets will be rolled out in the future.
For more information, please visit app.decibel.trade.
About the Decibel Foundation
The Decibel Foundation is dedicated to advancing the Decibel Protocol, a decentralized, non-custodial trading engine designed for high-performance, full-spectrum trading services for perpetual and spot digital assets. The Foundation supports protocol development, governance, and ecosystem growth to drive the future of on-chain capital markets.
About Aptos
Aptos is a next-generation Layer 1 blockchain. With breakthrough technology, scalable infrastructure, and a focus on user safety, Aptos aims to power the next generation of financial systems, delivering exceptional high throughput and low latency capable of scaling to billions of users.
