Cetus Protocol is a decentralised exchange (DEX) and concentrated liquidity protocol operating on the Sui and Aptos blockchains. It provides foundational liquidity infrastructure for these ecosystems, enabling efficient, capital-optimised trading. CETUS is the native utility token, with a staked governance counterpart called xCETUS used for voting, boosted rewards, and launchpad participation.
Cetus offers features like a Concentrated Liquidity Market Maker (CLMM), a Super Aggregator for swap routing, automated vault strategies, intent-based order types (e.g., DCA and limit orders), and a launchpad for new token projects. Its goal is to serve both traders and builders with flexible, permissionless, and composable liquidity tools.
Cetus operates through smart contracts deployed on the Sui and Aptos blockchains—both high-speed, low-latency Layer 1 networks that use Proof-of-Stake (PoS) consensus mechanisms. While Cetus does not manage its own consensus, it benefits from the finality and scalability of these chains.
The protocol is open-source and permissionless, encouraging DeFi composability and ecosystem integration. Governance is driven by xCETUS, a non-transferable token earned through staking CETUS, used to vote on upgrades, fees, and reward allocations.
Cetus is deeply integrated within the Sui and Aptos DeFi ecosystems and listed on platforms like CoinGecko and DeFiLlama.
Cetus launched as one of the first CLMM-based DEXs on Sui and Aptos, positioning itself as a foundational liquidity layer for these emerging Layer 1 networks. The project prioritised efficient on-chain trading and composability, rather than central branding around a public founder.
The protocol has evolved incrementally, adding features and refining tokenomics rather than undergoing major forks. xCETUS utilities have expanded to support governance, farm boosting, and launchpad access.
Cetus is now a core DEX and liquidity provider within the Sui ecosystem, with a growing presence in Aptos-based DeFi. Its smart contract architecture and token design continue to evolve alongside community governance and ecosystem growth.