Serum is a decentralised cryptocurrency exchange (DEX) and ecosystem that is built on the Solana blockchain. It aims to provide fast, low-cost, and secure trading experiences through its innovative infrastructure and technology. Leveraging Solana's high-performance blockchain, Serum offers features such as a decentralised central limit order book (CLOB) and cross-chain compatibility, facilitating efficient and flexible trading solutions.
Serum operates on the Solana blockchain, utilising a central limit order book (CLOB) model for conducting trades. This approach allows Serum to offer sub-second trading and settlement speeds along with ultra-low transaction costs. Smart contracts on Solana execute trades directly from the order book, ensuring decentralisation and security. Serum is designed to integrate cross-chain support, allowing interoperability with other blockchains like Ethereum, enhancing its liquidity infrastructure.
Serum supports a variety of use cases, including:
Serum was founded by Sam Bankman-Fried and the team from FTX exchange. After brainstorming, the team decided to create a DeFi protocol and opted to build a DEX on Solana due to its efficiency. The seminal whitepaper was released in July 2020, and shortly after, in August 2020, the Serum DEX was launched. Notable events in its history include the forking of Serum after an FTX hack in November 2022, aimed at securing the protocol. Since its inception, Serum has continued to evolve, integrating with projects across the Solana and Ethereum ecosystems and maintaining a strong presence in the DeFi and cryptocurrency landscape.