[ The Secrets of CEXs and @Aptos's Decibel ]
CEXs handle a lot of transactions.
However, because they are centralized, there are things we do not know.
1. Opacity
We can only see prices and order books on CEXs.
Therefore, we cannot know how they are matched.
Decibel executes all orders completely on-chain and
is publicly available, so anyone can verify it.
2. Liquidity
CEXs isolate liquidity,
while DeFi distributes liquidity.
Decibel aims for liquidity efficiency with a single engine, a single account, and a single liquidity pool.
3. Speed
CEXs are fast but not on-chain.
DeFi is slow but on-chain.
Decibel, built on Aptos, offers CEX-level speed with a block time of under 125ms and fees below one cent, while also being on-chain.
With these features, Decibel aims to eliminate noise.
Moreover,
Decibel is not just a fast trading engine.
Aptos is sufficiently fast with Block-STM parallel processing, and it envisions future connections to TradFi, including ETF, PIPE, and RWA.
Ultimately, Decibel is developing an exchange that not only reduces noise but also guarantees on-chain speed + integrated liquidity + TradFi scalability.
Secrets CEXs Won’t Tell You
(and How Decibel Fixes It)
1. Your trades aren’t as transparent as you think.
On a CEX, you see prices and order books. What you don’t see is how your order is actually executed. Matching happens offchain, in a black box.
Is there a way to independently verify whether you got the best execution or not? NO.
The Fix: Every order on Decibel is executed fully onchain. Matching, settlement, and routing are transparent and verifiable by anyone. Proof is 100% public, not hidden.
2. Liquidity looks deep, but it’s fragmented.
CEXs compete by siloing liquidity. Even within DeFi, liquidity is split across dozens of venues, forcing traders to spread capital or settle for poor execution.
The Fix: A unified execution engine. One account, one pool of liquidity, across markets. No fragmentation. No capital spread thin.
3. Speed comes at the cost of decentralization.
CEXs deliver fast trades because they cut corners on-chain. In DeFi, most DEXs offer transparency, but speed and cost suffer. It’s 2025 and traders are still being forced to choose either speed or transparency.
The Fix: Built on Aptos, Decibel delivers CEX-grade speed (sub-125ms blocks, sub-penny fees) without compromising on decentralization.
4. Your capital is idle.
On CEXs, your funds sit locked in their custody until you trade or withdraw. They decide how capital flows behind the scenes.
The Fix: Your capital stays in your control. Fully onchain accounts mean you trade loud, without giving up custody or composability.
5. The system is designed to keep you dependent.
Every CEX is a walled garden. You trade inside their system, by their rules. If they go down, get hacked, or freeze withdrawals, you’re stuck.
The Fix: Composable by design, Decibel is not a walled garden, but a trading engine plugged directly into the Aptos ecosystem. Builders, protocols, and traders can integrate freely, sharing growth, not closed systems.
CEXs won’t tell you these truths because they thrive in opacity. But crypto was never meant to be opaque.
Decibel ends the noise:
- Fully onchain execution you can verify.
- Unified liquidity without fragmentation.
- Speed without compromise.
- Capital that stays in your control.
- A system built for composability, not captivity.
This is what trading should sound like.
This is.
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