Sai Launches Perps Platform Combining CEX Speed with Onchain Settlement

February 18th, 2026 – Panama City, Republic of Panama

Sai today launched Sai Perps, a perpetuals trading platform built to be as fast and intuitive as a centralized exchange with the transparency and self-custody of onchain settlement.

The platform features gasless transactions, removing friction for traders while maintaining full onchain security.

Sai also unveiled Let’s Go Saicho, a one-month onchain trading competition running February 18 through March 19, 2026, with $25,000 in total prizes. The campaign is structured in two phases designed to reward both performance and participation: a PNL competition for profitable traders, followed by a first-come, first-serve “Be Early” phase for traders who engage early and hit a minimum volume threshold.

“Onchain markets shouldn’t require traders to compromise between speed and self-custody,” said Matthias Darblade, a Sai contributor. “Sai Perps is designed for active traders who want a clean, CEX-like experience, while still getting the transparency and settlement guarantees that only onchain infrastructure can provide.”

Why Sai vs. Other Perps DEXs

Sai Perps is built around the premise: trading should be accessible without the usual friction of onchain perps. Compared to existing perpDEXs, Sai stands out in many ways:

CEX-like UX, onchain settlement: A streamlined trading experience designed to be fast and familiar, with trades settling onchain for transparency and verifiability.
Infrastructure built for deep, smooth markets: Sai has focused heavily on liquidity, risk systems, and oracle design to support more consistent execution and robust market integrity.
Accessible to both new and experienced traders: A platform experience optimized for speed and clarity, without sacrificing advanced trading capability.
Roadmap beyond crypto perps: Sai’s planned expansion includes stocks, commodities, and FX markets, plus user-focused capital efficiency features like Sai Savings (yield on deposits), and cross-chain deposits.

Let’s Go Saicho: $25,000 Trading Competition (Feb 18 – Mar 19, 2026)

Let’s Go Saicho is a one-month competition rewarding trading on Sai across two two-week phases:

Phase 1 (Feb 18 – Mar 4): PNL Competition | $20,000 prize pool, 50 winners
Phase 2 (Mar 5 – Mar 19): Be Early (First Come First Serve) | $5,000 prize pool, 50 winners

All markets listed on Sai are eligible in both phases. Traders may go long or short on any listed pair using supported collateral (e.g., USDC and other supported assets such as stNIBI, as available on Sai). For more details on Sai’s Trading Competition, visit here.

About Sai

Sai is a new perpetuals trading platform designed to feel as easy and fast as a centralized exchange, while still settling fully onchain. Sai’s mission is to make advanced trading accessible without sacrificing transparency or self-custody.

Sai is focused on finalizing its core trading infrastructure and user experience, building liquidity and risk systems for smoother execution, and laying groundwork for yield features that help users earn on idle collateral. Next on the roadmap: expanded markets (stocks, commodities, FX), Sai Savings, cross-chain deposits, and smart accounts for gasless trading.