what's Hotstuff?
Hotstuff is a purpose-built DeFi Layer 1 blockchain designed for on-chain trading, featuring a highly performant on-chain order book for spot, perpetuals, and options markets. It integrates a programmable finance routing layer where validators serve as last-mile gateways to global fiat rails, enabling seamless onboarding and gasless trading experiences. Powered by the custom DracoBFT consensus protocol, it achieves sub-second finality and ultra-fast execution while prioritizing deep liquidity and reliability. Architected as an "Uber-style" routing layer, Hotstuff connects on-chain DeFi with real-world financial access on demand, solving fragmentation in liquidity distribution and user access. Launched by Hotstuff Labs with backing from top VCs including Delphi Digital, Dialectic, and Stake Capital, its public testnet went live in late 2025, positioning it for high-throughput DeFi applications.
Hotstuff opens invite-only Liquidity Vault deposits.
Links
x.com/tradehotstuffLaunched Expeditions program in partnership with FLB.
Opens Liquidity Vault deposits via invite-only access.
Launched on January 26, 2026
Launched public testnet.
Featured in Eli5defi's "Project Spotlight - Final Edition 2025" as one of 9 handpicked projects to explore, described as a DeFi-native Layer 1 blockchain for programmable finance and high-performance on-chain trading backed by Delphi Ventures, Dialectic Group, and StakeCapital.
Core development team account @hotstuff_labs (391 followers) identified as the team behind the project, focused on accelerating financial infrastructure for the internet.