Cetus
also invests Β· investor profile2 known investors
Cetus is a decentralized exchange and DeFi protocol built on the Sui ecosystem, offering swap aggregation, permissionless concentrated liquidity (CLMM) pools, intent-based trading tools like DCA and limit orders, and a token launchpad. It serves crypto traders and new projects seeking liquidity and trading options on Sui.
Also known as Cetus Β· CETUS Β· Cetus Protocol Β· CetusProtocol
Investors Β· 2
Company profile
researched Aug 2026Cetus is a decentralized exchange (DEX) and concentrated liquidity protocol built on the Sui network, with a version also available for Aptos. Its stated aim is to build an underlying liquidity network that simplifies trading for a wide range of users and assets, focusing on trading experience and liquidity efficiency through a concentrated liquidity market maker (CLMM) design plus a set of interoperable functional modules.
The product set spans four main areas: a swap aggregator that routes across liquidity sources within the Sui ecosystem; permissionless liquidity pools with multiple fee tiers, including range-based liquidity provision, an automated Cetus Vault for position management, and liquidity mining/farming incentive modules; intent-based trading tools comprising dollar-cost averaging (DCA) and limit orders; and an asset launch/launchpad function for new projects entering the Sui ecosystem. Documentation additionally describes a DLMM product with dynamic fees and LP strategies, xCETUS staking, and a Cetus Margin feature. Cetus also positions itself as offering "Liquidity As A Service," with developer documentation, GitHub repositories and a terminal demo for integrators, and runs a non-profit incubator that provides grant funding and technical, operational and business support to projects in the Sui ecosystem.
Business model
Cetus operates an on-chain trading protocol whose core smart contracts are permissionless and open source, allowing other users and applications to build on top of them. It uses a dual-token system in which CETUS and xCETUS distribute protocol earnings to active users, and offers liquidity infrastructure to third-party developers and applications as an integration service.
Pool trading uses multiple fee tiers, and protocol earnings are channelled back to users through the CETUS/xCETUS dual-token system.
Traction
The company's site reports cumulative figures of $103 billion in trade volume, 18 million accounts and 214 million all-time trades. The CETUS token is publicly traded and tracked by market-data providers, with a one-year range cited between $0.0143 and $0.1019 and a five-year high of $0.49.
Latest developments
Documentation now covers a DLMM product with dynamic fees and LP strategies alongside the original CLMM, plus xCETUS staking and a Cetus Margin feature.
βΈFull profile β market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, risks & controversies
Market position
Cetus describes itself as a pioneer DEX and concentrated liquidity protocol on Sui and Aptos and as a leading decentralized exchange; third-party descriptions repeat this positioning. It is categorised on security-platform listings as a dApp/DEX within the Sui ecosystem.
Cetus emphasises permissionless design across its tools, allowing any user or application to create pools or reuse its protocols; a security posture based on open-source, audited smart contracts backed by a public bug bounty program; and a dual-token reward system intended to make user incentives sustainable from protocol earnings.
Technology
The protocol is built on the Sui blockchain, with an Aptos version also offered. Its core is a CLMM-based DEX allowing liquidity provision within specified price ranges for capital efficiency, complemented by a DLMM design with dynamic fees, automated vaults, liquidity mining modules, a swap aggregator across Sui liquidity sources, and intent-based order types (DCA and limit orders). The CETUS coin is deployed as a Sui mainnet coin type. Smart contracts are open source and audited, and public SDK/documentation and GitHub resources are available to developers.
Go-to-market
Cetus distributes through its own web application and documentation portal, developer-facing SDK/GitHub resources and "Liquidity As A Service" integrations, an ecosystem program of partner projects and tools, a launchpad for new Sui tokens, and an incubator offering grants and support to Sui projects. Community channels include Twitter, Discord, Medium and a Telegram developer channel.
On-chain traders and liquidity providers in the Sui (and Aptos) ecosystems, new token projects seeking a launch venue and liquidity, and developers or applications integrating liquidity into their own products.
Geography
Cetus operates as an online protocol without a stated physical location; contact is via email (hello@cetus.zone) and social channels, and the product is accessible through web applications at cetus.zone and app.cetus.zone.
Risks & controversies
As an on-chain trading protocol, Cetus is exposed to smart-contract and web-application security risk; it maintains a bug bounty program covering app.cetus.zone and its subdomains with rewards up to $10,000 per critical finding, and the token's price history shows wide swings, ranging from $0.0143 to $0.49 over five years.
Compiled by commissioned research from 14 cited public sources β announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed β not independently audited.
Timeline Β· 7
launches, deals, and filingsCetus detected an incident and temporarily paused its smart contracts. Lookonchain reported over $260 million drained; Cetus later put the loss at approximately $223 million, of which $162 million was paused, and said it was working with the Sui Foundation on recovery. CETUS fell over 24% to $0.15 and protocol TVL dropped by more than $200 million to about $75 million.
$223M source β
Cetus integrated Coinbase Onramp, one of the few fiat onramps supporting SUI, into its DEX web app so users can buy crypto with a payment method and begin trading without leaving the interface.
OKX Ventures, the investment arm of crypto exchange OKX, announced an investment of undisclosed size in Cetus Protocol, citing Cetus as the first UniV3-like AMM liquidity protocol in the Move ecosystem.
Cetus closed a seed funding round of undisclosed size; investors named in connection with the project include KuCoin Ventures, Coin98 Ventures, OKX Blockdream Ventures, Animoca Brands, Jump Crypto, NGC Ventures and IDG Capital.
Cetus released the beta version of its concentrated liquidity market maker on Aptos mainnet and completed smart contract audits with OtterSec and MoveBit.
Cetus went live in October 2022 on Aptos, and launched on the Sui testnet the following month.
Cetus won first prize in the first round of the Aptos Grant DAO, among milestones achieved through Q4 2022 and early Q1 2023.
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
βΈResearch sources Β· 14
primary sources listed
- Cetuscetus.zone Β· web
- Cetus Protocol Pricekucoin.com Β· web
14 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Cetus do?
- Cetus is a decentralized exchange and concentrated liquidity protocol on Sui, offering swaps, liquidity pools, order tools and token launches.
- Who are Cetus's investors?
- Cetus's investors include Leland Ventures, KuCoin Labs.