Infinex: Bridging Usability Gaps in DeFi

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Decentralized exchanges (DEXs) are changing how users access crypto by emphasizing self-custody, transparency, and permissionless trading. However, decentralized (DeFi) adoption still trails behind centralized platforms like Binance and Coinbase, largely due to user experience challenges.

DeFi has made progress in infrastructure, including Layer 2 scaling and faster execution. But the user interface and experience still create barriers. For many users, setting up wallets, managing seed phrases, and dealing with unpredictable gas fees is overwhelming.

Centralized exchanges, on the other hand, offer smoother, more familiar experiences that feel closer to mainstream applications. This convenience often outweighs the benefits of decentralization for most users.

Infinex aims to address this gap. The platform focuses on combining user-friendly features with the transparency and control of DeFi. Features like Infinex Accounts simplify access to protocols, while the use of passkeys and gas abstraction aims to remove common points of confusion.

The broader goal is to make DeFi more approachable for everyday users, allowing them to participate without needing deep technical knowledge.

This report explores how Infinex is approaching that problem. By removing technical friction around onboarding, wallet setup, and transaction fees, Infinex aims to make decentralized trading more accessible without compromising on core DeFi principles.

Key Takeaways

• Bridging CeFi and DeFi: Infinex is designed to offer a user experience similar to centralized exchanges while maintaining self-custody, permissionless access, and transparency, key pillars of DeFi.

• Simplified Access: With Infinex Accounts, passkeys, and gas abstraction, users can interact with multiple chains and DeFi services without needing to manage wallets, seed phrases, or gas fees.

• Multi-Chain Reach: Infinex supports Ethereum, Solana, Optimism, Base, Arbitrum, and more, aggregating liquidity and services into a single platform.

• Incentive Alignment: Yaprun, the platform’s attention and referral campaign, rewards high-quality content and genuine usage with µPatrons, adding a performance-based layer to community growth.

• Strong Backing: Infinex secured $67.7M through its Patron NFT sale, with support from major backers like Founders Fund, showing investor confidence despite a wider NFT market downturn.

Infinex Team

Kain Warwick is the founder of Infinex and Synthetix. He is also a partner at Bodhi Ventures Before entering crypto, he worked across IT roles, launched a live auction platform, and founded a music retail business. 

• He entered the crypto space in 2014 and later created Havven, a stablecoin project that evolved into Synthetix. 

• Warwick’s work played a key role in the rise of DeFi. 

• After stepping back from Synthetix leadership, he launched Infinex, a non-custodial platform aiming to unify fragmented crypto services into a single user-friendly app.

What is Infinex

Infinex is a non-custodial platform designed to simplify how users interact with decentralized finance (DeFi). It offers access to various on-chain services—such as trading, lending, staking, and asset management—through a single account system that removes many of the technical barriers typically associated with DeFi platforms.

Rather than requiring users to manage wallets manually or pay gas fees directly, Infinex introduces account-based logins, passkey-secured authentication, and a gas abstraction model that eliminates transaction fees. These features are intended to reduce friction for users, especially those transitioning from centralized exchanges, and make the overall experience more intuitive.

Infinex is built to operate across multiple blockchains. It currently supports a growing number of EVM-compatible networks and has integrated Solana as its first non-EVM chain. This cross-chain functionality allows users to access a wider range of DeFi protocols and assets without having to move between platforms or juggle multiple wallets.

As of the latest data, Infinex’s total value locked (TVL) is distributed across several blockchains, with the majority concentrated on Ethereum:

• Ethereum: $585.3M

• Solana: $9.2M

• Optimism: $9.2M

• Base: $6.2M

• Arbitrum: $5.0M

• BNB Chain: $2.0M

• Polygon: $1.2M

• Sonic, Unichain, Berachain, and Blast: Collectively under $500K

Core Products and Services

Custody Solutions

Infinex allows users to store assets without giving up control. The platform uses passkey-based login, smart accounts, and services like Turnkey to support custody across different blockchains. Planned integrations, such as NEAR signatures, may eventually offer broader support for networks like Bitcoin and Litecoin.

Spot Trading and Swaps

The platform supports token swaps across six blockchain networks, connecting to existing liquidity protocols. On EVM-compatible chains, Infinex integrates with Curve Finance, and support for Solana's Jupiter Exchange is planned. The aim is to provide users with familiar swap functionality across chains.

Margin Trading

Infinex offers a borrowing feature where users can lock volatile assets and receive stablecoins. This setup supports leveraged trading while keeping assets on-chain. The service relies on connected protocols to manage risk and facilitate borrowing.

Lending Protocols

Lending on Infinex is supported through external protocols. Initial options include Aave on EVM chains, with others like Morpho and Ammalgam under consideration. On Solana, Kamino is expected to be among the first supported lenders.

Perpetual Futures (Perps)

Infinex gives users access to decentralized perpetual futures trading through integrations with protocols like Synthetix and Drift. These products allow for on-chain leveraged trades without expiry.

Options Trading

Options functionality is under development, with Derive expected to be the first supported protocol. The goal is to bring more structured trading tools to users who want on-chain exposure to options.

Staking Services

Infinex supports staking via existing liquid staking tokens like wstETH and jitoSOL. Plans include direct integration with staking protocols to allow native staking of assets like ETH and SOL.

NFT Integration

NFT features are being built through an upcoming integration with Blur. Users will be able to manage and trade NFTs within the platform alongside other DeFi tools.

Launchpads

Infinex is working on a launchpad feature aimed at giving users access to new token projects. The structure is similar to centralized exchange offerings but is built on-chain.

Yield Farming

The platform offers access to yield opportunities by connecting users with reward programs from various protocols. These options are intended for users interested in passive income through liquidity provision or staking.

How Infinex Works

Infinex is designed to simplify access to decentralized finance while letting users keep full control of their assets. It works as a non-custodial platform that removes many of the technical barriers typically found in DeFi.

At the core is the Infinex Account, which gives users a single point of access to multiple DeFi services. Instead of using seed phrases, Infinex relies on passkeys, secure login credentials stored on the user’s device and unlocked via biometrics or passwords. This reduces the risk of phishing and makes wallet recovery easier.

Infinex connects to several blockchains, including Ethereum, Arbitrum, Optimism, Base, and Solana. From one interface, users can trade, lend, borrow, and stake across these networks. Liquidity is sourced through integrations with protocols like Curve and Jupiter.

The platform also abstracts gas fees, meaning users don’t need to manage or pay for network fees directly. This feature removes one of the most common points of confusion for people new to DeFi.

On the backend, Infinex is modular. Each product or integration can be updated independently, allowing the platform to grow without major disruptions. This design also supports fast integration of new protocols as the ecosystem evolves.

Security is handled through a mix of device-stored passkeys and multi-party computation, with fallback options like social login or recovery devices. This setup balances ease of use with user custody.

Roadmap

Infinex structures its roadmap into themed "seasons," each building on the last to expand functionality and improve user experience.

Season 01: Pre-launch (April 2024)

Focused on research, governance setup, and foundational architecture. The team spent nearly a year in semi-stealth mode to finalize platform and security design.

Season 02: Launch Season (May–Sept 2024)

Introduced the platform to early users through campaigns like Speedrun the Waitlist, Craterun, and the Patron NFT Sale. Initial onchain integrations also rolled out during this phase.

Season 03: Integration Season (From Oct 2024)

Currently active, this phase prioritizes rolling out full trading and asset management tools, including support for BTC, ETH, LTC, XRP, and more. Features include swaps, airdrops, spot and margin trading, perps, options, NFTs, staking, lending, and a launchpad.

Season 04: Growth Season (2025)

Aims to position Infinex as a go-to onchain platform for new users, with a focus on scaling access and proving the advantages of DeFi over centralized exchanges.

Points, Rewards & Airdrop Program

Yaprun is a performance-based attention and referral campaign designed by Infinex in collaboration with Kaito. Unlike typical campaigns, Yaprun uses Kaito’s mindshare data and Infinex’s user scoring system to reward high-quality content, real user engagement, and platform usage. It discourages bots and low-effort activity.

Key Details:

• Reward Pool: Over $6M in Micro Patrons (µPatrons), equal to 1% of Patron NFT supply, distributed across four seasons.

• µPatrons: Non-transferable rewards indexed to the Patron NFT floor price (1 µPatron = 1/1,000,000 of a Patron NFT).

Seasons and Allocations:

• Season 0 (Feb–May 2025): $600K distributed to top 500 Yaprunners.

• Season 1 (Started May 15, 2025): $900K in rewards available.

• Season 2 and 3: Rewards increase to $1.5M and $1.8M respectively.

• Kaito Community: Receives 20% of the total Yaprun pool, starting with an airdrop in Season 1.

How to Participate:

1. Yap about Infinex: Post quality content on X after connecting your account.

2. Refer real users: Available to Patrons and top 500 from Season 0.

3. Do both to maximize score and µPatron rewards.

Scoring:

• Weekly leaderboard ranks are based on:
  

  • Kaito attention metrics (smart followers, engagement)

  • Infinex usage data

  • Manual review to filter bots
    

• Higher final rank = more µPatrons at the end of the season.

Funding

Infinex raised $67.7M from the sale of its Patron NFTs within six weeks, with backing from major investors including Peter Thiel’s Founders Fund, Solana Ventures, and Wormhole.

Final Thoughts

Infinex is taking a structured approach to solving one of DeFi’s biggest challenges: usability. Instead of pushing users to adapt to complex interfaces and workflows, it adapts DeFi to fit user habits shaped by centralized platforms. Whether this balance of UX and decentralization holds long-term will depend on execution, but the direction is clear: make DeFi feel less foreign without losing what makes it different.

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Disclaimer: All the information presented in this publication and its affiliates is strictly for educational purposes only. It should not be construed or taken as financial, legal, investment, or any other form of advice.