The builders of Solana-based crypto derivatives exchange Ranger Protocol are also jumping on the AI bandwagon after raising $1.9 million from venture investors.
Ranger’s eponymous trading venue aggregates crypto-perps (the most popular investment contract in DeFi for trading tokens like SOL) from multiple protocols to ensure good trades for traders. Since launching in late December, it has facilitated $25 million in trades, a drop in the bucket of Solana’s overall perps landscape.
The protocol now plans to add new product lines that give clients access to AI-assisted trading strategies, co-founder Coby Lim told CoinDesk. A press release described vaults managed by AI agents that blend programmatic trading strategies with social media and data insights.
DeFAI (a portmanteau of DeFi and AI) has been gaining momentum for months as enthusiasts from both busy tech fields experiment with blending the two. AI agents can be configured to control their own crypto wallets, opening limitless possibilities.
“AI and DeFi are on a collision course,” said co-founder Fathur Rahman (commonly known as Fa2). “Automation, predictive modeling and intelligent execution will redefine trading. AI optimizes strategy, DeFi provides transparency, and together they unlock a new frontier of efficiency.”
Rahman said AI rollout is expected in “the coming quarters.”
Meanwhile, Rangers rangers are working to pull crypto-perps from two more protocols, Adrena and Drift, to add to their current base of contracts from Jupiter and Flash. Their effort is Ranger’s aggregation strategies that provide deeper liquidity to institutional traders than any other exchange ever could.
This is also what Rangers’ venture backers are counting on. Viktor Fischer of lead investor RockawayX called Ranger’s “smart order routing” a “critical step toward a vibrant Solana perpetuals market.”
Asymmetric, Big Brain Holdings, RISE Capital and Anagram joined RockawayX in the $1.9 million funding round, which closed in December at a $30 million valuation.
