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About Optimex
Optimex was founded by Loi Luu, founder of Kyber Network, as a native DeFi layer for Bitcoin, aiming to break BTC's limitation of being "hold-only." The project employs non-custodial multisig vaults, an MPC settlement committee, and an RFQ quoting mechanism to enable on-chain trading without bridges or wrapped assets.
In 2025, Optimex launched BTC Swap and wrapping/unwrapping features, allowing users to trade and convert assets directly on the Bitcoin network, while lending and margin trading modules were under development. Subsequently, Optimex introduced its core product, Borrow, which enables users to borrow stablecoins against native BTC, safeguarding assets through cross-chain coordination and pre-signed transactions, and integrated with lending markets such as Morpho to offer floating and fixed-rate credit.
Additionally, Optimex completed smart contract audits by Offside Labs and Omniscia, covering vault and lending modules, laying the foundation for protocol security and long-term credibility. These milestones mark key steps in Bitcoin's evolution from a static store of value to a productive financial asset.
In the past six months, Optimex, as a Bitcoin DeFi layer, has achieved several key milestones. First, it officially launched native Bitcoin lending, allowing users to borrow stablecoins against BTC via multisig vaults without custody. Second, it integrated with Across Protocol to enable cross-chain BTC swaps, supporting networks like Arbitrum, Optimism, and Base, while ensuring BTC remains on the Bitcoin network throughout. Looking ahead, the official roadmap highlights expansion to more EVM networks, the launch of Optimex Earn for yield products, and the introduction of institutional-grade custody and compliance tools. The team, composed of former Visa and Kyber experts, aims for progressive decentralization and partnerships with lending protocols such as Morpho and Euler to enhance capital efficiency.
Loi Luu (Co-Founder & CEO): PhD from National University of Singapore, where he researched cryptocurrency, smart contract security, and distributed consensus algorithms. He created Oyente, the first open-source security analyzer for Ethereum smart contracts, and designed the first sharding protocol for public blockchains, which inspired Zilliqa. Previously led crypto research at Visa (Director of Digital Currency Research), and founded Kyber Network. Currently building Optimex, a Bitcoin-native DeFi platform.
Benjamin Ong (Co-Founder & COO): Holds a Bachelor of Science in Finance from Singapore University of Social Sciences and a Diploma in Business Information Technology from Ngee Ann Polytechnic. He served as COO at Akomba Labs and co-founded Skilltree. He is now leading operations at Optimex, focusing on bridging traditional finance with Bitcoin DeFi.