LayerZero Launches ATLAS Exchange Engine, Ties Fees to ZRO Burns
LayerZero on Tuesday launched ATLAS, an exchange engine built on its Zero blockchain that handles matching, clearing, settlement and risk management for trading venues, according toThe Defiant. The product has no frontend or consumer-facing application of its own, and all user activity flows through third-party venues built on top of it.
The Defiant reported that the design shifts LayerZero’s role from moving assets across chains to operating the infrastructure underlying the venues where those assets trade. Venues that integrate ATLAS keep between 20% and 65% of the trading fee, with the exact share depending on how much ZRO they stake and how much trading volume they route through the system.
Of the remaining fee after the venue’s rebate, 25% goes to the creator of the market being traded and 75% is used to buy and burn ZRO, The Defiant said, citing LayerZero’s announcement. Rebate tiers require venues to stake ZRO, with the top tier requiring a stake equal to 1% of total ZRO supply. ATLAS charges a single all-in trading fee that already accounts for the venue’s economics, which LayerZero said eliminates incentives for sophisticated traders to bypass venues and trade directly against the underlying exchange.
The Defiant noted that ZRO traded at $1.29 as of 16:01 UTC, up 12.5% on the day and 63% over the past week, citing CoinGecko data. The token had bottomed at $1.06 hours before the announcement and has a market cap of $454 million on $170 million in 24-hour volume. ZRO hit an all-time low of $0.71 on July 31 and remains down about 83% from its December 2024 peak of $7.47.
The Defiant said the fee structure builds on LayerZero’s takeover of the Stargate bridge, approved by STG token holders in August 2025.
Based on reporting by thedefiant.io.
