## What Is the dYdX Chain? The dYdX Chain is a proof-of-stake blockchain network built using the Cosmos SDK and leveraging CometBFT for consensus. The dYdX Chain features; Enhanced speed and finality of trades with over [2000 tp/s](https://twitter.com/dYdX/status/1730279215944085883), full decentralization of the orderbook and matching engine, fully [open sourced](https://dydx.exchange/blog/dydx-chain-open-source-code) from the protocol to front end and an enhanced reward systems for users and community members alike. Rewards on the dYdX Chain comprise; (a) Trading Rewards in DYDX, (b) Staking Rewards predominantly in USDC and (c) an initial 6 Month Launch Incentive Program 20M USD in DYDX, proposed by Chaos Labs and approved by the community. If you want to read more about the dYdX Chain reward mechanisms read this [blog](https://www.dydx.foundation/blog/understanding-rewards-and-fees-on-the-dydx-chain). As a PoS blockchain the dYdX Chain requires a layer 1 token to secure and govern the network. The dYdX community [voted](https://snapshot.org/#/dydxgov.eth/proposal/0x17026e18317dc29fe745d3130246a83b1485612da9c97e7261e8f659cf33663c) to adopt DYDX as the L1 protocol token for the dYdX Chain on September 2, 2023. Holders of the DYDX token can use their tokens to run a Validator or stake their tokens to a Validator in order to participate in securing and governing the dYdX Chain network. ## Who Are the Founders of dYdX? [Antonio Juliano](https://www.linkedin.com/in/antoniojuliano/) — an experienced programmer with a background in blockchain technology is the founder and CEO of dYdX. Antonio first entered the crypto space in 2015 as a software engineer at [Coinbase](https://coinmarketcap.com/ru/exchanges/coinbase-exchange/) — a cryptocurrency exchange platform. As a Princeton University graduate with a degree in computer science, Antonio embarked on his entrepreneurial journey and founded dYdX in early 2017. ## Where Is dYdX Located? The headquarters of dYdX Trading Inc are located in New York. The dYdX Foundation, responsible for launching the DYDX token, is headquartered in Zug, Switzerland. Users can access the exchange from all over the globe, except from the following countries: Cuba, North Korea, Iran, Iraq, Burma, Libya, Mali, Democratic Republic of Congo, Cote D’ivoire and Nicaragua, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Syria, Zimbabwe, United Kingdom, Canada and any country that is currently being sanctioned by the U.S. Accessible countries can be frequently updated, refer to the dYdX [blog](https://dydx.exchange/blog#) for updates. ## What Coins Are Supported on dYdX? There are currently 33 active markets on the dYdX Chain, some of the most popular current markets are; Ethereum, Bitcoin, Solana, Polygon, Avalanche and Chainlink. View active markets [here](https://dydx.trade/#/markets). ## How Much Are dYdX Chain Fees? dYdX Chain has a different fee structure to v3 of the platform. For a detailed understanding and analysis of the fee differences read this [blog](https://dydx.exchange/blog/v4-rewards-and-parameters) ## Is It Possible To Leverage or Margin Trade on dYdX? At the time of writing, traders can go long or short with 20X leverage on dYdX Chain active markets. ## Migration of DYDX to the dYdX Chain On June 22, 2022, dYdX Trading Inc.(“dYdX Trading”) announced the next iteration of the dYdX protocol - the dYdX Chain Open Source Software. The dYdX Chain is a proof-of-stake blockchain network and, as such, it requires a Layer 1 (“L1”) protocol token for staking to validators in order to secure the chain and for stakers of the L1 token to govern the network. The [wethDYDX Smart Contract](https://etherscan.io/address/0x46b2deae6eff3011008ea27ea36b7c27255ddfa9) enables the migration of ethDYDX from Ethereum to the dYdX Chain. When interacted with, the wethDYDX Smart Contract would carry out the following functions in a fully permissionless and automated manner: Receive and permanently lock the ethDYDX tokens sent by the user to the wethDYDX Smart Contract; Send a wrapped version of the Ethereum-based DYDX token (“wethDYDX”) to the user on a 1-1 proportional basis on Ethereum; and dYdX Chain Validators can also read and ingest the information in the wethDYDX Smart Contract such that corresponding DYDX can be distributed to users by Validators on the dYdX Chain once there is confirmation that Step 1 above is complete and the ethDYDX is permanently locked in the wethDYDX Smart Contract. More information about the migration of ethDYDX from Ethereum to dYdX Chain is available [here](http://docs.dydx.community/dydx-token-migration/start-here/introduction).