Cryptocurrency derivatives exchange Zoomex published its monthly on-chain report for September 2026, showing daily exchange volume ranging between $125 million and $680 million while verifiable reserves held within a $34 million to $38 million band. Founded in 2021 and serving over 3 million users across 35+ countries with 700+ trading pairs, the platform expanded its TradFi offerings and launched its Zoomex World Trading Championship 2026 (ZWTC 2026) with a 5 million USDT prize pool. This expansion unfolded alongside macro developments including the U.S. Senate's failure to pass the CLARITY Act and the Federal Reserve's first interest rate increase since 2023.
Volume Shifted to BTC as TradFi Zone Expanded
Daily trading volume on Zoomex hit its monthly low of $125 million on September 13 before climbing to a peak of $680 million on September 22. That peak equaled roughly two-thirds of the platform's $1.02 billion high recorded in August, contrasting with broader exchange trends where Upbit weekly trading volume drops 15.5% to 8.35 trillion won. BTC/USDT dominated volume at 53.5%, up from 43.4% in August, followed by ETH/USDT at 13.7% and USDC/USDT at 11.6%. SOL/USDT accounted for 3.9%, while HYPE/USDT and XRP/USDT registered 1.6% each, reflecting steady activity across assets as Hyperliquid tops analyst sentiment ranking over BTC and ETH. Exactly 100% of trading settled in USDT.
Product expansion focused heavily on equity and ETF derivatives. After crossing 50 Stock Perpetual contracts in late August, Zoomex added more than 30 US and global equities on September 8, highlighting TSLA and NVDA exposure on September 10. On September 18, it introduced ETF-linked perpetuals including SPYUSDT, QQQUSDT, IWMUSDT, XLFUSDT, XLKUSDT, and TQQQUSDT. A Zero-Fee TradFi event running from September 11 to October 11, 2026, offered a 100% rebate on trading fees up to 100 USDT per account.
Ethereum and XRPL Lead On-Chain Reserve Assets
Tracking from DefiLlama's CEX Transparency tool shows Zoomex reserves opened near $36 million, dipped to $33.8 million on September 10, peaked at $38 million on September 20, and closed the month at $37 million, with live reserves recorded at $34.9 million on October 13. These reserves exist alongside a separately funded $50 million insurance fund. Audited by Hacken, Zoomex maintains registrations as a Money Services Business (MSB) in the U.S. and Canada, with the U.S. NFA, and with Australia's AUSTRAC.
Ethereum remained the platform's top asset chain at $15.7 million (roughly 42% of reserves), while XRPL held second place at $6.9 million after peaking at $7.4 million on September 23. Tron balances dropped to $2.0 million on September 22 before rebounding to $4.0 million on September 30. Solana doubled its balance from $1.0 million to $2.0 million, Mantle reached $2.1 million, BSC ended at $1.5 million, Base held $1.45 million, and Arbitrum ended at $1.3 million. Bitcoin balances jumped from $0.8 million to $2.75 million on September 15.
Key Takeaways
- Peak Volume: Daily volume reached $680 million on September 22, led by BTC/USDT at 53.5% of all trading.
- Reserves Stability: Total on-chain assets hovered between $34 million and $38 million, backed by a $50 million insurance fund.
- Chain Composition: Ethereum ($15.7M) and XRPL ($6.9M) formed the majority of verifiable reserve balances.
- TradFi Integration: Added 30+ global stock contracts and ETF perpetuals alongside a 5 million USDT championship prize pool.
Why It Matters
Zoomex's decision to expand 24/7 ETF and stock perpetuals demonstrates how derivatives exchanges are blending traditional market access directly into crypto-collateralized environments. By maintaining stable on-chain proof-of-reserves throughout high-volatility macro shifts, derivative venues aim to build trust while competing for retail trader volume. Market participants should monitor whether TradFi perpetual volume continues to gain market share against core spot and crypto derivative pairs in late 2026.
