# Institutional DeFi with Levery [**Levery**](https://levery.org) is a **DEX-as-a-Service** solution that provides a full-stack infrastructure and **white-label** platform for **financial institutions** to launch their own decentralized exchanges in full regulatory compliance. In recent years, digital assets have gained prominence across global markets. **Stablecoins** now account for hundreds of billions of dollars in transaction volume, while regulators advance legal frameworks such as **MiCA** \[1\] in Europe and the **GENIUS Act** \[2\] in the United States. At the same time, central bank digital currency (CBDC) initiatives are accelerating the digitization of finance. **DeFi** has introduced undeniable advantages: real-time atomic settlement, on-chain auditability, disintermediation, and reduced operational costs**.** These benefits have transformed how individuals participate in digital finance. Yet, for banks, asset managers, and fintechs, a key dilemma remains: how to harness these benefits without compromising regulatory compliance, security, and governance. It is in this context that Levery was created, initially developed within Wireshape, Inc., a company specializing in blockchain solutions for regulated institutions. [Wireshape](https://wireshape.com) is recognized for its applications integrating digital assets into regulated environments and for its contributions to CBDC development. From this environment of innovation, Levery has evolved into an independent infrastructure dedicated to **institutional DeFi**. ## DeFi infrastructure designed for institutions Unlike open DeFi, designed for unrestricted participation, **Levery** enables only verified participants, through **KYC** and **KYB** processes, to access liquidity and transact. This ensures the same efficiency, transparency, and **atomic settlement** of DeFi, but with the robustness required by regulators and institutional investors. At its core, Levery consists of a **suite of smart contracts** built to address the **governance** and **compliance** requirements of financial institutions. This architecture has undergone a **security audit by Runtime Verification**, a Chicago-based firm globally recognized for applying rigorous mathematical methods to validate critical systems, including protocols such as **Ethereum**, **Uniswap**, **Lido**, and **Maker**. The process involved **formal verification** and **line-by-line** code review, ensuring that access controls, fee calculation mechanisms, and external dependencies operate with **precision** and **verifiability**. This level of scrutiny underscores Levery’s commitment to delivering a **secure,** transparent, and validated infrastructure for **regulated environments**. ## What Levery offers ![](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1756820830760/be5959f7-e325-4b3e-9390-b0929bd91dc6.png align="center") The infrastructure is built around a **permissioned AMM** mechanism, where every transaction is executed **on-chain** in accordance with deterministic **compliance** rules. Only **verified and approved wallets** can interact with **liquidity pools**. Institutions retain full control, defining through administrative roles who may provide liquidity or execute swaps. These permissions can be applied globally or tailored to individual pools, ensuring granular access control, stronger governance, and strict adherence to institutional policies. The **platform** is delivered as a **white-label** solution, enabling regulated entities to launch fully branded exchanges while maintaining complete **autonomy** over policies, permissions, and operational workflows. To support this, Levery provides a comprehensive **administrative console** for wallet management, real-time monitoring, and the configuration of compliance and risk parameters. **Liquidity** formation and management are designed with **regulatory alignment** in mind. Positions are represented by **non-transferable ERC-721 tokens**, permanently linked to **verified entities**. This approach simplifies reporting requirements and eliminates the possibility of unauthorized transfers. Integration with **market price oracles** enables dynamic fee adjustment, **protecting liquidity providers** while keeping **pricing competitive** for clients. For seamless integration with **banking and regulatory systems**, Levery exposes **secure, well-documented APIs** that connect the protocol to compliance engines, reporting frameworks, and client-facing channels. Finally, Levery adopts a **secure self-custody** model, ensuring that institutional clients retain direct control of their assets. **Hardware wallets** serve as the reference standard for private key custody, keeping keys permanently offline in tamper-resistant security chips. This architecture eliminates common attack vectors in hot wallets, such as malware, browser exploits, and credential leaks. For **financial institutions**, this model represents an **e**ssential layer of protection, substantially reducing counterparty risk and removing the need to assume the liabilities of third-party custody. ## The scale of the opportunity Despite already moving trillions of dollars in market value, the crypto economy still represents only a fraction of global potential. The [**World Economic Forum (WEF)**](https://www.weforum.org) estimates that more than **USD 867 trillion** in traditional assets, including derivatives, securities, and money-market instruments, could be transformed through **tokenization** \[3\]. This contrast shows that the true disruption is still ahead. For this capital to migrate securely to distributed ledgers, the existence of regulated, auditable, and **institutionally aligned infrastructures** is indispensable. This is the space that Levery occupies: enabling institutions to launch regulated platforms within weeks, reduce counterparty risks, ensure **compliance by design**, and unlock **new revenue streams** through **tokenized assets** and **stablecoins**. ## Global support and alliances Levery has received investment from the **Uniswap Foundation** through the **Security Fund (UFSF)**, with the support of **Areta**, a Berlin-based digital asset advisory firm. The project is also accelerated by the **Uniswap Foundation** in partnership with the **Atrium Academy**, in a program focused on applied research and DeFi ecosystem development. This collaboration embeds Levery within the **largest global DeFi ecosystem**, which sets best practices in AMM security, governance, and efficiency, while providing access to cutting-edge tools and infrastructure. In **Brazil**, Levery is financially supported by the **Federal Government** through the [**ILIADA**](https://observatorioblockchain.org.br/tecnologia-financeira-descentralizada) project, funded by the **Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation** (**MCTI**) and led by the **National Education and Research Network** (**RNP**). This initiative strengthens Levery’s ties with the **public and academic sectors** to advance trustworthy and robust DeFi solutions for the Brazilian institutional market. Levery was also selected as one of the **top ten fintechs** in the 2024 [**Santander**](https://www.santanderx.com) acceleration program**.** Levery is a certified partner of **Circle**, the financial technology company behind **USDC**, the world’s leading regulated stablecoin. In addition, it is part of the [**Progmat Digital Asset Co-Creation Consortium**](https://progmat.co.jp) (**DCC**) in Japan, which brings together banks, issuers, and technology providers to establish legal, operational, and technical standards for tokenized assets. ## The future of institutional on-chain finance ![](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1756820879474/c6cdb03a-68f8-4fee-b7fb-572130f4cb19.jpeg align="center") **Levery** envisions a future where financial institutions operate in a borderless global market, **instantaneous**, with real-time settlement; **secure**, with deterministic governance and robust self-custody models; **auditable**, with transparent records available to regulators and investors; and **regulated**, with compliance embedded directly into the protocol’s logic. Beyond enabling this transformation, Levery provides institutions with the opportunity to lead this evolution, setting **new standards of efficiency**, security, and trust in the **global financial ecosystem**. ## References 1. European Securities and Markets Authority. *Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA).* ESMA. Available at: [https://www.esma.europa.eu/esmas-activities/digital-finance-and-innovation/markets-crypto-assets-regulation-mica](https://www.esma.europa.eu/esmas-activities/digital-finance-and-innovation/markets-crypto-assets-regulation-mica). Accessed: 28 August 2025. 2. United States Congress. *S.394 – GENIUS Act of 2025.* 119th Congress, 2025–2026. Available at: [https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/394/text](https://www.esma.europa.eu/esmas-activities/digital-finance-and-innovation/markets-crypto-assets-regulation-mica). Accessed: 28 August 2025. 3. World Economic Forum. *Digital Assets and Distributed Ledger Technology: Shaping the Future of Financial Infrastructure.* Available at: [https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF\_Digital\_Assets\_Distributed\_Ledger\_Technology\_2021.pdf](https://www.esma.europa.eu/esmas-activities/digital-finance-and-innovation/markets-crypto-assets-regulation-mica). Accessed: 28 August 2025.