What is Solstice YieldVault?

Solstice is a YieldVault protocol bringing institutional-grade crypto yields to everyone, powered by USX, a synthetic stablecoin backed by leading stablecoins and secured through transparent, battle-tested strategies.

What makes Solstice YieldVault different from other DeFi protocols?

We combine the best of DeFi and TradFi: a yield-bearing synthetic stablecoin, a battle-tested institutional trading engine, and a public, permissioned design that brings transparency, scalability, and real returns, not just promises.

USX is a synthetic stablecoin minted 1:1 to USD via either USDT, USDC or other leading stablecoins. It earns yield when staked and is fully redeemable, designed for everyday use and institutional reliability.

Where does the yield come from?

Yield is generated through delta-neutral strategies like funding rate arbitrage and hedged stake trading — the same strategies used by top crypto hedge funds. No magic, no degen risk, just smart, risk-balanced returns.

What kind of returns can I expect?

Solstice’s Fund has been operating for over 24 months with an average yield of 15% over the last year. Your returns depend on current market conditions, but we focus on stable, transparent, and sustainable yield, not unsustainable short-term spikes.

Why doesn’t everyone do this?

Because building a safe, scalable yield engine with institutional-grade trading, risk management, and on-chain transparency isn’t easy. We’ve built this infrastructure so you don’t have to.

Is there a lock-up period?

Yes, when you unstake your eUSX, there’s a 7-day cooldown before you can access your USX. This ensures liquidity stability and aligns with how capital is managed across venues.

Can I use USX for payments or swaps?

Yes! USX is designed to function like any stablecoin, keep your eye on our roadmap for more on swaps, savings, payments, and yield. You can swap USX on leading DEXs or stake it in the Solstice YieldVault.

What is the minimum to get started?

There’s no minimum, you can mint and stake USX from any self-custody wallet with just a few dollars. For institutional flows requiring direct Mint and Redeem get in touch directly. Note: compliance checks will apply.

Is Solstice permissionless or permissioned?

We’re a public, permissioned protocol, anyone can use USX, but institutional access to minting / redeeming execution, OTC trading, and governance may require KYC depending on size and jurisdiction.

Who is Deus X and why does it matter?

Deus X is the institutional trading group backing Solstice’s strategies. With $1B+ in AUM, they manage yield generation using proven strategies across major exchanges, bringing real alpha into DeFi.

Do centralized exchanges profit from funding rates?

Yes, funding rates are paid between long and short traders — but Solstice captures these spreads by being on the right side of the trade through systematic execution across multiple venues.

How scalable is the strategy?

Very. Because we spread capital across multiple exchanges and trade liquid large-cap assets like BTC , ETH and SOL, the strategies scale smoothly. Solana’s speed and Solstice’s design enable efficient on-chain scaling too.

What’s the liquidity requirement for Solstice?

Our staking strategy requires a healthy balance of on-chain and off-chain liquidity. OTC and redemption buffers ensure that we can meet withdrawal demand, while minimizing capital drag.

Is there any leverage involved?

Yes, some strategies, but they are low risk. We use hedged staking, using only 2x leverage, but always in a delta-neutral structure to limit directional risk.

How do I mint or redeem USX?

Direct Minting and Redeem of USX is reserved for KYC’d institutional investors who deposit USDC or USDT into the Solstice YieldVault. Retail users can access USX permissionlessly via leading DEXs.

How is my data and wallet protected?

Solstice enforces industry-grade security with MFA, role-based access, rate-limiting, and continuous monitoring. You always retain custody of your wallet and assets unless you explicitly stake.

How does Solstice ensure transparency?

We publish audit trails, yield strategy performance, and wallet-level on-chain data. You can track mints, redemptions, and rewards, no hidden risk or invisible leverage.

Yes, smart contracts are undergoing audit from leading security firms. We also maintain continuous vulnerability scanning and will launch a public bug bounty program.

Where can I learn more?

You can dive deeper into the Solstice architecture, strategies, and mechanics in the GitBook or join our Telegram and Discord communities for updates and AMAs.

About Us - Democratizing DeFi Yield

Ben

Nadareski

Ben Nadareski is the CEO and Co-Founder of Solstice Labs, where he’s redefining how yield is generated in DeFi. Backed by Deus X Capital, Solstice Labs pioneers permissionless, institutional-grade strategies on Solana, making sophisticated trading approaches and sustainable yields accessible to everyone. Previously, Ben led the first crypto-derivative trades with global banks as Vice President of Global Trading at Galaxy Digital. He advanced strategic investments in digital assets as Director of M&A at SIX Digital Exchange, helped expand blockchain adoption across Asia with R3 by introducing decentralized tech to central banks and financial institutions, and developed on-chain OTC data networks while leading global business development at DrumG, a Consensys-backed startup. Ben has served as a guest lecturer at the Wharton School of Business on topics including crypto, DeFi and capital markets. Prior to his 2013 leap into web3, Ben worked on the Interest Rate and FX Derivatives trading desk at Société Générale. He comes from a scientific background as a published nuclear physics researcher with a degree in Physics, and still today, applies that same scientific rigour to his work in crypto.

CEO and Founder

Ben

Nadareski

Ben Nadareski is the CEO and Co-Founder of Solstice Labs, where he’s redefining how yield is generated in DeFi. Backed by Deus X Capital, Solstice Labs pioneers permissionless, institutional-grade strategies on Solana, making sophisticated trading approaches and sustainable yields accessible to everyone. Previously, Ben led the first crypto-derivative trades with global banks as Vice President of Global Trading at Galaxy Digital. He advanced strategic investments in digital assets as Director of M&A at SIX Digital Exchange, helped expand blockchain adoption across Asia with R3 by introducing decentralized tech to central banks and financial institutions, and developed on-chain OTC data networks while leading global business development at DrumG, a Consensys-backed startup. Ben has served as a guest lecturer at the Wharton School of Business on topics including crypto, DeFi and capital markets. Prior to his 2013 leap into web3, Ben worked on the Interest Rate and FX Derivatives trading desk at Société Générale. He comes from a scientific background as a published nuclear physics researcher with a degree in Physics, and still today, applies that same scientific rigour to his work in crypto.

Tim

Grant

Tim Grant is Chief Executive Officer of Deus X Capital, a family office-backed global investment and operating company. He is Chairman of AlphaLab40, a crypto market maker and portfolio company of Deus X, as well as Chairman of ApexE3, an institutional multi-asset big data analytics and AI platform. Prior to launching Deus X in October 2023, Tim served as Head of Europe, Middle East and Africa for Galaxy, a diversified financial services and investment management company in the digital asset, cryptocurrency, and blockchain technology sectors. Prior to joining Galaxy, Tim held chief executive titles and founded several companies across the financial technology space. Previous roles have included Chief Executive Officer of SIX Digital Exchange (SDX), the Switzerland-based regulated digital asset exchange of SIX Group; Founder and Chief Executive Officer of DrumG Technologies, a builder and operator of enterprise distributed ledger- and blockchain-based applications and networks; and, Chief Executive Officer of R3 Lab and Research Center. Before that, Tim was a Managing Director at UBS O’Connor, a $6.5bn multi-strategy hedge fund, and Managing Director at UBS Investment Bank. Tim earned a MA in Materials Science and Metallurgy from the University of Cambridge and a MSc in Financial Engineering from the Birkbeck College at the University of London.

Chairman

Tim

Grant

Tim Grant is Chief Executive Officer of Deus X Capital, a family office-backed global investment and operating company. He is Chairman of AlphaLab40, a crypto market maker and portfolio company of Deus X, as well as Chairman of ApexE3, an institutional multi-asset big data analytics and AI platform. Prior to launching Deus X in October 2023, Tim served as Head of Europe, Middle East and Africa for Galaxy, a diversified financial services and investment management company in the digital asset, cryptocurrency, and blockchain technology sectors. Prior to joining Galaxy, Tim held chief executive titles and founded several companies across the financial technology space. Previous roles have included Chief Executive Officer of SIX Digital Exchange (SDX), the Switzerland-based regulated digital asset exchange of SIX Group; Founder and Chief Executive Officer of DrumG Technologies, a builder and operator of enterprise distributed ledger- and blockchain-based applications and networks; and, Chief Executive Officer of R3 Lab and Research Center. Before that, Tim was a Managing Director at UBS O’Connor, a $6.5bn multi-strategy hedge fund, and Managing Director at UBS Investment Bank. Tim earned a MA in Materials Science and Metallurgy from the University of Cambridge and a MSc in Financial Engineering from the Birkbeck College at the University of London.

Marcus

Maute

With over 20 years of international experience, Marcus began his career at Accenture, delivering large-scale digital transformation programmes across multiple industries and geographies, with a particular focus on financial services. An early adopter of blockchain, he recognised its industrial potential well before it gained mainstream attention. Since 2015, he has launched startups and advised mid-sized enterprises on embedding agile methodologies, startup culture, and digital innovation into core operations. In 2018, he co-led a US–South Korean joint venture to establish a regulated digital securities exchange under the SEC’s ATS framework, while also contributing to the financing and development of data centre infrastructure. As Managing Partner at a Swiss asset manager, he pioneered the use of digital assets as underlying instruments for institutional-grade financial products. Most recently, Marcus served as President of Blockchain Markets at a private equity firm, where he spearheaded strategic blockchain initiatives across capital markets, focusing on blockchain infrastructure, institutional staking, and financial products.

Managing Director, Head of Solstice Staking AG

Marcus

Maute

With over 20 years of international experience, Marcus began his career at Accenture, delivering large-scale digital transformation programmes across multiple industries and geographies, with a particular focus on financial services. An early adopter of blockchain, he recognised its industrial potential well before it gained mainstream attention. Since 2015, he has launched startups and advised mid-sized enterprises on embedding agile methodologies, startup culture, and digital innovation into core operations. In 2018, he co-led a US–South Korean joint venture to establish a regulated digital securities exchange under the SEC’s ATS framework, while also contributing to the financing and development of data centre infrastructure. As Managing Partner at a Swiss asset manager, he pioneered the use of digital assets as underlying instruments for institutional-grade financial products. Most recently, Marcus served as President of Blockchain Markets at a private equity firm, where he spearheaded strategic blockchain initiatives across capital markets, focusing on blockchain infrastructure, institutional staking, and financial products.

Luis

Marques

Luis Marques is the CTO of Solstice Labs, a Lisbon-based startup pioneering institutional-grade DeFi products on Solana. With over 25 years of experience in software engineering and leadership roles across fintech, telecom, and blockchain, Luis brings deep technical and strategic expertise to the development of secure and scalable DeFi applications. Prior to Solstice Labs, as CEO and Founder of a blockchain-powered wine business, Luis built a fully decentralized eCommerce platform on Solana, including the development of novel on-chain loyalty systems. Luis previously served as Interim CTO at Lyca Money, where he led the overhaul of international remittance platforms, and as Head of Engineering for the Royal Horticultural Society, directing a team building a new mobile platform integrating a Flutter front end, Azure backend, and AI. He also held senior engineering roles at BlackRock, Refinitiv, Camelot, and Tesco Bank, where he delivered secure mobile applications and scalable API platforms. Luis began his career in professional services, working in the telecom and financial services sectors, before moving into consulting with Accenture. He holds an MSc in Computer Science from Instituto Superior Técnico (Lisbon's top engineering school), where he was awarded a Merit Distinction. A strong advocate for decentralization, digital sovereignty, and the integration of blockchain with real-world industries, Luis frequently shares technical insights on social media, covering smart contract development and full-stack blockchain DApp architecture.

Chief Technology Officer

Luis

Marques

Luis Marques is the CTO of Solstice Labs, a Lisbon-based startup pioneering institutional-grade DeFi products on Solana. With over 25 years of experience in software engineering and leadership roles across fintech, telecom, and blockchain, Luis brings deep technical and strategic expertise to the development of secure and scalable DeFi applications. Prior to Solstice Labs, as CEO and Founder of a blockchain-powered wine business, Luis built a fully decentralized eCommerce platform on Solana, including the development of novel on-chain loyalty systems. Luis previously served as Interim CTO at Lyca Money, where he led the overhaul of international remittance platforms, and as Head of Engineering for the Royal Horticultural Society, directing a team building a new mobile platform integrating a Flutter front end, Azure backend, and AI. He also held senior engineering roles at BlackRock, Refinitiv, Camelot, and Tesco Bank, where he delivered secure mobile applications and scalable API platforms. Luis began his career in professional services, working in the telecom and financial services sectors, before moving into consulting with Accenture. He holds an MSc in Computer Science from Instituto Superior Técnico (Lisbon's top engineering school), where he was awarded a Merit Distinction. A strong advocate for decentralization, digital sovereignty, and the integration of blockchain with real-world industries, Luis frequently shares technical insights on social media, covering smart contract development and full-stack blockchain DApp architecture.

David

Plisek

David is the Chief Operating Officer of Solstice Labs, leading cross-functional operations supporting clients bringing institutional-grade financial infrastructure into the on-chain economy. David brings over 15 years of global experience across public and private sectors, with deep domain expertise in cybersecurity, digital finance, and frontier technologies. Prior to Solstice, he served as COO of Saltwater Games, a portfolio company of his own venture fund, Fairlight Ventures, which backs deeptech software-focused companies across cybersecurity, spacetech, blockchain, and AI. In the financial sector, David held senior cybersecurity leadership roles at National Australia Bank (NAB) and Standard Chartered Bank, where he developed emerging technology partnerships and led enterprise-wide tech risk strategy. As ASEAN Cyber Defence Lead at Accenture, he advised Fortune 500 and government clients on cyber resilience, incident response, and secure technology deployment at scale. David began his career in the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, where he completed diplomatic postings contributing to Australia's national interests in Asia and the Middle East. He holds a graduate and post-graduate degrees in Economics, Political Science and Computer Science from the University of Wollongong and Indiana, and extended education through the Private Equity/Venture Capital program at Columbia Business School in New York.

Chief Operating Officer

David

Plisek

David is the Chief Operating Officer of Solstice Labs, leading cross-functional operations supporting clients bringing institutional-grade financial infrastructure into the on-chain economy. David brings over 15 years of global experience across public and private sectors, with deep domain expertise in cybersecurity, digital finance, and frontier technologies. Prior to Solstice, he served as COO of Saltwater Games, a portfolio company of his own venture fund, Fairlight Ventures, which backs deeptech software-focused companies across cybersecurity, spacetech, blockchain, and AI. In the financial sector, David held senior cybersecurity leadership roles at National Australia Bank (NAB) and Standard Chartered Bank, where he developed emerging technology partnerships and led enterprise-wide tech risk strategy. As ASEAN Cyber Defence Lead at Accenture, he advised Fortune 500 and government clients on cyber resilience, incident response, and secure technology deployment at scale. David began his career in the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, where he completed diplomatic postings contributing to Australia's national interests in Asia and the Middle East. He holds a graduate and post-graduate degrees in Economics, Political Science and Computer Science from the University of Wollongong and Indiana, and extended education through the Private Equity/Venture Capital program at Columbia Business School in New York.

Chris

Abbott

Chris is the Chief Product Officer at Solstice Labs, where he leads product strategy and delivery across the entire Solstice ecosystem—driving user-centric experiences and powering the next billion in retail and institutional TVL into the on-chain economy. With nearly 20 years of experience at the intersection of technology, design, and business, Chris brings a unique blend of commercial creativity and technical depth to the frontier of DeFi. His career spans award-winning product innovation, hypergrowth startups, and enterprise-scale digital transformation. Before Solstice, Chris founded and exited multiple ventures across Web3 gaming, digital marketplaces, and DeFi infrastructure, including Saltwater Games and XR One, where he pioneered new models in immersive entertainment and blockchain utility. Earlier, he helped scale Deloitte Digital from a handful of employees to over 400 nationally, leading multi-million dollar transformations for Fortune 500 companies in product strategy, UX, and emerging tech. Chris’s product philosophy is grounded in first-principles thinking, matching customer desirability with delivery feasibility to unlock real-world utility at scale. He continues to advise startups and venture-backed boards across sectors, including AI, aerospace, financial services, and gaming. He holds a Bachelor of Design and an MBA from UWA and UCLA Anderson, and remains relentlessly focused on building meaningful, intuitive, and durable products that bring institutional-grade innovation to the everyday user.

Chief Product Officer

Chris

Abbott

Chris is the Chief Product Officer at Solstice Labs, where he leads product strategy and delivery across the entire Solstice ecosystem—driving user-centric experiences and powering the next billion in retail and institutional TVL into the on-chain economy. With nearly 20 years of experience at the intersection of technology, design, and business, Chris brings a unique blend of commercial creativity and technical depth to the frontier of DeFi. His career spans award-winning product innovation, hypergrowth startups, and enterprise-scale digital transformation. Before Solstice, Chris founded and exited multiple ventures across Web3 gaming, digital marketplaces, and DeFi infrastructure, including Saltwater Games and XR One, where he pioneered new models in immersive entertainment and blockchain utility. Earlier, he helped scale Deloitte Digital from a handful of employees to over 400 nationally, leading multi-million dollar transformations for Fortune 500 companies in product strategy, UX, and emerging tech. Chris’s product philosophy is grounded in first-principles thinking, matching customer desirability with delivery feasibility to unlock real-world utility at scale. He continues to advise startups and venture-backed boards across sectors, including AI, aerospace, financial services, and gaming. He holds a Bachelor of Design and an MBA from UWA and UCLA Anderson, and remains relentlessly focused on building meaningful, intuitive, and durable products that bring institutional-grade innovation to the everyday user.

BACKED AND READY TO ROLL.

Solstice operates across three integrated verticals:

One$ billion in assets