Rho Labs — is a decentralized market for interest rate derivatives, allowing users to efficiently manage capital within the cryptocurrency ecosystem. The project focuses on creating innovative solutions for trading staking rates, funding, and lending using Arbitrum blockchain technology. The company provides users with tools for risk hedging, trading, and earning fixed returns. With a non-custodial approach and a high level of transparency, Rho Labs offers safe and efficient solutions for professional and institutional traders.
- Overview of Rho Labs
- Products and Services
- Technological Foundation of Rho Labs
- Team and Investors
- Advantages and Prospects of Rho Labs
- Conclusion
Overview of Rho Labs
Founded in 2022, Rho Labs aims to create a decentralized market for interest rate derivatives, targeting both institutional and retail investors. The platform ensures safe and transparent trading of both crypto-specific interest rates, such as staking and funding, as well as traditional interest rates like SOFR.
In November 2023, the company successfully raised $2.2 million in a pre-seed funding round led by Speedinvest, with participation from Keyrock, Re7 Capital, Daedalus Collective, and Dmitry Tokarev, CEO of Copper.co. These investments were aimed at developing and launching Rho Protocol — a decentralized trading platform focused on the interest rate derivatives market.
In February 2025, Rho Labs completed its seed funding round, raising $4 million under the leadership of CoinFund, with participation from Auros, Flow Traders, and Speedinvest. These funds are intended to expand trading functionality, strengthen institutional partnerships, and promote the maturity of the crypto-financial market.
Products and Services
Rho Labs has developed Rho Protocol — a decentralized platform that allows users to trade interest rate derivatives. The primary goal of the platform is to create efficient mechanisms for managing interest rate risks and providing tools for generating stable returns. Unlike traditional financial markets, where such instruments are widely used, these mechanisms are only beginning to develop in the cryptocurrency industry.
The main products of Rho Protocol include:
- Funding rate futures — allow users to hedge risks associated with fluctuations in funding rates on centralized exchanges.
- Fixed staking rates — provide an opportunity to earn stable income from cryptocurrency staking.
These tools enable users to manage their capital more flexibly, minimize volatility risks, and plan trading strategies according to market conditions. Rho Protocol offers an intuitive interface and transparent trading conditions, making the interest rate market accessible even to those with no prior experience in derivatives trading. With integrations into major exchanges and the use of AMM technology, users can benefit from high liquidity and fair pricing.
Technological Foundation of Rho Labs
Rho Protocol is built on the Arbitrum blockchain, ensuring high transaction speeds and low fees, making the platform both accessible and efficient for users. The platform adopts a non-custodial approach, allowing users to maintain full control over their assets, ensuring a high level of security and transparency. The technical architecture of Rho Protocol includes the use of an automated market maker (AMM) and a virtual automated market maker (vAMM) model to provide liquidity and effective pricing. AMM automates the trading process, eliminating the need for traditional order books, while vAMM provides virtual liquidity, improving capital efficiency and reducing risks for market participants.
Key Technological Features of Rho Protocol:
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Blockchain | Arbitrum provides scalability and low transaction costs, making it an ideal platform for high-frequency trading and complex financial operations. |
| Automated Market Maker (AMM) | The use of AMM allows for the creation of liquidity pools where prices are determined algorithmically, ensuring continuous availability of trading pairs and reducing dependence on traditional order books. |
| Virtual Automated Market Maker (vAMM) | vAMM provides virtual liquidity, allowing traders to open positions without the need for real asset deposits, enhancing capital efficiency and reducing counterparty risks. |
This technological foundation enables Rho Protocol to provide users with reliable and efficient tools for trading interest rate derivatives, ensuring a high level of security and transparency.
Team and Investors
Rho Labs was founded in 2022 by Alex Rivkin, who previously held the position of Chief Product Officer at Copper.co. He has extensive experience in financial technologies and blockchain, which allowed him to create a platform for managing interest rates in the cryptocurrency space.
The project attracted the attention of venture investors from the start. In 2023, the company raised $2.2 million in a pre-seed funding round led by Speedinvest. In February 2025, Rho Labs completed another funding round, securing an additional $4 million from CoinFund, Flow Traders, Speedinvest, and Auros. These funds enabled the company to expand platform functionality, improve infrastructure, and strengthen partnerships.
Rho Labs focuses on institutional investors and professional traders, offering them decentralized tools for capital management. Funding from leading venture funds has accelerated project development, increased liquidity, and facilitated the integration of new products. In the future, the company plans to expand its partner network and introduce additional opportunities for users.
Advantages and Prospects of Rho Labs
Rho Labs offers innovative solutions for the interest rate market in cryptocurrencies, combining decentralized architecture, security, and transparency. The platform provides users with convenient tools for trading and risk management, making it a promising project in the DeFi sector.
Key Advantages of Rho Protocol:
- High capital efficiency — the virtual AMM reduces collateral requirements for positions.
- Transparency and security — transactions occur on the Arbitrum blockchain, minimizing manipulation risks.
- Flexible instruments — access to funding rate futures and fixed staking rates.
- No intermediaries — the non-custodial approach eliminates the need to trust third parties with assets.
- Low fees — leveraging Arbitrum reduces transaction costs, making the platform more accessible.
The growing popularity of cryptocurrency derivatives and the demand for effective interest rate management mechanisms create significant prospects for Rho Labs. In the future, the team plans to expand platform functionality, attract new users, and enhance integration with other blockchain ecosystems.
Conclusion
Rho Labs — is a promising project offering innovative solutions for managing interest rates in the cryptocurrency sector. The platform combines security, transparency, and high efficiency, providing users with tools for trading and risk hedging. With the support of major investors and the use of advanced technologies, Rho Labs has the potential to become a key player in the DeFi market. In the future, the project aims to expand functionality and integrate with new blockchain ecosystems.
