Automated market makers (AMMs) like Raydium (RAY) have played a significant role in advancing the decentralization of the crypto industry. Introducing decentralized exchanges (DEXs) was a crucial step. Still, they took time to become efficient, while centralized exchanges (CEXs) remained popular due to their lower costs and perceived safety.
The introduction and adoption of AMMs like Raydium (RAY) have addressed the liquidity issues that early DEXs faced, resulting in a better user experience.
What is Raydium?
Raydium is an AMM built on the Solana blockchain. It serves as a liquidity provider for the Serum DEX, following the popular Uniswap model. With a range of powerful features, Raydium contributes to the growth of DeFi on the Solana network. The platform facilitates trading, yield farming, liquidity pools and even operates a launchpad called AcceleRaytor.
The Raydium team
The Raydium team is led by the pseudonymous AlphaRay, who oversees the overall strategy, operations, product direction, and business development. With a background in algorithmic trading in commodities, AlphaRay brings valuable expertise to the project. XRay is the project's developer team leader and CTO, bringing eight years of experience in trading and low-latency systems architecture. GammaRay takes charge of marketing, communications, strategy, and product direction, utilizing their years of experience in data analytics and market research.
How does Raydium work?
Raydium works uniquely by providing on-chain liquidity to a central limit order book, setting it apart from most other AMMs. Funds deposited into Raydium are converted into limit orders and placed on Serum's order books. This innovative approach grants liquidity providers access to Serum's order flow.
RAY: Raydium’s native token
RAY is the native cryptocurrency of Raydium, introduced in February 2022. With a maximum supply of 555 million RAY tokens, the total supply is currently slightly under this figure at 554,999,824.19 RAY. As of June 2023, the circulating supply accounts for approximately 38.69 percent of the maximum supply, amounting to around 214.7 million RAY tokens.
RAY use cases
The primary use case of RAY, Raydium's native token, is governance. Holding RAY allows users to vote on important decisions concerning the project and submit their proposals for community consideration. Users can also stake the token to earn protocol fees and access IDO allocations. Like other cryptocurrencies, RAY is also tradable and can be used for trading and investment.
Distribution of RAY
The distribution of RAY is as follows:
- Thirty-four percent is awarded as block rewards for mining.
- Thirty percent is allocated for partnerships and ecosystem development.
- Twenty percent is held by the team.
- Eight percent is used to provide liquidity.
- Six percent is dedicated to the community pool.
- Two percent is given to advisors.
The future of Raydium
The future of Raydium looks promising and unique among AMMs. Its approach of using the DEX's central order book for liquidity sharing allows for faster trades. Additionally, Raydium offers attractive yield-farming opportunities and a native launchpad, making it a valuable asset in Solana's ecosystem. As more users rely on its features, the project's utility and sustainability are ensured, attracting long-term traders.
