Architect
Architect Financial Technologies operates AX Exchange, the American Innovation Exchange, and Architect Brokerage — a regulated multi-jurisdiction derivatives and brokerage group serving institutional clients with perpetual futures on traditional assets and AI compute, listed CFTC-regulated compute futures, and U.S. multi-asset electronic brokerage.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2023
- HeadquartersChicago, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Architect does
Architect Financial Technologies Inc. is a Chicago-headquartered, venture-backed private company founded in 2023 by former FTX US president Brett Harrison and Nate Clancy, that operates a multi-jurisdiction derivatives exchange group plus an integrated electronic brokerage for institutional and professional clients. The group is organized around three regulated venues. AX Exchange, operated by Bermuda-regulated affiliate Architect Bermuda Ltd. under Bermuda Monetary Authority dual licensure (Investment Business Act + Digital Asset Business Act), lists centrally cleared perpetual futures on six asset classes — compute, FX, equities, metals, energy and interest rates — with 23/7 continuous trading, cross-margined USD or USDC collateral, up to 25x leverage and sub-millisecond matching built in Rust/TypeScript on AWS eu-west-2 with Connamara Technologies' matching engine. The American Innovation Exchange (AI Exchange), a U.S. CFTC-regulated Designated Contract Market acquired via IMX Health LLC in May 2026 and still pending regulatory approval, extends the model onshore with listed futures and options on compute costs (GPUs across Nvidia H100/H200/B200/B300 and AMD MI300X), metals, energy and power, settling against IOSCO- and EU BMR-certified indexes from Compute Desk and Ornn Data. Architect Brokerage, operated through Architect Securities LLC (FINRA/SEC broker-dealer) and Architect Financial Derivatives LLC (NFA introducing broker), provides multi-asset electronic brokerage in U.S. equities, ETFs, options, and futures routed to CME, Cboe, Nasdaq, Coinbase Derivatives, NYSE and other venues, with REST/WebSocket/gRPC/FIX APIs and SDKs in Python, TypeScript and Rust.
The company makes money primarily through transaction fees: tiered maker-taker fees on AX (ranging from 0.05% maker / 0.10% taker at Tier 1 up to a -0.005% maker rebate / 0.00% taker for $100M+ volume and DMMs at Tier 4), a 0.15% settlement fee on AI Exchange cash-settled compute futures, brokerage commissions on equities, ETFs, options and futures, and revenue from institutional API access and execution algorithms (TWAP, VWAP, percent-of-volume, auto-spreader, market-making algos). Institutional pricing is offered on request with custom contracts. Customer segments are diversified across hedge funds, market makers, prop trading firms, asset managers, family offices, insurance/reinsurance companies, lenders/private credit and infrastructure capital providers, frontier AI model labs, hyperscalers, neoclouds, GPUaaS providers, datacenter operators, and (on the brokerage app) individual retail traders.
Architect has raised approximately $52M total across a $5M pre-seed (Jan 2023), $12M seed (Feb 2024) and $35M Series A (Dec 2025) at an ~$187M post-money valuation, with strategic participation from Miami International Holdings (NYSE: MIAX), Tioga Capital, Galaxy Ventures, ARK Invest, VanEck, Coinbase Ventures, Trumid, Geneva Trading, Strobe Ventures, CMT Digital and Third Kind Venture Capital. Operating geographies span Chicago HQ, NYC and Ho Chi Minh City engineering offices, a regulated Bermuda affiliate (Architect Bermuda Ltd.), and the U.S. operating subsidiaries. Disclosed operational scale as of early 2026 includes more than $1B in cumulative AX notional since launch, $92.4M NVDA-PERP open interest, 2.1M GPU-hours of open interest across 184 sellers on AI Exchange, and global institutional onboarding across 180+ countries with KYC/AML and accredited-investor verification.
Architect firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Architect
- Legal name
- Architect Financial Technologies Inc.
- Website
- https://architect.co
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2023
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Architect Financial Technologies operates AX Exchange, the American Innovation Exchange, and Architect Brokerage — a regulated multi-jurisdiction derivatives and brokerage group serving institutional clients with perpetual futures on traditional assets and AI compute, listed CFTC-regulated compute futures, and U.S. multi-asset electronic brokerage.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Architect industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Derivatives Exchange and Brokerage
- NAICS
- Securities and Commodity Exchanges (52321), Securities and Commodity Contracts Intermediation and Brokerage (5231)
- SIC
- Security & Commodity Brokers, Dealers, Exchanges & Services (6200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Crypto Derivatives Exchanges (Futures, Options & Perpetuals) (FSADAAAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Listed Derivatives Execution Platforms (Futures/Options) (FSAFANAD), Options (Vanilla) — Venues, Market Makers & Protocols (FSADAGAC)
Keywords
Where Architect is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Chicago
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices4 records
Markets served
Architect business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- AX Exchange Trading Fees (Maker-Taker): Tiered maker-taker fee model on AX perpetual futures exchange based on rolling 30-day trading volume across four tiers. Tier 4 ($100M+ volume or Designated Market Maker) charges -0.005% maker / 0.00% taker. All new users start at Tier 4 for a limited time. Volume-based, recurring/transaction-driven revenue.
- AI Exchange Compute Futures Trading Fees: Trading fees on the U.S. AI Exchange (American Innovation Exchange), including a 0.15% settlement fee on cash-settled compute futures, plus maker-taker fees on listed futures and options across GPUs, metals, energy and power. Transaction-based.
- Brokerage Commissions (Equities, Options, Futures): Brokerage services offered through Architect Securities LLC (FINRA-registered broker-dealer, SEC-registered) for U.S. equities, ETFs, equity/ETF options, and futures & options-on-futures routed to CME, Cboe, Nasdaq, Coinbase Derivatives, NYSE and other venues. Clearing via RQD* Clearing LLC. Per-trade / commission-based.
- API and Algorithmic Execution Services: Institutional API access (REST, WebSocket, gRPC, FIX 4.4) plus built-in execution algorithms (TWAP, VWAP, percent-of-volume, auto-spreader, market-making algos) for sophisticated clients; supports revenue from professional/algorithmic trading desks.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | AX Tier 1 Starter: up to $1M 30-day volume, 0.05% maker / 0.10% taker |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | AX Tier 2 Active: $1M-$10M 30-day volume, 0.02% maker / 0.05% taker |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | AX Tier 3 Pro: $10M-$100M 30-day volume, 0.005% maker / 0.04% taker |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | AX Tier 4 Market Maker: $100M+ volume or DMM status, -0.005% maker / 0.00% taker |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | AI Exchange compute futures: 0.15% settlement fee on cash-settled compute contracts |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Brokerage: custom/institutional pricing |
Go-to-market motion4 records
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels8 records
Architect product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Architect operates a multi-jurisdiction derivatives exchange and electronic brokerage group. Its core offerings are the AX Exchange, a Bermuda Monetary Authority-regulated perpetual futures exchange listing standardized, centrally cleared contracts on compute, FX, equities, metals, energy, and interest rates; the American Innovation Exchange (AI Exchange), a U.S. CFTC-regulated Designated Contract Market for futures and options on AI/compute supply-chain inputs; and Architect Brokerage, an institutional multi-asset electronic brokerage for U.S. equities, ETFs, options, and listed futures with execution algorithms and multi-protocol APIs.
Product overview
Architect operates a multi-product, multi-jurisdiction derivatives exchange group plus an integrated electronic brokerage, organized around three core offerings that sit on a shared proprietary technology stack. AX Exchange is the Bermuda-regulated perpetual futures exchange (Architect Bermuda Ltd.) listing centrally cleared perpetuals on compute, FX, equities, metals, energy, and interest rates — including dedicated AX product lines for compute futures (with Ornn Data) and interest rate perpetuals (with MarketVector). The American Innovation Exchange ("AI Exchange") is Architect's US CFTC-regulated Designated Contract Market (acquired via IMX Health) listing listed futures and options on compute costs and AI supply-chain inputs (metals, energy, power). Architect Brokerage is the integrated US electronic brokerage for equities & ETFs, equity & ETF options, and futures & options-on-futures, providing advanced analytics, execution algorithms, and multi-language APIs (REST/WebSocket/gRPC/GraphQL; Python, TypeScript, Rust SDKs) and routing to CME, Cboe, Nasdaq, Coinbase Derivatives, and US equities venues. Architect Securities LLC (FINRA/SEC broker-dealer) and Architect Financial Derivatives LLC (NFA introducing broker) sit under the same holding company, Architect Financial Technologies Inc., which owns and supports all proprietary exchange and brokerage technology.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- AX Exchange: Global regulated perpetual futures exchange operated by Architect Bermuda Ltd. for traditional asset classes (equities, FX, metals, energy, interest rates, compute); regulated by the Bermuda Monetary Authority.
- American Innovation Exchange (AI Exchange)
- Architect Brokerage
Products and services
- AX Exchange Architect's flagship perpetual futures exchange, operated by Bermuda-regulated affiliate Architect Bermuda Ltd. AX lists centralized, centrally cleared perpetual futures on six asset classes — compute, FX, equities, metals, energy, and interest rates — including the industry's first regulated perpetuals on traditional asset classes. Contracts are standardized, matched on anonymous central limit order books, 23/7, with up to 25x leverage and cross-margined USD/USDC collateral.
- American Innovation Exchange (AI Exchange) First U.S. CFTC-regulated Designated Contract Market purpose-built for the AI economy, following Architect's acquisition of IMX Health. Offers listed futures and options on compute costs across multiple GPU vendors/models (Nvidia Hopper H100/H200, Blackwell B200/B300, AMD, Google TPU, AWS, Cerebras) plus cross-marginable derivatives on metals, energy, and power, with IOSCO- and EU BMR-certified indexes specified to GPU SKU level.
- Architect Brokerage Institutional-grade multi-asset electronic brokerage for trading U.S. equities, ETFs, equity options, futures, and options-on-futures through a single integrated platform. Provides advanced analytics, execution algorithms (TWAP, VWAP, POV, market-making), flexible multi-language APIs (REST/WebSocket/gRPC/GraphQL; Python/TypeScript/Rust SDKs), and connectivity to CME, Cboe, Nasdaq, Coinbase Derivatives, and U.S. equities venues via the FINRA-registered Architect Securities LLC and the NFA-registered introducing broker Architect Financial Derivatives LLC.
Quantifiable outcome
- More than $1B in notional traded across AX since launch across six asset classes.
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Architect
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Architect technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration11 records
AI capability1 record
Feature6 records
Architect partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.
- IMX Health LLCflagshipArchitect acquired IMX Health LLC, a U.S. Designated Contract Market, and will rebrand it as the American Innovation Exchange (AI Exchange) — the first CFTC-regulated exchange for futures and options on compute costs and other AI supply-chain inputs. Pending regulatory review.
- MarketVector IndexesflagshipArchitect partnered with MarketVector Indexes, a BaFin-registered Benchmark Administrator, to launch the financial industry's first exchange-traded perpetual futures on interest rate benchmarks, listed on AX. MarketVector administers indexes (MarketVector, MVIS, BlueStar) with more than USD 150 billion in AUM linked to its benchmarks across 25+ ETP issuers globally. Joint development of new interest rate perpetual index products for institutional customers.
- Deltix (EPAM Systems)coreDeltixLab's trading platform integrated with AX, giving Deltix's institutional clients seamless access to AX's perpetual futures on currencies, equities and commodities and enabling cross-exchange arbitrage and multi-venue portfolio construction from a single unified interface. Deltix, part of EPAM Systems, expands its venue coverage into the regulated perpetual futures category.
- Ornn Data LLCflagshipArchitect partnered with Ornn Data to launch the financial industry's first exchange-traded perpetual futures tracking daily GPU rental and DRAM prices on AX, pending regulatory approval. Ornn provides first-in-kind indexes based on live transaction data from GPU markets; Architect offers margin trading in fiat USD or USD stablecoins. Targets AI companies, datacenter operators, lenders and hardware vendors.
- Connamara TechnologiescoreConnamara Technologies built the matching engine technology powering the AX perpetual futures exchange. AX is built on a centralized limit order book with low-latency APIs and open-source SDKs in multiple programming languages, enabling standardized, centrally cleared perpetual contracts.
- Compute DeskcoreCompute Desk provides the index that underpins AI Exchange compute futures, aggregating spot prices for renting access to Nvidia Blackwell and Hopper GPUs. AI Exchange's cash-settled contracts settle against Compute Desk's daily index.
- BroadhavenminorBroadhaven served as financial advisor to Architect on the $35M Series A funding round completed in December 2025.
- RQD* Clearing LLCcoreRQD* Clearing LLC provides clearing services for brokerage accounts held through Architect Securities LLC; orders are executed and settled by RQD, and both Architect Securities and RQD are SIPC members.
Scale indicators10 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Architect competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- CME Group: Largest U.S. derivatives exchange operator offering futures and options across rates, FX, equities, commodities and (increasingly) thematic indices. Directly comparable to Architect as the incumbent Architect must displace to scale compute and interest-rate perpetuals into institutional flow.
- Intercontinental Exchange (ICE): Major global exchange operator running futures exchanges (ICE Futures U.S./Europe) and clearing infrastructure. Architect Brokerage already routes to several U.S. venues alongside ICE, and ICE represents the kind of entrenched listed-derivatives incumbent Architect's compute and rates perpetuals must compete with.
Direct peers
- Coinbase Derivatives: U.S.-regulated crypto derivatives venue (formerly FairX) and Architect Brokerage routing partner, offering futures on crypto and related underlyings. Directly comparable as a U.S.-domiciled, regulated venue offering derivatives to both institutional and crypto-native clients — the same audience Architect targets with AX and the AI Exchange.
- Bullish: Regulated digital asset exchange combining a CLOB spot market with derivatives and lending services for institutional clients. Comparable as a regulated, hybrid (crypto + traditional-finance-style market structure) venue pursuing institutional capital — Architect's positioning with AX and AI Exchange parallels Bullish's regulated crypto-derivatives pitch.
- Deribit: Largest crypto options and perpetual futures exchange, now under Coinbase ownership. Directly comparable as a venue specializing in perpetual and options derivatives for digital-asset and traditional asset-class underlyings, sharing Architect's focus on perp-style product design for institutional and professional traders.
- Kraken (Crypto Facilities): Major crypto exchange whose Crypto Facilities subsidiary operates a CFTC-regulated bitcoin futures venue and offers perpetual-style derivatives. Directly comparable as a regulated crypto-derivatives venue combining crypto-native product design with traditional regulatory standing — Architect's hybrid positioning across AX and AI Exchange mirrors this strategy.
Emerging players
- EDX Markets: Emerging U.S.-based, CFTC- and SEC-registered digital asset spot exchange backed by major financial institutions. Comparable as a regulated, institutional-grade venue targeting the same hybrid crypto/traditional-finance audience as Architect, although focused on spot rather than perpetuals.
- FalconX: Institutional digital asset prime brokerage and trading platform offering execution, credit and custody for institutions. Comparable as an institutional-focused trading infrastructure provider in digital assets; Architect competes for the same institutional counterparty flow via its brokerage and AX access channels.
Others
- Galaxy Digital: Public crypto financial-services firm spanning trading, asset management, mining and derivatives. Comparable as both a strategic investor in Architect's Series A and a broad digital-asset trading/derivatives peer whose institutional flow overlaps Architect's target customer base.
- Miami International Holdings (MIAX): Public exchange operator (NYSE: MIAX) that led Architect's $35M Series A. Comparable as an exchange operator pursuing multi-asset, multi-jurisdiction expansion and as the most likely strategic distribution partner for routing institutional flow onto AX and AI Exchange products.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Architect social profiles
Digital presenceArchitect compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance6 records
Architect financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Architect leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles11 records
Architect subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries5 records
Architect funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds5 records
Investors23 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Architect M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A1 record
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Architect
What does Architect do?
Architect operates a multi-jurisdiction derivatives exchange and electronic brokerage group. Its core offerings are the AX Exchange, a Bermuda Monetary Authority-regulated perpetual futures exchange listing standardized, centrally cleared contracts on compute, FX, equities, metals, energy, and interest rates; the American Innovation Exchange (AI Exchange), a U.S. CFTC-regulated Designated Contract Market for futures and options on AI/compute supply-chain inputs; and Architect Brokerage, an institutional multi-asset electronic brokerage for U.S. equities, ETFs, options, and listed futures with execution algorithms and multi-protocol APIs.
Is Architect a public or private company?
Architect is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Architect founded?
Architect was founded in 2023. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Architect based?
Architect is headquartered in Chicago, United States, in the North America region.
How does Architect make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. AX Exchange Trading Fees (Maker-Taker) is the primary driver. The others are AI Exchange Compute Futures Trading Fees, brokerage Commissions (Equities, Options, Futures) and API and Algorithmic Execution Services.
Who are Architect's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are CME Group and Intercontinental Exchange (ICE). Direct peers are Coinbase Derivatives, Bullish, Deribit and Kraken (Crypto Facilities). Emerging players are EDX Markets and FalconX. Others are Galaxy Digital and Miami International Holdings (MIAX).
Does Architect have an API?
Yes. Architect offers public/partner-facing APIs on both its AX exchange and Brokerage platform. AX provides REST and WebSocket APIs, FIX 4.4 connectivity, sub-millisecond matching, and 23/7 operations, with matching engine and risk system co-located in AWS eu-west-2. The Brokerage platform exposes REST, WebSocket, gRPC, and GraphQL endpoints with full order lifecycle support, market data, positions, P&L, and margin, and ships multi-language SDKs in Python, TypeScript, and Rust. APIs cover equities, ETFs, options, futures, options-on-futures, and perpetual futures across asset classes including compute, FX, equities, metals, energy, and treasuries. Developer documentation is at docs.architect.exchange.
What industry is Architect in?
Architect's product category is Derivatives Exchange and Brokerage. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSADAAAD, Crypto Derivatives Exchanges (Futures, Options & Perpetuals), with a secondary code of FSAFANAD, Listed Derivatives Execution Platforms (Futures/Options). Its NAICS code is 52321 and its SIC code is 6200.