Balanced
Balanced is a privately-owned frontend interface for the SODAX cross-chain DeFi protocol, enabling retail crypto users to swap 75+ assets across 13 blockchains, earn variable yield via a money market, and borrow bnUSD stablecoin at 2% interest without KYC.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2021
- Headquarters—
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Balanced does
Balanced is a cross-chain DeFi platform that operates as a frontend interface for third-party protocols, currently serving as the consumer-facing layer for the SODAX protocol stack. The platform enables retail cryptocurrency users to swap, earn, and borrow across 13 blockchains (Ethereum, Solana, Arbitrum, Avalanche, Base, BNB Chain, Hyperliquid, Injective, Optimism, Polygon, Sonic, Stellar, and Sui) in approximately 20 seconds, without KYC or registration. Core products include the Balanced Exchange (75+ tradable assets via SODAX Intents aggregation across Uniswap, Cetus, PancakeSwap, Hyperliquid, and Soroswap), a cross-chain Money Market supporting 17 borrowable assets at 0.1% transaction fees, and the Balanced Dollar (bnUSD) — an over-collateralized stablecoin backed by 20+ cryptocurrencies with a fixed 2% borrow rate and a Stability Fund for peg maintenance.
The company generates revenue through transaction fees: 0.3% on swaps (with half distributed to liquidity providers), 0.1% on borrows, and 2% annual interest on bnUSD loans. Its go-to-market is product-led growth via a self-serve web app (app.balanced.network), community-driven adoption through Discord, X/Twitter, Reddit, and Bluesky, and a no-wallet interactive demo for onboarding. Originally launched in April 2021 as a community-owned DAO on the ICON blockchain, Balanced raised strategic backing from CMS Holdings, FBG Capital, and Band Protocol at inception, with smart contracts audited by SlowMist and a bug bounty program operated via Immunefi.
In May 2025, the ICON blockchain announced plans to absorb the Balanced protocol into a new chain-agnostic DeFi protocol called SODAX, and in November 2025 the DAO approved governance retirement and BALN token inflation cessation. Balanced transitioned from an independent community-owned protocol to a privately-owned frontend interface, launching Balanced v2 in April 2026 as a rebuilt interface over SODAX infrastructure. The parent operating company is SODAX, with the operational team extremely lean at 1-10 employees, design supported by Wellington, New Zealand-based agency PARROT9, and no publicly disclosed revenue or funding figures.
Balanced firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Balanced
- Legal name
- Balanced
- Website
- https://balanced.network
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2021
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Balanced is a privately-owned frontend interface for the SODAX cross-chain DeFi protocol, enabling retail crypto users to swap 75+ assets across 13 blockchains, earn variable yield via a money market, and borrow bnUSD stablecoin at 2% interest without KYC.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Balanced industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Decentralized Finance (DeFi) Platform
- NAICS
- Securities and Commodity Exchanges (52321)
- SIC
- Security & Commodity Brokers, Dealers, Exchanges & Services (6200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Stablecoins & On-Chain Money (fiat-backed, crypto-backed, algorithmic; issuance/redemption) (FSAPAEAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Stablecoin Protocols (Decentralized) (FSADAMAD), Lending Protocol Infrastructure (Oracles, Rate Models, Vaults) (FSADAFAN), Crypto Payments & Stablecoin Settlement Platforms (BPAMAFAL), DEX Aggregation & On-Chain Execution (routing, RFQ, intent-based trading) (FSAPAEAD)
Keywords
Balanced business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Trading fees: 0.3% trading fee on swaps, with half going to liquidity providers. Exchange supports 75 assets across 13 blockchains.
- Borrowing fees: 0.1% fee on crypto borrows from money market. bnUSD loans charged at fixed 2% interest rate.
- ICX burn mechanism: Previously used 50% of revenue to buy and burn ICX as part of economic enshrinement with ICON. Program ended when ICON moved to maintenance mode.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Cross-chain trading with 0.3% fee |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Money market borrow at 0.1% fee |
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | bnUSD loans at 2% fixed interest |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels8 records
Balanced product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Balanced operates a cross-chain DeFi platform that lets self-custodial crypto users swap 75 assets across 13 blockchains in roughly 20 seconds via the SODAX Intents execution layer, supply crypto to a multi-chain money market to earn variable interest, and borrow any of 17 supported assets against cross-chain collateral at a 0.1% transaction fee. Its flagship product is the Balanced Dollar (bnUSD), an over-collateralized stablecoin backed by 20+ cryptocurrencies and offered at a fixed 2% interest rate, stabilized by a dedicated Stability Fund and 80% liquidation threshold.
Product overview
Balanced is a cross-chain DeFi platform that operates as a frontend interface for third-party DeFi protocols. The core product portfolio includes the Balanced Exchange for cross-chain crypto swaps (13+ blockchains, ~20 second trades), the Money Market for multi-asset lending/boroming (17 supported assets), and the Balanced Dollar (bnUSD) stablecoin. The platform recently transitioned from a community-owned protocol (Balanced v1) to a privately-owned frontend (Balanced v2) powered by SODAX infrastructure. Legacy v1 features including the original loans, liquidity pools, and Savings Rate remain available for fund withdrawal. A widget library for customizable DeFi experiences is planned for future release.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Balanced Exchange Cross-chain decentralized exchange enabling self-custodial crypto swaps and asset transfers across 13 blockchains in approximately 20 seconds, priced via SODAX Intents aggregation. Aimed at individual crypto users who need to move between EVM and non-EVM ecosystems without manual bridging.
- Money Market Multi-asset cross-chain lending and borrowing protocol where users supply crypto to earn variable interest or borrow any of 17 supported assets against collateral, including collateral and debt positions on different blockchains. Targets retail crypto users seeking yield and leveraged exposure without manual bridging.
- Balanced Dollar (bnUSD) Over-collateralized decentralized stablecoin pegged to 1 USD, backed by 20+ cryptocurrencies with an 80% liquidation threshold and a Stability Fund for peg maintenance via USDC/USDT arbitrage. Offered at a fixed 2% annual interest rate when borrowed and available natively on 13 blockchains without wrapper tokens, targeting crypto users needing cross-chain USD-denominated value.
Quantifiable outcome
- Cross-chain swaps in ~20 seconds
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Balanced
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Balanced technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration4 records
Feature6 records
Balanced partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Band ProtocolcoreOracle solution provider for Balanced. Paul Nattapatsiri and Kevin Lu of Band Protocol served as advisors contributing expertise in security, partnerships, exchanges, and networks.
- ImmunefiminorBug bounty platform operator for blockchain/DeFi projects. Balanced partnered with Immunefi for a bug bounty program targeting critical and high-priority vulnerabilities in smart contracts.
- SODAXcoreTechnology infrastructure provider powering Balanced v2. SODAX Intents aggregates price data from major DEXs (Uniswap, Cetus, PancakeSwap, Hyperliquid, Soroswap) for competitive cross-chain trading. SODAX was formerly ICON blockchain transitioning to Sonic-based DeFi protocol.
- PARROT9coreDesign agency responsible for Balanced's complete design system, user interface, and brand. Located in Wellington, New Zealand. Created the distinctive Balanced turquoise/navy blue design language and money market UX.
- SlowMistminorBlockchain security firm that audited Balanced smart contracts prior to launch. Trusted auditor for major exchanges including Binance, Huobi, and OKX.
- ICON FoundationcoreICON blockchain was the original home of Balanced. Provided liquidity incentives, funded smart contract development, and participated in economic enshrinement where 50% of Balanced revenue was used to burn ICX. Now transitioning to SODAX on Sonic blockchain.
Scale indicators10 records
Recent moves9 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Balanced competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Curve Finance: Curve is a DEX optimized for stable and like-asset swaps with deep liquidity — comparable to Balanced's exchange routing for stablecoin pairs and bnUSD trades.
- Aave: Aave is the largest decentralized money market, offering supply/borrow across multiple assets and chains (via Aave V3). Directly comparable to Balanced's cross-chain Money Market functionality.
- Uniswap: Uniswap is the dominant on-chain DEX whose liquidity pools feed into SODAX Intents aggregation. Directly comparable exchange functionality for crypto swaps.
- MakerDAO: MakerDAO issues the DAI over-collateralized stablecoin via vaults — the same core primitive as Balanced's bnUSD, including multi-collateral support and liquidation mechanisms.
- Compound: Compound is a foundational DeFi money market protocol for lending/borrowing crypto at variable rates. Directly comparable to Balanced's Money Market.
- Thorchain: Thorchain enables native cross-chain swaps between Bitcoin, Ethereum, Cosmos chains, etc. Most direct competitor for the cross-chain swap capability Balanced offers.
- Symbiosis Finance: Symbiosis is a cross-chain AMM and bridge enabling swaps across EVM and non-EVM chains. Directly comparable to Balanced's cross-chain DeFi aggregation.
- 1inch Network: 1inch is a leading DEX aggregator routing trades across many liquidity sources — directly comparable to the SODAX Intents aggregation layer that powers Balanced's execution.
- Stargate Finance: Stargate is a cross-chain liquidity transport protocol enabling native asset transfers across chains — directly comparable to Balanced's cross-chain transfer/swap experience.
Emerging players
- Liquity: Liquity issues the LUSD over-collateralized stablecoin via interest-free loans — comparable DeFi stablecoin primitive to bnUSD, though on Ethereum-only.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Balanced social profiles
Digital presenceBalanced compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Balanced financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Balanced leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Balanced funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Balanced M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Balanced
What does Balanced do?
Balanced operates a cross-chain DeFi platform that lets self-custodial crypto users swap 75 assets across 13 blockchains in roughly 20 seconds via the SODAX Intents execution layer, supply crypto to a multi-chain money market to earn variable interest, and borrow any of 17 supported assets against cross-chain collateral at a 0.1% transaction fee. Its flagship product is the Balanced Dollar (bnUSD), an over-collateralized stablecoin backed by 20+ cryptocurrencies and offered at a fixed 2% interest rate, stabilized by a dedicated Stability Fund and 80% liquidation threshold.
Is Balanced a public or private company?
Balanced is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Balanced founded?
Balanced was founded in 2021. It employs 1 to 10 people.
How does Balanced make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Trading fees are the primary driver. The others are borrowing fees and ICX burn mechanism.
Who are Balanced's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Curve Finance, Aave, Uniswap, MakerDAO, Compound, Thorchain, Symbiosis Finance, 1inch Network and Stargate Finance. Liquity is listed as an emerging player.
Does Balanced have an API?
No public API is recorded for Balanced.
What industry is Balanced in?
Balanced's product category is Decentralized Finance (DeFi) Platform. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAPAEAB, Stablecoins & On-Chain Money (fiat-backed, crypto-backed, algorithmic; issuance/redemption), with a secondary code of FSADAMAD, Stablecoin Protocols (Decentralized). Its NAICS code is 52321 and its SIC code is 6200.