Aquarius
Aquarius is a community-driven, fully LFSA-licensed cryptocurrency exchange operating from Labuan, Malaysia, that offers individual and corporate members unlimited zero-fee trading on a proprietary matching engine for a fixed monthly subscription paid in fiat or AQEX utility token.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2020
- HeadquartersLabuan, Malaysia
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Aquarius does
Aquarius (operating as Aquarius Exchange via the legal entity AFT Labuan Limited, headquartered in Labuan, Malaysia) is a community-driven cryptocurrency exchange offering zero-fee trading to individual retail traders and corporate/institutional clients under a membership-based subscription model. The platform is positioned as 'the first truly inclusive community-driven Cryptocurrency Exchange' and is differentiated by a zero per-trade commission structure — Individual memberships are $25/month (paid in AQEX Token) or $50/month (other currency), and Corporate memberships are $250/month (AQEX Token) or $500/month, with both tiers offering unlimited zero-fee trading, a first-month-free trial, and a 50% discount for AQEX holders.
The platform is built on a proprietary trade matching engine claimed to execute in excess of 100 million trades per second, supported by a Tier 3 equivalent data center, smart-contract-based risk management with instant position reconciliation, bank-standard custody, and a 24/7/365 uptime SLA of 99.99%. Core technology is delivered through a partnership with CQG, Inc., on whose infrastructure the user-facing trading demo is hosted. The exchange is fully licensed by the Labuan Financial Services Authority (LFSA) via AFT Labuan Limited under both a Money Broker License and a Credit Token License, and claims compliance with PCI DSS, GDPR, ISO 27001, and SOC 2 Type 2.
Aquarius makes money almost entirely through recurring monthly membership subscriptions and AQEX Token sale proceeds. The AQEX Token is an ERC-20 utility token with a 500M total supply, 125M initial circulating supply at $0.25, including a 25M pre-sale pool, 50M membership pool, and a deflationary burn mechanism tied to membership revenue and quarterly exchange performance. A community-rewards engine covers volume, bonus, referral, bug bounty, and partnership rewards, and token holders vote on half-yearly charity projects. The company has 1–10 employees, was founded in 2020, and has announced (but not yet launched) two roadmap products: Aquarius DeFi and an NFT platform, both gated by AQEX Token holdings.
Aquarius firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Aquarius
- Legal name
- AFT Labuan Limited
- Website
- https://aqex.io
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2020
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Aquarius is a community-driven, fully LFSA-licensed cryptocurrency exchange operating from Labuan, Malaysia, that offers individual and corporate members unlimited zero-fee trading on a proprietary matching engine for a fixed monthly subscription paid in fiat or AQEX utility token.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Aquarius industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Cryptocurrency Exchange
- NAICS
- Securities and Commodity Exchanges (52321), Credit Card Issuing (522210)
- SIC
- Security & Commodity Brokers, Dealers, Exchanges & Services (6200), Finance Services (6199)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Crypto Payments & Stablecoin Settlement Platforms (BPAMAFAL)
Keywords
Where Aquarius is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Labuan
- HQ country
- Malaysia
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices1 record
Markets served
Aquarius business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Individual Membership Subscription: Recurring monthly subscription fees from individual members ($25/month with AQEX token or $50/month in other currency) granting unlimited zero-fee trading access; first month free, auto-deducted thereafter; cancellable monthly.
- Corporate Membership Subscription: Recurring monthly corporate membership fees ($250/month with AQEX token, $500/month in other currency) including API connectivity, ultra-low latency, co-location, bespoke pricing, and VIP support.
- AQEX Token Sale (Pre-Sale): ERC-20 utility token pre-sale pool of 25M tokens at $0.25 per token on the AFT Labuan Limited regulated digital exchange platform; membership pool allocation of 50M tokens; additional metaverse pool.
- Token Burn & Deflationary Mechanics: Monthly token burn tied to a portion of membership revenue, plus discretionary quarterly burn based on exchange performance; deflationary token attributes are part of the tokenomics.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Individual Membership — Desktop & Mobile access with zero-fee trading |
| Subscription | Monthly | Corporate Membership — API connectivity, co-location, ultra-low latency and VIP support |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels3 records
Aquarius product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Aquarius operates a community-driven, membership-based cryptocurrency and currency exchange that charges zero trading fees, commissions, or broker markups. Access is granted via Individual or Corporate Membership subscriptions, and the platform is powered by a proprietary trade matching engine rated at 100M+ trades/second. The exchange is operated by AFT Labuan Limited, which is fully licensed by the Labuan Financial Services Authority under both a Money Broker Licence and a Credit Token Licence.
Product overview
Aquarius is a single regulated exchange platform operated by AFT Labuan Limited, built around one core product — the Aquarius Exchange — that is accessed through two membership tiers (Individual Membership and Corporate Membership). The AQEX Token is an ERC-20 utility token layered on top of the exchange to provide fee discounts and rewards, and to gate access to a planned DeFi offering (Aquarius DeFi) and NFT Platform, both announced for 2023. The exchange itself is powered by CQG's trading technology and is built on the company's proprietary matching algorithm and smart-contract infrastructure.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- AQEX Token: Fully regulated, LFSA-licensed ERC-20 utility token issued by Aquarius (via AFT Labuan Limited), initially available to registered clients on AFT Labuan Limited's regulated digital exchange platform in supported jurisdictions. Total supply 500M; initial circulating supply 125M; on-exchange price $0.25.
Products and services
- Aquarius Exchange A fully regulated cryptocurrency exchange operated by AFT Labuan Limited, offering institutional and individual trading with deep liquidity, fiat on/off-ramps, and bank-grade security. Operated under a Labuan FSA Money Broker License.
- Individual Membership Retail-focused membership tier that grants individual traders unlimited zero-fee trading on the Aquarius Exchange via desktop and mobile access, with auto-deducted monthly billing and a free first month.
- Corporate Membership Institutional membership tier that adds API Connectivity, ultra-low latency Tier 3 data centre access, co-location, bespoke pricing, and 24/7/365 VIP support for corporate and institutional clients.
- AQEX Token ERC-20 utility token issued on Ethereum that provides membership fee discounts, rewards, and access to Aquarius products, licensed by the Labuan FSA under a Credit Token Licence.
Quantifiable outcome
- Proprietary matching engine capable of executing in excess of 100 million trades per second
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Aquarius
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Aquarius technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
Feature5 records
Aquarius partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Aquarius competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Binance: World's largest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume, operating a centralised spot and derivatives venue with token (BNB) and zero-fee tiers. Direct competitor for retail and institutional crypto trading flow on the same underlying product.
- Kraken: Long-standing regulated crypto exchange known for security, deep liquidity and an institutional product (Kraken Pro). Comparable positioning to Aquarius as a security-focused, compliance-led venue with professional APIs.
- Bybit: Crypto exchange with deep derivatives liquidity, a matching-engine performance narrative and a native utility token. Comparable on performance-oriented technology positioning and token-driven user acquisition.
- Coinbase: US-listed, regulated cryptocurrency exchange offering spot trading, custody and staking across retail and institutional tiers. Comparable as a fully licensed, compliance-heavy centralised exchange competing for the same regulated-trader segment.
- OKX: Global crypto exchange offering spot, derivatives and Web3 wallet with its own utility token (OKB). Direct peer on tokenised ecosystem, zero-fee promotions and high-performance matching engine claims.
- KuCoin: Community-driven crypto exchange positioning itself around an inclusive global user base and its native KCS token with fee discounts. Closely mirrors Aquarius's community-led, token-incentivised GTM.
- Bitfinex: Crypto exchange with advanced order types, deep liquidity, an associated utility token (LEO) and strong focus on professional/HFT traders via API and co-location. Closely matches Aquarius's institutional tier and matching-engine performance narrative.
- Bitstamp: Long-running, regulated European crypto exchange with strong institutional (Bitstamp Pro) and API offerings. Comparable to Aquarius's regulated, low-fee, institution-friendly exchange profile.
- Gemini: US-regulated, compliance-led crypto exchange founded by the Winklevoss twins with a strong institutional and custody offering. Comparable to Aquarius on the regulatory-first positioning and SOC-style security controls.
Broad incumbents
- Crypto.com: Large crypto exchange and broader app ecosystem with its own CRO token and Visa card. Comparable as a wider, brand-led incumbent operating a regulated exchange plus adjacent products, against which Aquarius's narrower focus competes.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Aquarius social profiles
Digital presenceAquarius compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance7 records
Aquarius financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Aquarius leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Aquarius funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Aquarius 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 Aquarius
What does Aquarius do?
Aquarius operates a community-driven, membership-based cryptocurrency and currency exchange that charges zero trading fees, commissions, or broker markups. Access is granted via Individual or Corporate Membership subscriptions, and the platform is powered by a proprietary trade matching engine rated at 100M+ trades/second. The exchange is operated by AFT Labuan Limited, which is fully licensed by the Labuan Financial Services Authority under both a Money Broker Licence and a Credit Token Licence.
Is Aquarius a public or private company?
Aquarius is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Aquarius founded?
Aquarius was founded in 2020. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Aquarius based?
Aquarius is headquartered in Labuan, Malaysia, in the Asia region.
How does Aquarius make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Individual Membership Subscription is the primary driver. The others are corporate Membership Subscription, AQEX Token Sale (Pre-Sale) and token Burn & Deflationary Mechanics.
Who are Aquarius's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Binance, Kraken, Bybit, Coinbase, OKX, KuCoin, Bitfinex, Bitstamp and Gemini. Crypto.com is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Aquarius have an API?
Yes. The Aquarius Technology page advertises Multiple API support under its Advanced Connectivity capability, providing ultra-low latency connectivity for algorithmic and high-frequency trading. The Corporate Membership tier includes dedicated API Connectivity priced at $250/month (paid in AQEX Token) or $500/month (paid in other currencies).
What industry is Aquarius in?
Aquarius's product category is Cryptocurrency Exchange. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAMAFAL, Crypto Payments & Stablecoin Settlement Platforms. Its NAICS code is 52321 and its SIC code is 6200.