When you hear "crypto exchange," you probably think of Binance, Coinbase, or even Uniswap. But there’s a quieter player slipping into the scene that’s making serious waves among DeFi insiders - Velocore. Launched in 2023 on zkSync Era, Velocore isn’t just another decentralized exchange. It’s a bold experiment in how liquidity, tokenomics, and Layer-2 scaling can work together to fix long-standing problems in DeFi. If you’ve ever lost money to impermanent loss, paid $50 in gas fees to swap two tokens, or watched liquidity drain from a DEX overnight, Velocore’s design might be worth your attention.
What Makes Velocore Different?
Most DEXes run on Ethereum mainnet. That means slow transactions, high fees, and liquidity that’s spread too thin. Velocore doesn’t. It’s built entirely on zkSync Era is a zero-knowledge Layer-2 scaling solution for Ethereum that enables fast, low-cost transactions while maintaining Ethereum’s security. This alone cuts gas fees by 90% and speeds up trades to near-instant. But the real innovation? It’s not just the tech - it’s the token model.
Velocore uses a modified version of Solidly’s ve(3,3) is a tokenomics framework that aligns long-term liquidity provider incentives with protocol growth through voting power, locking mechanisms, and revenue sharing. model. Think of it like a loyalty program that rewards you not just for providing liquidity, but for locking it up long-term. Holders of veVC tokens (the locked version of VC) get voting rights, fee discounts, and a share of protocol revenue. The twist? Velocore improved on Solidly’s version by fixing bugs that caused instability and poor capital efficiency. The result? Liquidity stays put longer, and the protocol itself becomes a major liquidity provider.
Protocol Owned Liquidity (POL): The Secret Weapon
Here’s where most DEXes fail. They rely on users to provide liquidity. When users leave, the pool dries up. Velocore flips that. It uses Protocol Owned Liquidity (POL) is a mechanism where the protocol itself acquires and holds liquidity, reducing reliance on external providers and stabilizing trading pairs.. That means Velocore buys its own liquidity using a portion of trading fees. It doesn’t just sit there - it actively reinvests. This reduces slippage, keeps prices stable, and makes it harder for large traders to manipulate markets.
Imagine a DEX that doesn’t just ask you for liquidity - it becomes your partner in liquidity. That’s POL in action. It’s why Velocore can survive with only 6 trading pairs right now. Most DEXes need hundreds of pairs to stay alive. Velocore doesn’t. It focuses on depth over breadth.
Trading Pairs and Supported Tokens
Right now, Velocore supports just four tokens across six trading pairs:
- VC (Velocore native token)
- ETH
- wBTC
- USDT
The trading pairs are:
- VC/ETH
- VC/USDT
- ETH/USDT
- wBTC/ETH
- wBTC/USDT
- VC/wBTC
That’s it. No altcoin chaos. No meme coins. Just the most liquid pairs on zkSync. This isn’t a weakness - it’s a strategy. Velocore is betting that deep, stable pools beat shallow, noisy ones. If you’re trading ETH, USDT, or wBTC on zkSync, this is one of the cleanest places to do it.
VC Token Price: Why It’s All Over the Place
Here’s the weird part. If you check KuCoin, you’ll see VC trading at around $0.0139. Bitget says $0.0024. That’s an 83% difference. What’s going on?
The answer? Fragmentation. Velocore’s native token, VC, isn’t traded on the DEX itself. It’s listed on centralized exchanges (CEXs) like KuCoin, Bitget, and BTCC. That means price discovery happens off-chain, while the DEX operates on-chain. The DEX uses VC for governance and rewards, but doesn’t directly list it for trading. So, the price you see on KuCoin has little to do with the actual value of liquidity on Velocore.
On CoinMarketCap, VC sits at #7372 by market cap. That’s not a ranking - it’s a warning. The token is still early, volatile, and thinly traded. Don’t treat it like Bitcoin. Treat it like a governance tool. If you’re looking to profit from VC, you’re gambling. If you’re looking to earn from liquidity mining, it’s a different story.
How to Use Velocore: A Step-by-Step Guide
Using Velocore isn’t plug-and-play. You need to be comfortable with Web3. Here’s how to get started:
- Get ETH or USDT from a centralized exchange like Coinbase or Kraken.
- Transfer it to a Web3 wallet that supports zkSync Era - MetaMask or Rabby Wallet work best.
- Bridge your funds to zkSync Era using the official bridge. This costs less than $0.10 and takes under 5 minutes.
- Go to velocore.xyz (always verify the URL - scams are common).
- Connect your wallet and select a trading pair.
- Set slippage tolerance to 1-2% for stable pairs, 5-8% for volatile ones.
- Confirm the transaction. Gas fees? Usually under $0.05.
Remember: You never give up custody. Velocore doesn’t hold your keys. You do. That’s the whole point.
Pros and Cons: The Real Picture
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Ultra-low gas fees on zkSync Era | Only 6 trading pairs - very limited selection |
| Protocol Owned Liquidity reduces slippage | VC token price is inconsistent across exchanges |
| ve(3,3) model rewards long-term liquidity providers | No mobile app or user-friendly interface yet |
| Full self-custody - no KYC required | Minimal community presence outside Twitter and Discord |
| Backed by zkSync’s growing ecosystem | Not audited by major firms (no public audit report) |
Who Is Velocore For?
Not everyone. If you’re new to crypto and just want to buy ETH and hold it - walk away. If you’re a trader who needs 100+ trading pairs - keep looking.
Velocore is for three types of people:
- DeFi veterans who understand liquidity mining and want to maximize returns without high fees.
- zkSync users who already bridge funds to Layer-2 and want a clean, efficient DEX to swap between ETH, USDT, and wBTC.
- Long-term liquidity providers who are willing to lock VC tokens for months to earn protocol revenue.
If you fall into one of those buckets, Velocore is one of the most promising DEXes on zkSync right now. It’s not flashy. It doesn’t have a celebrity CEO. But it’s built on solid, tested mechanics that fix real problems.
The Bigger Picture: Is Velocore the Future?
DeFi is tired of chasing hype. Users are tired of losing money to impermanent loss. Liquidity providers are tired of being used and discarded. Velocore’s answer? Make the protocol itself the anchor. Let it hold liquidity. Let it pay out rewards. Let it grow with its users.
It’s not perfect. It’s not big. But it’s intentional. Every design choice - from the limited pairs to the POL mechanism - points to one goal: stability over scale. That’s rare in crypto.
Its success depends on one thing: whether zkSync Era keeps growing. If more users move to Layer-2, Velocore’s quiet model could become the blueprint for the next generation of DEXes. If zkSync stalls? Velocore might fade into obscurity.
Right now, it’s a gamble. But it’s one of the smartest ones in DeFi.
Is Velocore a safe exchange to use?
Velocore is a decentralized exchange, so your funds are always in your own wallet - never held by the platform. That makes it safer than centralized exchanges. However, there’s no public smart contract audit from a major firm like CertiK or Trail of Bits. Always check the contract address yourself and use trusted wallets like MetaMask. Never send funds to unknown addresses.
Can I earn rewards on Velocore without trading?
Yes. By locking VC tokens into veVC, you become a liquidity provider and earn a share of trading fees. You also get voting rights on protocol upgrades. The more VC you lock and the longer you lock it, the higher your rewards. This is how the ve(3,3) model works. You don’t need to trade - just provide and lock liquidity.
Why is the VC token price so different on KuCoin and Bitget?
Velocore’s native token VC is listed on centralized exchanges, but the DEX itself doesn’t trade VC directly. That means price discovery happens off-chain, and each CEX sets its own price based on demand. This creates arbitrage opportunities but also confusion. The price on the DEX reflects liquidity depth, not token value. Don’t assume one price is "right." Track both if you’re trading.
Do I need to use zkSync Era to use Velocore?
Yes. Velocore only operates on zkSync Era. You cannot connect to it from Ethereum mainnet. You must first bridge your ETH or USDT to zkSync using the official bridge. This is a one-time setup. After that, all trades happen on zkSync with near-zero fees.
What’s the minimum amount to start using Velocore?
You can start with as little as $10 worth of ETH or USDT. But to earn meaningful rewards from veVC locking, you’ll need at least $100-$200 in VC tokens. The platform doesn’t have minimums for trading, but liquidity mining requires substantial locking to make a difference.
Is Velocore better than Uniswap?
It depends. If you’re trading on Ethereum mainnet, Uniswap is still the best choice - it has more pairs, more users, and better tools. But if you’re already on zkSync Era and want low fees, deep liquidity, and a better reward system for providers, Velocore is superior. It’s not a replacement - it’s a specialized upgrade for zkSync users.
Velocore isn’t trying to be everything. It’s trying to be the best for one thing: efficient, stable, low-cost trading on zkSync. If that’s your goal, it’s already ahead of most.
Phillip Marson
Velocore is the only DEX that actually gets it. No more chasing hype, no more meme coins, just clean liquidity and real utility. Most DEXes are just casinos with a blockchain label. This? This is architecture.
Anyone who says 'limited pairs = bad' doesn't understand depth over noise. I've lost more on Uniswap to slippage than I've made on Velocore in a year. Stop comparing apples to rotten oranges.
Tracy Whetsel
i just started using velocore last week and honestly? it’s been life-changing. no more $3 gas fees for a simple eth/usdt swap. i’m not even trading much-just locking vc for the rewards. the interface is clunky but the vibes? 10/10. 🌱✨