Velodrome Finance review
Updated September 28, 2026 · HodlCue Editorial Team · Facts checked September 26, 2026
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Our verdict
Velodrome Finance is a dex for experienced traders who want to hold their own keys and vote with veVELO, not for beginners who want a long list of coins. Taker fees of 0.05% to 0.3% are the pull, while 11 listed coins keep the market narrow.
Key facts
Crypto earn
- Supported assets
- VELO, VeVELO↗
- Lock-up terms
- Up to 4 years for veVELO vote-escrow locks, with an optional permanent 4-year permalock↗
- Custody
- Non custodial↗
Facts checked September 26, 2026, 5 sources
Apps and profiles
- Elsewhere
- Xgithub.com
Pros and cons
Pros
- Taker fees of 0.05% to 0.3% sit under the site median of 0.2%.
- Custody is non custodial, so the keys stay in the trader's own wallet.
- A short list of 11 coins against a 69 category median keeps markets easy to track.
- veVELO locks give holders a direct say in pool decisions, with an optional permalock that never ends.
Cons
- Only 11 coins are listed, far below the 69 seen across decentralised venues.
- Support runs on community channels only.
- Derivatives are not offered, so there is no way to hedge or trade leverage here.
Who it suits
- Traders who want their own keys and a say in pool decisions through veVELO.
- Anyone swapping the VELO and veVELO pair and comfortable with a short list of 11 coins.
- Holders willing to lock veVELO in vote escrow for years, or take the permalock that never ends.
Who should look elsewhere
- Not for buyers who want a long list: Bitpanda lists from 650 coins against 11 here.
- Not for traders who want the lowest cost per trade: ActivTrades charges 0% in taker fees.
- Not for readers who prefer bunq's fee schedule of 0.25% to 1.99% over the 0.05% to 0.3% charged on swaps here.
The company behind it
Velodrome Finance operates under Velodrome Foundation, which was founded in 2024. Because the venue is a decentralised exchange, questions go to community channels rather than to a support desk, and documentation carries the load. Traders comfortable reading docs and forums will find that workable; anyone wanting a named support team should look at a custodial venue.
How Velodrome Finance compares
8.6 vs 9.5- 8.6 vs 9.3
8.6 vs 9.2
8.6 vs 9.7Taker fees of 0% make it the low-cost pick when the fee is the only thing that matters.
8.6 vs 9.4
8.6 vs 9.6
8.6 vs 9.0
8.6 vs 9.0
8.6 vs 9.0
8.6 vs 9.0
8.6 vs 8.9
8.6 vs 9.0
8.6 vs 8.2
8.6 vs 8.2
8.6 vs 9.7
8.6 vs 9.4
8.6 vs 9.3
8.6 vs 9.2
8.6 vs 9.2
8.6 vs 9.1
8.6 vs 9.0
8.6 vs 8.7
8.6 vs 8.6
Frequently asked questions
What does it cost to trade?+
Taker fees run 0.05% to 0.3% on a swap, below the site median of 0.2% and close to the 0.05% seen across decentralised venues. The rate is what a trade costs on dex pools, and it applies whichever pair is used, including the VELO and veVELO markets.
How many coins can I buy and sell?+
The venue lists 11 coins, under the 69 median for decentralised exchanges, and it ranks 148 of 172 brands on that measure. Liquidity concentrates on VELO and veVELO, so the deepest markets are the protocol pair rather than a long tail of assets.
Who holds my money?+
Custody is non custodial: the keys sit with the trader and the venue does not take the funds. That cuts the counterparty risk that comes with a balance held by an exchange, and it also means no third party stands behind the money, so losses from a mistake or a weak contract are yours to absorb.
What is veVELO and what does locking it do?+
veVELO is the vote-escrow token in VELO and veVELO. Locking it in vote escrow ties it up for years, and there is an optional permalock that never expires. The trade-off is influence over pool decisions against money you cannot move freely, which suits holders with a long view rather than active traders.
Does it offer derivatives or leverage?+
Derivatives are not offered, so there is no perpetual or futures market to hedge with. It is a spot-style dex where you swap tokens you already hold, and the only extra product in the VELO and veVELO set is veVELO vote escrow rather than a leveraged position.
How do I get help?+
Help comes through community channels, which means questions go to other users and protocol contributors rather than to a support desk. Anyone who wants a named team to answer a ticket will find that harder here, and beginners may prefer a venue with direct contact options.
Who runs Velodrome Finance?+
The protocol is run by Velodrome Foundation, which was set up in 2024. That makes it a young operation, and the same dex structure that keeps custody with traders also leaves support and documentation in the hands of the community.
Sources
- coingecko.com/en/exchanges/velodrome-finance-slipstream checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Coins listed, Founded, Derivatives, Exchange type
“id=velodrome-finance-slipstream; coins=11; pairs=29”
- defillama.com/protocol/velodrome checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Taker fee
“Velodrome V2 - Per-pool swap fee read from PoolFactory.getFee (default vAMM 0.30% / sAMM 0.05%, customizable per pool) applied to each swap”
- velodrome.finance/docs checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Supported assets, Lock-up terms
“Velodrome Finance uses two tokens to manage its utility and governance: $VELO - ERC-20 utility token of the protocol; $veVELO - ERC-721 governance token in the form of an NFT (non-fungible token)”
- velodrome.finance/legal checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Custody, Legal entity
“Our Services and the Website are purely non-custodial, meaning We do not ever have custody, possession, or control of your digital assets at any time”
- velodrome.finance/swap checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Support channels
“Support”
Compiled from 5 source pages, checked September 26, 2026. We did not open an account.
Not confirmed yet: Regulators, Fiat deposit methods.