Financial markets are starting to move beyond the traditional opening bell.
While stock exchanges still operate during fixed trading hours, crypto markets operate continuously – 24 hours a day, seven days a week. That change is changing the way exchanges, trading infrastructure, and investors think about market access.
In an interview with TheStreet Roundtable’s Alp Gasimov, Brylee Whatley of the Decibel Foundation explained why decentralized perpetual exchanges, also known as perp DEXs, could be an important part of that evolution.
“What we’re seeing is that globally as the expansion increases, ATSs are moving more and more toward extended hours in the market,” Whatley said.
For many traditional investors, perpetual futures can seem like just another trading product. But according to Whatley, the most important change is the infrastructure behind them – marketplaces designed to be sustainable, stable quickly, and operate without traditional intermediaries.
Why the markets don’t sleep anymore
Traditional financial markets have always relied on downtime.
When markets close, institutions synchronize trades, update books, settle transactions, and manage operational risks before reopening the next day. Crypto markets changed that model completely.
“You have to make sure your systems are running 24-7, 365, and never have a problem,” Whatley said.
That dynamic change has created the need for robust trading systems that can handle the world’s ongoing activity.
“Have solid plans,” Whatley said. “You don’t have time for the market to close.”
This is where decentralized finance, or DeFi, comes into the picture. DeFi refers to blockchain-based financial systems that eliminate traditional intermediaries such as brokers and clearing houses.
According to Whatley, perpetual DEXs are designed specifically for this ever-present marketplace.
What exactly is infinite DEX?
At its core, a decentralized permanent exchange allows traders to buy and sell permanent futures contracts onchain. Unlike traditional futures contracts, perpetual futures do not expire.
“Perpetual futures are a widely used and common contract and high volume activity within the crypto space,” Whatley said.
Instead of relying on expiration dates and rollovers, perpetual contracts use currency rates to keep prices aligned with the underlying market.
“The longer we push more than the shorts, the level of funding increases to encourage the shorts to come in and provide funding,” explains Whatley.
Unlike traditional financial systems that involve brokers, custodians, and clearing houses, Whatley said Decibel combines trading, compensation, and custody into one smart contract system.
“All those layers are consolidated into one smart contract,” he said.
That structure gives vendors direct visibility into solutions and implementation while reducing operational friction between partners.
Why Decibel builds on Aptos
Decibel is built on Aptos, a blockchain focused on low latency and high transaction throughput.
According to Whatley, fast execution speed is essential for enterprise-grade trading infrastructure.
“You need onchain work as soon as possible,” he said.
Whatley compared the emergence of blockchain to widening lanes on a highway, allowing more trading activity and market participation to flow simultaneously.
Decibel positions itself as an execution layer on top of that infrastructure, allowing traders to access crypto assets, commodities, and ultimately prices through permanent markets.
The exchange currently offers crypto-native assets alongside commodities such as gold and silver, with plans to expand further.
“We’re going to start listing stocks, indices, we’re looking for products and real world assets that people want to trade,” Whatley said.
The future of investing 24-7
Whatley believes that investor behavior is already shifting towards more active participation.
“Everyone wants to work when they are working and not wait for the market to open or get stuck in that period of closing the market,” he said.
As global markets continue to move closer to overnight trading, DEXs may subsume the crypto niche and become a broader layer of financial infrastructure.
For traditional investors, that shift may already be underway.
This story was originally published by TheStreet on May 13, 2026, where it appeared first in the Description section. Add TheStreet as a favorite source by clicking here.
