Enable fiat access on Polkadot Hub to make Polkadot the easiest place to launch and scale web3 products. – feedback welcome (50 k DOT planned)

PendulumCouncil
12d ago
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TL;DR

We want to let users buy or cash out any new project token and DOT straight from wallets & dApps – no central-exchange detour, no costly listing fees for early-stage projects.

A milestone-based treasury request (~50,000 DOT) would fund:

  • Self-custodial fiat ramp covering EU (SEPA Instant ↔ EURe) and Brazil (PIX ↔ BRLA) using DEX liquidity and securely abstracting the UX to 1 click for the user.
  • Specialised FX-DEX deployment on Polkadot Hub**** that includes an on-chain fiat price oracle servicing the whole ecosystem.
  • DEX routing from fiat → DOT or stablecoin → project token including established DEXes like Hydration for swapping at the best available rate for users

Target: ≥10 dApp integrations and ≥60 % ramp success rate within 6 months of launch.

Problem

Today a builder must first list a fresh token on a CEX (and pay the setup fee) before any fiat ramp will even look at it. End-users meanwhile juggle KYC loops, bridges, and slippage just to touch Polkadot assets. This “double paywall” slows down adoption and burns runway.

Objective

  • For builders: Remove the CEX prerequisite: ramp reads on-chain liquidity (e.g. Hydration, Vortex DEX), so projects can offer fiat access from day one.
  • For users: One-step conversion fiat → DOT or stablecoin → project token
  • For the ecosystem: Lower user acquisition costs + faster onboarding → more builders choose Polkadot

Keep the flow fully non-custodial – users signing their transactions (aggregated); funds never sit with Vortex.

Implementation (overview)

Today, Vortex is already live and serving various EVM Chains (Base, Arbitrum Ethereum etc.) as well as supporting  EUR/BRL offramps from USDC (AssetHub), all being routed through the Vortex DEX on Pendulum. 

We propose adding the onramp feature to AssetHub Assets, upgrading to the most effective fiat routes using EURC, EURe and BRLA (via XCM, Snowbridge, Hyperbridge or Squidrouter) and adding support for DOT, USDT, Hollar and other DEX-listed Polkadot-Assets, building up a USP to the Polkadot Ecosystem. 

All new functionalities shall be available through the Vortex Widget and API, all code written will be open source. Each milestone budget includes an allocation for audits.

Milestone Deliverable When DOT
M1 PIX + BRLa integration (Avenia PSP) via API Oct 2025 8 k
M2 EURe bridging (with Monerium EMI) + Instant SEPA onramping Nov 2025 20 k
M3 Rate-oracle pushed on-chain to Polkadot Hub (pending separate gas sponsoring proposal) Jan 2026 7 k
M4 Oracle-based DEX rollout for bootstrapping initial EURe and BRLA liquidity Feb 2026 5 k
M5 Add DEX routing through Hydration Feb 2026 10k

Total: 50 000 DOT

Partners: Monerium (EU EMI licence, EURe issuer), Avenia (Brazil BRLA issuer), Ramp aggregators (e.g. meld.io) .

Compliance: full KYC/AML handled by partners; Vortex provides the self-custodial UX and chain abstraction

How It Works

Vortex aggregates and bundles the fiat ramp flow together with DEX swaps into a single user transaction. By connecting directly to stablecoin issuers’ infrastructure, Vortex eliminates unnecessary intermediaries, cuts costs, and mitigates risk — all while utilizing DeFi infrastructure including DEXs, bridges, and abstraction of cross-chain complexity.

Simplified Flow for Europe

1. Minting/redeeming EURe for fiat EUR on Polygon/Gnosis → Bridge Monerium-issued EURe into/from Polkadot (Hyperbridge)

2. Swapping to target token

  • Best DEX route chosen between Hydration, Stellaswap, or Vortex DEX (powered by Nabla.fi, that shall be deployed on Polkadot Hub, which is expected to roll out by end of 2025 and is fully EVM-compatible)
    • Ensures we can deliver instant swaps from fiat → EUR-e → DOT or USD stablecoin → project token
  • Treasury-funded integration ensures routing flexibility between DEXes (Hydration, Stellaswap, Vortex DEX)

3. Vortex → Handles fiat settlement starting with Instant-SEPA (Europe) & PIX (Brazil) and swapping/bridging via API + widget

4. Builders → Integrate the Vortex widget/API → users can directly ramp fiat into tokens on their dApp, once it has DEX liquidity

Team

Core contributors: SatoshiPay team (Marcel Ebert, Gianfranco Tasteri, Kacper Szarkiewicz, Prayag Desale, Florian Beba, Tansel Inanc, Alexander Wilke)

Previous treasury proposals:

https://polkadot.polkassembly.io/referenda/748

https://polkadot.polkassembly.io/referenda/1687

Ask

Is this the right direction for Polkadot Hub?

We’d love feedback on:

  1. Milestone scope & amounts
  2. Input on DEXes, tokens, bridges you’d like to see
  3. Additional regions or payment rails you’d like to see next.

We aim to submit the full treasury proposal in the coming weeks once numbers are final. Thanks in advance for your thoughts!

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