What has changed in the DEX incentive system after StandX launched the market-making points?

Decentralized contract exchange StandX has introduced a new incentive mechanism. Starting from January 5, 2026, the platform will also reward points for unfilled limit orders. This means users no longer need to wait for their orders to be filled to earn rewards; simply placing an order can earn market-making points. This seemingly simple change actually reflects a rethinking of StandX’s platform ecosystem.

What are Market-Making Points

New incentive dimension

StandX’s Market-Making Points (Maker Points) target unfilled limit orders. Simply put, when a user places a limit order on the platform, they can earn points even if the order is not executed. This is different from traditional trading points.

According to the latest news, StandX now has two sets of point systems:

• Market-Making Points: rewards for unfilled limit orders, no actual position building required
• Trading Points: earned after a limit order is filled, linked to actual trading activity

Both systems can operate simultaneously. You can earn market-making points by placing orders, and trading points by executing trades.

Why reward unfilled orders

The core logic behind this design is liquidity.

A platform’s competitiveness largely depends on order book depth. The deeper the order book, the smaller the slippage for traders, and the better the experience. But to encourage users to actively contribute liquidity, incentives are needed.

StandX’s approach is to directly reward market-making behavior. You don’t need to actually commit funds to establish positions; just placing orders on the order book can earn rewards. This is a good option for users who want to participate in market-making but also want to reduce risk.

Integration with existing systems

Dual-incentive logic

StandX now has a dual-incentive system. According to related information, the platform follows a route of “first building stablecoin and trading scenarios, then gradually expanding the ecosystem leverage.” The launch of market-making points aligns well with this approach.

User participation pathways have become:

• Deposit funds into the platform’s stablecoin DUSD
• Earn market-making points by placing orders (no real position building needed)
• Earn trading points through actual trades
• Points can be exchanged for Discord roles and other benefits

This design benefits different types of users: conservative users can just place orders to earn market-making points, while more aggressive users can trade to earn both types of points.

Significance for platform data

According to related reports, StandX’s 24-hour trading volume reached 175.99 million on January 4, 2026. The new market-making points mechanism may further attract liquidity providers, potentially increasing trading volume and order book depth.

Deeper reflections

Capital efficiency

StandX’s core philosophy is “don’t let funds sit idle.” DUSD, as the platform’s central stablecoin, handles real trading fees rather than external inflows. The introduction of market-making points further reinforces this idea: every user action can generate value.

Even if your limit order is not filled, you are contributing liquidity to the platform, and the platform should reward you. This is a fairer and more efficient incentive model.

Challenge for opportunistic users

Some voices in related discussions mention that a large number of zero-cost orders could lead to “anti-opportunity” risks. This is an important point. If too many users use scripts to automatically place orders just to earn points without genuinely providing liquidity, the value of market-making points could be diluted.

However, from StandX’s design perspective, the platform should have mechanisms to distinguish genuine market-making from wash trading. The specific rules will need to be observed during actual operation.

Summary

StandX’s launch of market-making points essentially optimizes the platform’s incentive system. This new dimension provides users with more ways to participate and makes liquidity provision more flexible. Coupled with trading points and the DUSD stablecoin, StandX is building a relatively complete ecosystem incentive system.

This move reflects a trend in DEX competition: no longer just comparing trading fee rates, but focusing on overall user incentives and capital efficiency. In the short term, market-making points can attract more liquidity; in the long term, whether this system can truly retain users depends on subsequent actual results.