Blockchain services firm Apex Fusion is set to launch Vector, a high-performance, Cardano-aligned blockchain designed for institutional users entering the Web3 space.

Vector is a peer-reviewed, UTxO-based blockchain testnet with institutional-grade throughput and a claim of instant transaction finality. It will officially launch at the Rare Evo conference on Saturday, Apex Fusion said in a statement shared with Cointelegraph.

This makes it the first Cardano-aligned blockchain to achieve independently verified instant finality, which is the assurance that a transaction is irreversible, according to the announcement.

Vector’s transaction throughput is 10 times faster than the Cardano mainnet, with 99% reaching finality within 13 seconds, while 98.6% of transactions reached immediate finality under “performance-optimized conditions,” according to an independent report by Cardano architect and Well Typed director Duncan Coutts and Predictable Network Solutions co-founders Neil Davies and Peter Thompson.

The joint report, commissioned by the Apex Fusion Foundation, will be released at Rare Evo along with the testnet’s official launch.

“Vector shows how the UTxO model can evolve to meet institutional demands without compromising its foundational strength,” said Coutts.

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Lengthy transaction finality times are a long-standing issue limiting the utility of blockchain-based financial applications. 

The new instant finality network introduces “major advantages” for both blockchain infrastructure and financial institutions, according to Anja Blaj Zajc, head of legal at Apex Fusion Foundation.

“For blockchains, it reduces the risk of chain reorganizations and double-spending, enhancing security and reliability,” Zajc told Cointelegraph, adding:

“For financial institutions, instant finality enables real-time settlement, lowers operational risk, and improves compliance by providing clear and immediate confirmation of transactions.”

Instant finality may introduce faster payments, more efficient cross-border transactions and the development of “more complex financial products onchain,” she added.

In comparison, Sony’s Soneium “Fast Finality Layer,” a layer-2 network purpose-built to reduce blockchain finality time, only boasts a sub-10-second transaction finality.

Sonic (previously Fantom) reached a 720 millisecond transaction finality in a testnet environment, Cointelegraph reported in September 2024.

While testnet environments can bolster a blockchain’s performance, this makes Sonic the world’s fastest Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) blockchain, according to Andre Cronje, the creator of the Fantom Network and the chief technology officer at Sonic Labs.

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Apex Fusion Foundation is working toward MiCA compliance

To better serve institutional needs, such as compliant stablecoin issuance, the Apex Fusion Foundation said it is working toward becoming fully compliant with Europe’s Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA).

“Apex is fully aligned with Swiss regulatory requirements and has obtained a FINMA ruling confirming the classification of the AP3X token,” Zajc told Cointelegraph, adding:

“In parallel, the foundation is preparing to notify the relevant national competent authority within the EU, with the objective of achieving full compliance under the MiCA regulation.”

MiCA is the world’s first comprehensive regulatory crypto framework, which went into full effect for crypto asset service providers on Dec. 30, 2024, aiming to boost investor protection, prevent fraud and address stablecoin reserve management.

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