Synthetix Drops $27M Token Swap Deal to Acquire Derive’s Options Platform

Synthetix and Derive have officially shelved a proposed $27 million acquisition deal that would have seen the two decentralized derivatives platforms merge under a token swap agreement.

Originally introduced in mid-May, the proposal involved Synthetix acquiring Derive’s treasury, technology, and full product suite.

The move was intended to consolidate efforts into a single protocol on Ethereum.

The plan was outlined in governance proposals SIP-415 (Synthetix) and DIP (Derive), both of which have now been withdrawn following internal review and pushback from community members.

Derive Cites Community Pushback in Calling Off Synthetix Deal

Derive, formerly known as Lyra, confirmed the cancellation, stating the decision followed “thoughtful discussion and community feedback.”

Under the terms of the deal, Synthetix would have minted 29.3 million SNX tokens to complete the acquisition, valuing Derive at $27 million, with a swap ratio of 27 DRV per 1 SNX.

However, opposition quickly mounted. Members of the Derive community challenged the valuation, pointing to Derive’s recent surge in revenue and arguing that it appeared undervalued relative to Synthetix.

Concerns were also raised about the dilution impact on SNX holders, prompting calls for a reassessment.

Synthetix had hoped the acquisition would enhance its upcoming Perps V4 release, which features a centralized limit order book architecture on Ethereum.

The SIP-415 and DIP proposals to merge Synthetix and Derive have been mutually withdrawn following thoughtful discussion and community feedback.

This moment reaffirms our independent path and the community's belief in it.

Derive operations remain uninterrupted. Trading is live,… https://t.co/Uf5DmZNME5

— Derive (@derivexyz) May 21, 2025

Without the merger, the team will now look at alternative strategies to boost its product suite.

For its part, Derive reaffirmed its commitment to building independently, positioning the decision as a moment to double down on its own roadmap.

Synthetix Pushes New Staking Plan to Restore sUSD Peg

Last month, Synthetix founder Kain Warwick urged SNX stakers to participate in the newly launched sUSD 420 Pool, a staking mechanism introduced to restore the sUSD stablecoin’s dollar peg.

The pool offers a share of 5 million SNX tokens to users who lock up their sUSD for 12 months, aiming to reduce the token’s circulating supply and stabilize its value.

Despite the incentive, Warwick admitted the process is still “very manual” and lacks a proper user interface, which is currently in development.

He warned that if voluntary participation remains low even after the UI launches, more aggressive measures could follow.

sUSD, a crypto-collateralized stablecoin backed by SNX, has struggled to maintain its peg, recently falling as low as $0.68 before recovering to $0.77.

Warwick emphasized that the solution lies within the SNX community, whose combined wealth could resolve the issue.

The initiative is part of SIP-420, which also shifts debt risk from stakers to the protocol itself.