> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://blackboard-fi.gitbook.io/blackboard-docs/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://blackboard-fi.gitbook.io/blackboard-docs/getting-started/what-is-blackboard.md).

# What Is Blackboard?

Blackboard is the gateway to on-chain finance — a **self-custodial trading terminal**.

## The Problem

The reality investors around the world are facing:

* **Missed opportunities**: On-chain perpetuals, prediction markets, and real-world asset markets are growing rapidly, yet most investors still cannot access them
* **Complex on-chain experience**: Seed phrases, gas fees, bridging, and fragmented interfaces keep everyday investors out of on-chain markets
* **No control over assets**: Keeping assets on a CEX means bearing the full risk of hacks, insolvency, and withdrawal freezes
* **No trade transparency**: CEXs run on internal ledgers (off-chain order books), leaving no way to independently verify how trades are executed

## How Blackboard Solves This

| Problem                     | Solution                                                                                                          |
| --------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Limited CEX products        | Perpetual futures + prediction markets + options, all in one                                                      |
| Asset risk                  | Self-custody — your assets stay in your wallet at all times                                                       |
| No trade transparency       | Fully on-chain engine — order book, matching, and liquidation all execute on the blockchain, verifiable by anyone |
| Complex on-chain experience | Social login, no seed phrase required, one-click trading via Session Keys                                         |
| No 24/7 trading             | On-chain markets operate around the clock, year-round                                                             |

## Core Products

### Perpetual Futures

On-chain perpetual futures across two legs: 400+ crypto markets via Aster, plus 100+ real-world asset markets via HIP-3 on Hyperliquid (equities, indices, FX, commodities priced by on-chain oracles, up to 50x). Leverage varies by asset and is shown in the trading interface.

### Prediction Markets

Event-based trading on Polymarket. Trade outcomes across crypto, politics, economics, sports, and more.

### Options

Defined-risk option positions on major crypto (BTC, ETH, SOL, and more), settled through Polymarket. The lineup spans the full range of Polymarket option products, including short Up/Down windows.

### Trading Cards

Physical collectibles tokenized as on-chain spot via CollectorCrypt. Hold and trade trading cards in the same wallet as your crypto.

## Coming Soon

### Spot Trading

Buy, sell, and swap on-chain tokens in the built-in multichain wallet across EVM chains and Solana, alongside tokenized global equities and Pre-IPO names. Unlike HIP-3 perpetuals (which track a reference price via oracle), these are tokenized assets settled directly on-chain.

### Vault

Allocate USDC and gain exposure to strategies modeled on world-class hedge-fund and quant approaches. Pursue returns without placing trades yourself.

### Agentic Trading

Describe a strategy in plain language. The system translates it into executable rules, backtests it against historical data, and runs the validated strategy automatically.

### Marketplace

Strategists publish their strategies, and other users subscribe to run them automatically. Supports copy trading, webhook integrations, and strategist-run vaults.

## Fully On-chain Infrastructure

Every trade on Blackboard executes on an on-chain protocol.

* **Aster** handles crypto perpetual futures, margined in USDT.
* **Hyperliquid** handles HIP-3 real-world asset perpetuals (equities, indices, FX, commodities) priced by on-chain oracles. Order matching, liquidation, and funding-rate settlement all run on the blockchain, and every trade is independently verifiable.
* **Polymarket** handles prediction markets and options. Event contracts and Up/Down tokens trade on a Polygon-based on-chain order book, collateralized in pUSD (a 1:1 USDC-backed token).
* **Multichain spot infrastructure** handles spot trading. You hold and swap assets across EVM chains and Solana, and those assets stay on-chain in your own wallet.
* **CollectorCrypt** handles trading cards. Graded physical cards are vaulted and represented 1:1 by on-chain tokens, which trade like any other spot asset or redeem for the physical card.

Across every path, execution and settlement happen on-chain, so transparency is guaranteed at the protocol level.

## Asset Safety

Blackboard operates on a **self-custody** model:

* Assets are held in on-chain smart contracts
* No assets are stored on Blackboard's servers
* Blackboard has no access to your private keys
* Even if Blackboard's servers go down, you can manage your assets directly on-chain

## Next Steps

* [What You Can Trade](/blackboard-docs/getting-started/what-you-can-trade.md): Compare the structure and risk of all four products
* [Quick Start](/blackboard-docs/getting-started/quick-start.md) — From account creation to your first trade