Prop Desk Playbook

This guide is for prop trading firms with in-house quant and dev resources running spot BTC strategies. It explains how Canton’s reward model works, which strategies generate the most value, and what rules apply.

How Canton’s Reward Model Works for Active Traders

Canton Network rewards are based on transaction count, not volume. Every legitimate transaction involving CBTC generates Canton Coin (CC) rewards. For firms already running high-frequency spot strategies, this means your existing edge in execution speed and trade frequency translates directly into CC rewards on top of your trading P&L.

No minimum volume thresholds. Every accepted trade counts. Rewards are only generated on transactions accepted by the counterparty.
Strategies you already run (market making, arbitrage, inventory rebalancing) generate both trading P&L and network rewards.

Strategies That Work

Canton’s reward model rewards frequency of legitimate economic activity. These strategies naturally align with how prop firms already operate.

Market Making

Quote CBTC/USDXLR or CBTC/USDCx with defined inventory bands. Earn spread P&L plus Canton rewards on every fill.

Cross-Venue Arbitrage

Exploit pricing differences between Elk RFQ, Temple CLOB, and Tradefast AMM. Each leg generates a separate reward-eligible transaction.

Inventory Rebalancing

Rotate CBTC across venues and pairs as part of normal risk management. Every rebalance trade counts toward rewards.

Directional Spot Trading

Apply existing spot BTC strategies to CBTC pairs. Same directional thesis, additional reward layer.

Basis Trading

Trade CBTC vs BTC price differentials across Canton and external venues.

Venue Selection for Prop Desks

Canton supports multiple venue types. The right choice depends on your trading style, technical stack, and preferred execution model.

Which venue fits your desk?

Do you need institutional-size execution with custom pairs?

Elk / Trngle RFQ: Programmatic OTC, negotiable spreads, bring your own wallet Do you want an exchange-style order book with the best reward economics?
Temple Digital CLOB: 40% bonus reward share on top of standard CBTC rewards Do you want fast deployment with familiar DeFi infrastructure?
Tradefast AMM: Uniswap V2 style, fastest integration path Want the simplest starting point to test the waters?
Bron: Intuitive interface, comprehensive docs, quick onboarding For full venue comparison tables and integration details, see Selecting a Trading Venue.