Auros Secures On-Chain Trading by Using AWS Nitro Enclaves

Decentralized finance (DeFi) is transforming traditional centralized finance systems. Through cryptocurrency and blockchain technologies, DeFi is democratizing financial services such as lending, borrowing, and asset trading, empowering individuals instead of relying on banks and other large financial institutions. Auros—an algorithmic trading and market making global firm with operations in Hong Kong and the US—is a contributor to the DeFi space with its risk assessment, profiling techniques, and operational rigor.

Auros wanted to enhance the resilience of blockchain-based (on-chain) trades for cryptocurrencies and other assets. While traditional trading employs well-established security measures to prevent the theft of sensitive data during transactions, the challenge lies in refining these security protocols to effectively protect confidential information in on-chain trading. Jason Atkins, chief commercial officer at Auros says, “We wanted a solution that could protect sensitive data on-chain without compromising latency or introducing additional costs that could diminish trading returns.”

Auros turned to Amazon Web Services (AWS), whose services such as Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2) virtual instances support Auros’s trading technology. Explains Atkins, “AWS stands out as the ideal choice for companies like ours due to its unwavering commitment to security, strong support for blockchain technologies, and the low-latency nature of its network.”

Auros chose to implement AWS Nitro Enclaves, which allows customers to establish isolated compute environments for processing sensitive data in a highly secure manner. AWS Nitro Enclaves uses the AWS Nitro System, which provides enhanced security, continuously monitoring, protecting, and verifying instance hardware and firmware. The flexibility of the AWS Nitro System further supports both the latest and previous generations of Amazon EC2 instances, offering Auros a scalable and adaptable infrastructure to meet its evolving needs.

Auros worked with the AWS Nitro Enclaves development team to implement the solution, using the AWS GitHub page to collaborate on any tooling questions. “We always had peace of mind because AWS provides great support around newer technologies. The team helped us optimize our application to run at high performance and approximately 80 percent lower cost,” says Atkins.

By effectively partitioning processor and memory resources from its operating system, Auros significantly has reduced the attack surface area for its most sensitive data processing applications.

Moreover, the technology proved to be cost effective and highly reliable, leading to minimized on-chain disruptions. Atkins says, “AWS Nitro Enclaves provide the automation and auditing needed to smooth out the sharp edges that always come with hardened security.” 

Using AWS Nitro Enclaves, Auros can strengthen on-chain trade executions without compromising on risk or latency. The company can drive DeFi expansion to support cryptocurrency markets, other peer-to-peer blockchain-based transactions, and the resilience of digital assets as the world transitions to web3. Says Atkins, “By using AWS, we are ensuring that trading and technology remain in lockstep, supporting the development of DeFi globally.”

Today, the company is one of the leading liquidity providers of web3 projects and more than 30 major centralized and decentralized cryptocurrency trading venues, covering thousands of individual instruments, generating billions of dollars in daily notional turnover. 

With the DeFi market size expected to surpass $232 billion by 2030, at a compound rate of growth of around 42 percent, Auros is exploring new avenues for business growth.

Says Atkins, “Thanks to our robust AWS platform, we can maintain an agile development pace and swiftly adapt to changing business needs. We can scale our resources seamlessly, ensuring we can meet evolving demands without disruptions. This dynamic combination empowers us to continuously innovate, improve our services, and stay ahead in a highly competitive market while ensuring optimal performance and cost efficiency.”