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Creating Your Own Contract on Dexetera

One of Dexetera's most unique features is that anyone can create a new futures contract on any measurable metric. This guide shows you how.

Why Create a Contract?​

Benefits​

  1. Monetization: Earn fees from every trade on your contract
  2. Market Making: Be the first in a new market
  3. Community Building: Create markets your trading friends want
  4. Innovation: Trade metrics nobody else offers
  5. Reputation: Become known as a market creator

Fee Structure​

When someone trades your contract, you receive a percentage:

  • Per trade fee: [SPECIFY_PERCENTAGE]% of trade volume
  • Monthly earnings potential: Depends on contract popularity

Example:

You create: "Tesla Stock Price 2026"
100 traders put 50 USDC each = 5,000 USDC traded
You earn: 5,000 × [FEE]% = [AMOUNT] USDC

What Makes a Good Contract?​

Clear, Measurable Metric​

Bad contract names:

  • ❌ "Tech will moon" (not measurable)
  • ❌ "Bitcoin weird things" (too vague)
  • ❌ "Weather stuff" (too unclear)

Good contract names:

  • ✓ "Bitcoin/USD Price End of 2026"
  • ✓ "Global Average Temperature Change 2026"
  • ✓ "S&P 500 Index Level Dec 31, 2026"
  • ✓ "Tesla Stock Price 2026"

Reliable Data Source​

Your contract needs a data source (official source for the price) that can:

  • Measure the metric
  • Be tamper-proof
  • Be publicly verifiable
  • Exist for 1 year

Good data sources:

  • CoinGecko API (for crypto prices)
  • OpenWeather (for weather data)
  • Financial data APIs (for stock/index data)
  • Government agencies (for economic data)
  • Sports APIs (for sports statistics)

Bad data sources:

  • Social media posts (easily faked)
  • Personal websites (can disappear)
  • Unverified data sources
  1. Select data source type
  2. Provide data source address/API endpoint
  3. Dexetera verifies it's accessible
  4. System tests data source feed

Important: Data source must be working and accessible for the entire contract duration.

Good Contract Requirements​

  1. Metric accuracy: Ensure it can be measured
  2. Data source reliability: Verify data source works and is trustworthy
  3. Clear rules: Settlement must be unambiguous
  4. Integrity: Don't create contracts with hidden advantages
  5. Dispute resolution: If data source disputed, help clarify

Moderate Interest​

Contracts work best when:

  • Multiple people are interested
  • Opinions differ (some LONG, some SHORT)
  • Regular volume exists

Ideal contracts:

  • Bitcoin/Ethereum price (always popular)
  • Stock prices (broad appeal)
  • Major metrics with opposing views
  • Niche metrics with dedicated communities

Poor contracts:

  • Extremely niche (only 2 people interested)
  • Already saturated (100 similar contracts exist)
  • Measuring something that won't happen

Step-by-Step: Creating a Contract​

Contract Example:

Contract Name: Bitcoin/USD Q4 2026
Metric: Bitcoin price in US Dollars
Data Source: CoinGecko API, official closing
Frequency: Updated every minute
Settlement: Q4 final Bitcoin price
Rules: Settlement at 11:59 PM UTC Dec 31, 2026
Interest: Very high (Bitcoin traders)
Competitors: 5 similar Bitcoin contracts

Step 2: Open Dexetera Create Page​

  1. Go to Dexetera website
  2. Click "Create Contract" or "New Market"
  3. You'll see the contract creation form

Step 3: Fill in Contract Details​

Contract Name​

Format: "[METRIC] [YEAR/TIMEFRAME]"

Good examples:

  • Bitcoin/USD 2026
  • Gold/USD Futures 2026
  • Tesla Stock 2026
  • Weather Temperature USA 2026

Rules:

  • Keep it short (under 50 characters)
  • Make it clear what you're measuring
  • Include timeframe

Description​

Detailed explanation:

  • What are we measuring?
  • How will it be measured?
  • When does it settle?
  • Any special rules?

Example description:

Bitcoin price measured in US Dollars, 
settled at CoinGecko closing price on 
January 1, 2027 at 00:00 UTC.

Data Source Selection​

Choose your data source:

Popular Data Sources:
- CoinGecko: Crypto prices
- Chainlink: Various metrics
- OpenWeather: Weather data
- FRED API: Economic data
- Yahoo Finance: Stock data
- Custom API: Any public API
  1. Select Data Source type
  2. Provide Data Source address/API endpoint
  3. Dexetera verifies it's accessible
  4. System tests Data Source data feed

Important: Data Source must be working and accessible for the entire contract duration.

Initial Price / Starting Point​

What's the current measurement?

Example: Bitcoin/USD 2026
Initial Price: $50,000 (today's Bitcoin price)

Example: Weather Contract
Starting: 15°C (current average)

This helps traders understand where you're starting from.

Leverage Options​

Decide maximum leverage allowed on your contract:

Options:

  • 1x only (safest)
  • 1-5x (moderate)
  • 1-10x (aggressive)
  • [CUSTOM]

Note: Higher leverage means:

  • More attractive to risk-takers
  • More liquidations
  • More volatile price movements
  • More trading activity (more fees for you)

Step 4: Set Expiration & Timeline​

Standard on Dexetera: 1 year

But you specify exact dates:

  • Creation: January 1, 2026
  • Expiration: January 1, 2027
  • Roll over available: November 1, 2026 (60 days before)
  • Settlement Data Source check: December 31, 2026 at midnight UTC

Step 5: Review & Confirm​

Before submitting:

Checklist:

  • Contract name is clear
  • Description explains metric fully
  • Data Source is reliable and accessible
  • Initial price is accurate
  • Expiration date is reasonable
  • Settlement rules are unambiguous
  • Leverage limits are set
  • No conflicting contracts exist

Then:

  1. Review all details
  2. Pay creation fee: [CREATION_FEE] USDC
  3. Click "Create Contract"
  4. Confirm transaction in wallet
  5. Wait for blockchain confirmation

Your contract is now LIVE.

Step 6: Promote Your Contract (Optional)​

Once live, you can drive interest:

  • Twitter: Share in crypto community
  • Discord: Post in trading servers
  • Telegram: Alert friends interested in metric
  • Reddit: Comment in relevant communities
  • Forums: Crypto discussion boards

Example post:

🚀 New market on Dexetera: Bitcoin/USD 2026
📊 Trade Bitcoin price for next year
🎯 Available leverage: 1-10x
💰 [Expected APY from fees]
Join now: [link]

Creating a Successful Contract​

Metrics with Natural Interest​

Sports: Winner predictions, score totals, player statistics Finance: Stock prices, commodity prices, market indices Crypto: Price levels, dominance, volatility Real-World: Weather, elections, economic indicators

Driving Trade Volume​

More traders = More fees for you

Ways to attract traders:

  1. Clear outcome: People know how to win/lose
  2. Balanced opinions: Some believe UP, some DOWN
  3. Timeframe appeal: Long enough to accumulate position, short enough to be relevant
  4. Community: Engage with traders, answer questions
  5. Marketing: Promote on social media

Managing Your Contract​

Once created, you should:

  • Monitor activity: Check daily volume
  • Answer questions: Traders may ask about Data Source
  • Respond to disputes: If Data Source data disputed, help clarify
  • Engage community: Build reputation as fair creator

Common Contract Creation Mistakes​

❌ Vague metric

  • "Bitcoin weird things happen 2026"
  • Should be: "Bitcoin/USD settlement price Dec 31, 2026"

❌ Unreliable Data Source

  • "I'll manually decide the price"
  • Should be: "CoinGecko official API data"

❌ Timeframe too short

  • 1-week contracts (too hectic)
  • Use 1-year standard or clear rationale for shorter

❌ Competing with established contracts

  • Creating 100th Bitcoin contract
  • Better: Find niche not covered

❌ No promotion

  • Create and hope people find it
  • Should: Share actively on social media

❌ Unclear settlement rules

  • "Settles when it settles"
  • Should: "Settles at 11:59 PM UTC Jan 1, 2027 at CoinGecko price"

Legal & Responsibility Notes​

Creator Responsibilities​

When you create a contract, you're responsible for:

  1. Metric accuracy: Ensure it can be measured
  2. Data Source reliability: Verify Data Source works and is trustworthy
  3. Clear rules: Settlement must be unambiguous
  4. Integrity: Don't create contracts with hidden advantages
  5. Dispute resolution: If Data Source disputed, help clarify

Dexetera's Role​

Dexetera:

  • Hosts your contract
  • Provides trading infrastructure
  • Enforces settlement rules
  • Handles payment distribution

Dexetera cannot:

  • Recover funds sent to wrong addresses
  • Reverse completed trades
  • Modify settlement after creation
  • Force Data Source to pay if they disappear

Your Liability​

By creating a contract, you acknowledge:

  • Metric might become unmeasurable
  • Data Source might fail during contract life
  • Disputes might occur (you help resolve)
  • No insurance on trader funds

Examples of Successful Contracts​

Example 1: Bitcoin/USD 2026​

Metric: Bitcoin price in USD
Data Source: CoinGecko API
Expected traders: Thousands
Trading volume: Very high
Your fees: [HIGH]
Reason: Bitcoin always popular, clear measurement

Example 2: Custom: "Tesla Stock Price 2026"​

Metric: Tesla stock price end of 2026
Data Source: Yahoo Finance API
Expected traders: Hundreds
Trading volume: High
Your fees: [MEDIUM]
Reason: Stock traders interested, clear Data Source

Example 3: Niche: "Ethereum Gas Fees Average 2026"​

Metric: Average Ethereum gas price in 2026
Data Source: Ethereum network data + API
Expected traders: Tens
Trading volume: Medium
Your fees: [LOW]
Reason: Niche but dedicated audience exists

Next Steps​

Pro tip: Create contracts you'd want to trade yourself. Passion shows, and communities follow passion.