Hi No.14,

We really wanted to make this a free service too, but realized it would not be possible.

At a minimum, we would need transaction fees to record trades on the blockchain.  For any extra services, like offering leverage, we'd need to compensate lenders as well (as you would now to, say, a broker).

If fees are a given, we decided that the best way to ensure that these costs are manageable and competitive is to make them a market in and of themselves.  That's what we're looking to do: any service, such as offering leverage or maintain markets, should have low barriers to entry and low switching costs.  They should be as transparent as possible.  That's how you protect against monopoly pricing power.  That's how you keep fees low.  And that's the kind of platform we're building.

Happy to answer any further comments.