Catenaa, Saturday, January 10, 2026- Lighter, an Ethereum-based onchain derivatives exchange, rolled out 24-hour weekday trading for US equity perpetuals Tuesday, expanding access to global traders and boosting liquidity.
The platform, built on a zk-powered Ethereum Layer 2, plans to extend equity perps to full 24/7 availability in the near future. Previously, these markets aligned with U.S. trading hours only.
The move brings Lighter closer to centralized exchanges like Coinbase and Kraken, which have been gradually offering round-the-clock derivatives trading.
Perpetual contracts, or perps, allow traders to speculate on asset prices without owning the underlying security. Onchain perps platforms like Lighter and Hyperliquid have grown rapidly, combining decentralized infrastructure with crypto-collateral flexibility for US equities, cryptocurrencies, and indices.
Lighter has seen surging interest after surpassing Hyperliquid’s monthly volume in November and December 2025. Last week, the exchange introduced its native LIT token and reportedly began token buybacks following a $68 million funding round led by Founders Fund and Ribbit Capital.
Other exchanges are also expanding equity perps. BitMEX launched 24/7 trading for major U.S. stocks and indices, including Amazon, Apple, Coinbase, Meta, Nvidia, Robinhood, Tesla, the S&P 500, and Nasdaq. BitMEX said the offering extends its derivatives expertise while enabling global access using crypto collateral.
The share of decentralized exchange volume relative to centralized platforms has climbed to a record 21%, reflecting growing adoption of onchain derivatives alongside traditional crypto markets.
Ethereum-based DEX Lighter launched 24/5 equity perpetuals, expanding trading hours and liquidity, with plans to move to full 24/7 access and growing institutional interest.
