Lighter, a Perpetuals-focused Ethereum Layer 2 DEX, has launched its native token — Lighter Infrastructure Token (LIT) — and dropped a major early reward to users as it pushes to bridge TradFi and DeFi.
Quick take
- LIT supply is split evenly: 50% allocated to the ecosystem and 50% to the team and investors. Within that latter half, 26% is for the team and 24% for investors.
- Early participants received an immediate airdrop: 12.5 million points earned in 2025 were instantly converted into LIT, representing 25% of the project’s fully diluted token value.
- Team and investor allocations are subject to a one‑year lockup, followed by three years of linear vesting.
- The token is issued by Lighter’s operating company, a U.S.-registered C-Corporation.
Why LIT matters
Lighter positions LIT as more than a governance or rewards token. According to the team’s post on X, the token is intended to sit at “the nexus of the traditional financial system and DeFi,” funding infrastructure that adds verifiability and composability across both worlds. Practically, LIT is integrated into Lighter’s trading stack: it powers trading systems, grants access to execution and data-verification services, and is used to pay fees for market data and price confirmations.
Staking and network security
Access to Lighter’s service tiers requires staking LIT — higher tiers demand larger stakes. This staking model both unlocks advanced execution/data features and incentivizes reliable data from providers. As the network decentralizes (i.e., shifts from company-run to community-run), staking thresholds will rise to preserve security and data integrity.
On-chain revenue and buybacks
Lighter says revenue from its trading platform and future products will be fully auditable on-chain. The team may allocate revenue to ecosystem growth or use it to buy back LIT tokens — a supply-reduction move that can support token value — but any such actions will be discretionary and driven by market conditions and long-term strategy rather than a fixed schedule.
Market context
Lighter-based perpetuals have averaged roughly $2.7 billion in volume over the past seven days, ranking third behind Hyperliquid and Aster, per a Dune-based tracker. For context, Hyperliquid’s HYPE token carries a market valuation of about $6.26 billion and is currently among the top 30 digital assets globally.
Bottom line
With a sizable airdrop, a clear staking and utility model, and on-chain revenue transparency, Lighter aims to attract traders, data providers, and builders who want Perpetuals execution tied to DeFi-native infrastructure — and LIT is central to that strategy.
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