Ethereum-based Lighter has launched Equity Perps with expanded 24/5 trading on mainnet. Traders can finally speculate on stocks without the shackles of traditional market close. Full 24/7 access rolls out soon, bridging crypto's round-the-clock vibe with Wall Street giants.​

Breaking Barriers in On-Chain Trading

Lighter's Equity Perps let users bet on price moves of major equities using crypto collateral, all settled on Ethereum's zk-rollup for lightning-fast execution and ironclad security. Forget U.S. trading hours; this setup runs weekdays non-stop, dodging time zone headaches for global degens. "The trading setup allows global users to access equity markets continuously during weekdays without time zone restrictions," notes Lighter's go-to-market lead Sebastián J.​ Built on a hybrid CLOB-Merkle Tree engine, Lighter delivers sub-10ms finality, zero-fee retail trades, and ZK proofs verifying every match, liquidation, and funding tick. It's no wonder the platform topped perp volumes in November and December, surpassing Hyperliquid with $292.5B+ cumulative action since its October mainnet debut.​

Why This Matters?

Equity Perps are a gateway for crypto natives to tap traditional finance without KYC nightmares or custody risks. Think longing Tesla or shorting Nvidia with USDC, 24/5 right now, leveraging Lighter's deterministic order priority and HFT-grade speeds. As BitMEX pioneered similar products, Lighter elevates it decentralized, with Ethereum anchoring funds and "Desert Mode" for sequencer failsafes.​ Post-LIT token launch and $675M airdrop (despite $250M quick outflows), Lighter's TVL holds strong at $1.2B, fueling spot and perps alike. DEX-to-CEX volume ratios hit 21%, with Lighter claiming 26% global perps share by Q2 2025. Endorsements from EigenLayer's Sreeram Kannan and LayerZero's Bryan Pellegrino underscore its cred.​

The Road to 24/7 and Beyond

This aligns with crypto's ethos, challenging Nasdaq's centralized grip while regulators warm to on-chain derivatives under Trump's pro-crypto push. Lighter's vertical ZK stack scales to trillions without general L2 bottlenecks.​ For traders, it's a no-brainer: zero fees for retail, API charges for whales, anti-Sybil guards. As perps evolve, Lighter positions as the "Nasdaq of crypto futures," blending speed, transparency, and composability.