TL;DR
- Idea: A zk-rollup based perpetual futures DEX on Ethereum offering verifiable on-chain order matching, zero fees for retail traders, and institutional-grade performance.
- Catalyst: Recent token generation event with multiple major CEX listings, strong VC backing and high TVL growth driving momentum.
- Risks: Intense competition in the perpetual DEX market, U.S. regulatory uncertainty, complexities of zk-rollup implementation, and post-airdrop sell pressure causing price volatility.
- Score: 8.00/ 10
Coin
- Name/ Ticker: Lighter (LIT)
- Segment: DeFi
- Status: active
- Price: $2.510000
Key Metrics
- Market Cap: $635 013 150
- FDV: $2 540 000 000
- Circulating Supply: 250 000 000
- Total Supply: 1 000 000 000
- Inflation: 0.00%
Sources
Technology
- USP: Verifiable zk-rollup infrastructure enabling transparent on-chain proofs for order matching and liquidations.
- Core Technology: Ethereum-based application-specific zk-rollup using zero-knowledge proofs for trade validation, off-chain AI-assisted matching, and ML-based real-time monitoring.
Roadmap
- 2026-03-31: Mainnet launch and LIT TGE; initiate trading mining
- 2026-06-30: Mobile app launch, 100+ perpetual markets, DAO governance launch
- 2026-12-31: Decentralized Sequencer deployment with timelock encryption and threshold signatures
- 2027-12-31: Support for spot, options, lending markets and cross-chain to Bitcoin and Solana
Team & Investors
Team
- CEO β Vladimir Novakovski: Harvard graduate at 18, trader at Citadel, Head of Machine Learning at Quora, co-founder of Lunchclub, founder and CEO of Lighter
- CTO β Murat Ekici: Former high-frequency system architect at Jump Trading, CTO of Lighter
- Lead Software Engineer β Furkan DoΔan: Lead Software Engineer at Lighter, experienced blockchain developer
- Head of Business β Alvaro Torres: Business manager and former Olympic athlete
- Engineering Lead β Emin Ayar: Engineering lead responsible for platform infrastructure
- Software Engineer β Natalia Gabuaeva: Software Engineer at Lighter, core development team member
Investors
- Paradigm β Seed β’ 2024-11-01 β’ $12.00M
- Founders Fund β Series A β’ 2025-11-11 β’ $68.00M
- Ribbit Capital β Series A β’ 2025-11-11 β’ $68.00M
- Haun Ventures β Series A β’ 2025-11-11 β’ $68.00M
- Robinhood Markets β Series A β’ 2025-11-11 β’ $68.00M
Total funding: $80.00M
Tokenomics
- Utility: Governance voting, staking for reduced fees and priority access, protocol fee payments, and participation in ecosystem incentives.
- Vesting: 1 year lock-up followed by 3-year linear vesting for team and investors.
- Next Unlock: 2026-12-30 (0.00% of circulating)
Pros & Cons
Strengths
- Verifiable zk-rollup with on-chain proofs for fairness
- Zero trading fees for retail users
- Institutional-grade performance (5ms finality, 10k orders/sec)
- Backed by top VCs including Founders Fund and Ribbit Capital
- High TVL of $1.394B
- Strong, experienced team with quant and engineering pedigree
- Transparent on-chain revenue and token buyback model
- Comprehensive roadmap including mobile app and decentralized sequencer
Weaknesses
- Intense competition in perpetual DEX sector
- U.S. regulatory uncertainty for decentralized derivatives
- Complexity and potential vulnerabilities of zk-rollup circuits
- Controversial token distribution with 50% allocation to team and investors
- Significant post-airdrop sell pressure causing price volatility
Market Signals (7d)
- TVL trend: decreasing
- CEX volume trend: increasing
Price Scenarios (target: 2026-07-01)
- Bear: $1.500000 β apply 40% downside to current price to account for sell pressure and macro downturn
- Base: $2.510000 β assume price remains stable at current level
- Bull: $5.000000 β assume 100% price increase due to successful feature launches and adoption
How to Buy & Store
CEX
- Coinbase
- Binance Futures
- BitMart
- MEXC
- LBank
DEX
- Lighter DEX
- Uniswap v3
- SushiSwap
- 1inch
- AerodromeFi
Storage
- MetaMask
- Ledger
- Trust Wallet
- Coinbase Wallet
- WalletConnect
Verdict
Lighterβs robust zk-rollup technology, strong funding, and high TVL position it as a leading perpetual DEX. However, competition and regulatory risks warrant caution; best for medium-risk allocation.
Official Links
Source: Coin Research (internal)
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