Perpetual-focused Ethereum-based layer 2 decentralized exchange (DEX) Lighter has announced the launch of its native cryptocurrency, the Lighter Infrastructure Token (LIT), to align traders, builders and backers as it seeks to blend traditional markets with DeFi.
The LIT token supply is split equally: 50% for the ecosystem, 50% for the team and investors. An immediate airdrop rewards early participants with free cash by instantly converting their 12.5 million points (earned in 2025) into LIT tokens. This represents 25% of the total fully diluted value of the project – the maximum tokens possible if everything is issued.
The rest funds future awards, partnerships and expansion. The team (26%) and investors (24%) face a one-year lock-up period followed by a three-year linear vesting, Ligther said in an article on X.
The token is issued directly by Lighter’s operating company, which is a C corporation registered in the United States.
“The future of finance lies at the nexus between the traditional financial system and DeFi, and efficient, secure, and verifiable infrastructure will be important in both directions – adding real-world assets to DeFi and adding verifiability and composability to TradFi,” Lighter said on X.
“Therefore, our LIT token utility framework is to consider how value is exchanged across the financial system and build infrastructure so that value is increased in terms of efficiency, transparency and innovation,” he added.
Lighter-based perpetuals averaged $2.7 billion in volume over the past seven days, third largest behind Hyperliquid and Aster, according to a Dune-based data tracker.
Hyperliquid’s HYPE token is currently trading at a market valuation of $6.26 billion, making it the 29th largest digital asset in the world.
More than just a governance token
LIT does more than just allow holders to vote on decisions or earn rewards. It powers Lighter’s trading systems as a key token.
Lighter offers trading execution and data verification services at different tiers, with higher tiers requiring more LIT tokens to be staked. Staking means locking your tokens to access these features. These requirements increase as the network becomes more decentralized, meaning it is managed by many users rather than a single company.
Users and data providers also pay LIT fees to obtain market information and confirm prices. Staking helps ensure the reliability of this data for secure trading and risk management.
Income Tracking and Redemption Policies
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The team could use the revenue to support ecosystem growth or repurchase LIT tokens. Buybacks involve purchasing tokens to reduce the supply, which can help increase their value.
These choices will not follow a strict timeline and will depend on overall market trends and the company’s long-term plans.
