a16z Partner: Perpetual Contracts Are Rewriting Global Trading Rules
Perpetual contracts ("perps"), a crypto-native innovation, are transforming global trading behavior and market structure. These non-expiring futures contracts have seen explosive on-chain growth in 2025, with decentralized exchange (DEX) volume surging 346% year-over-year to $6.7 trillion. Perps now extend beyond crypto to traditional assets like stocks, commodities, and even private company valuations.
Key drivers include structural advantages over options for directional leverage: 24/7 trading, no expirations or rollovers, simpler risk exposure, and capital efficiency. Real-World Asset (RWA) perps have gained significant traction, at times comprising 44% of volume on leading DEXs like Hyperliquid.
The ecosystem is expanding rapidly with new exchanges, front-ends, market creators, and liquidity providers. While challenges remain around liquidity, oracle reliability, and regulation, perps are evolving from a niche crypto instrument into a dominant global trading primitive. The open question is whether value will accumulate at the exchange layer or within applications built atop perpetual trading infrastructure.
marsbit04/10 08:15