Lighter's dominance in DeFi perpetuals peaked near 60% in late 2025, driven by aggressive incentives and an airdrop. However, as incentives normalized and the airdrop concluded, participation declined sharply. By mid-February 2026, Lighter’s market share fell to 8.1%, while Hyperliquid regained dominance, capturing 40-50% of the market. Despite the drop in headline volume, Lighter maintained strong open interest in key pairs. Large token movements by entities like Justin Sun and Wintermute indicated strategic positioning, balancing ecosystem support with readiness to sell if conditions worsened. Incentive exhaustion and post-airdrop exits enabled Hyperliquid to seize leadership in the derivatives space.
ambcrypto2026.02.21




