The Lighter project has sparked an intense debate within the decentralized finance ecosystem after presenting its new asset LIT. During this Tuesday, December 30, the platform revealed a distribution structure that reserves half of the supply for investors and the team. According to Lighter’s official announcement, this decision seeks to ensure the sustainable development of its perpetual exchange infrastructure.
The initial distribution included a twenty-five percent airdrop of the total supply based on previous seasons. On the other hand, incentives were granted to users who actively participated in the network throughout 2025. The allocation of fifty percent for investors and team has generated controversy. The three-year vesting period seeks to mitigate risks of immediate liquidation. Likewise, the company reserved the other half for the future growth of the global community.
The platform’s commercial performance supports its current relevance in the competitive derivatives market. Lighter recorded a trading volume of over 200 billion dollars recently. In this way, the platform surpassed consolidated competitors such as Hyperliquid in monthly transaction volume. The protocol is positioned as a leader in perpetuals today. Transparency in the disclosure of operational metrics has been highlighted by many.
The battle for the real valuation of the new infrastructure asset
Reactions on social networks were immediate after the project’s financial details were known. Industry critics described the founders’ participation in the total supply as excessive. However, other defenders argue that large projects require solid financial backing to scale properly. The network’s governance structure divides opinions constantly. Users question the effective decentralization of the funds initially assigned. This discussion reflects natural tensions within any modern Defi protocol.
Large investor activity also shows a clear split in their market strategies. Some whales have opened million-dollar short positions to bet against the initial value of the LIT token. Nevertheless, old wallets were detected accumulating assets despite latent losses on their balance sheets. Whales operate with very contradictory price expectations currently. The futures market reflects high expected volatility for January. Insider selling pressure remains the main concern for small traders.
Is such a concentrated ownership structure sustainable for the future?
Speculation has even reached prediction markets like the Polymarket platform recently. Traders have bet more than 74 million dollars on the token’s fully diluted valuation. Therefore, most bettors believe that the market value will exceed one billion. The market valuation reached 700 million dollars in total. Bets on Polymarket exceeded seventy million dollars quickly. The massive interest demonstrates the project’s relevance despite the criticism received.
Lighter’s future will depend on its ability to maintain trading volume after the launch. Therefore, the upcoming points seasons will be crucial to retain the platform’s users. Investors’ eyes are set on the fulfillment of the asset unlock schedule. The success of the LIT token will define standards soon. The community expects a more equitable redistribution of benefits shortly. Asset liquidity is expected to stabilize during the first quarter of next year.
