Lighter DEX launches LIT token, earmarking 25% for an airdrop.

Perpetuals-focused, Ethereum-based Layer 2 decentralized exchange Lighter has unveiled its native token, the Lighter Infrastructure Token (LIT), as part of an effort to better align traders, developers and backers while bridging traditional finance and decentralized markets.

The LIT supply is split evenly between the ecosystem and the team and investors. Half of the tokens are allocated to ecosystem growth, including an immediate airdrop for early users that converts 12.5 million points earned in 2025 into LIT. The airdrop represents 25% of the project’s fully diluted token supply, with the remainder reserved for future incentives, partnerships and expansion.

The remaining 50% of tokens are allocated to the team (26%) and investors (24%). These allocations are subject to a one-year lockup followed by a three-year linear vesting schedule, according to a post by Lighter on X. LIT is issued directly by Lighter’s operating company, which is registered as a U.S. C-corporation.

Lighter said the token is designed to support infrastructure that connects traditional finance and DeFi, emphasizing efficiency, transparency and verifiability across both systems. The company said value should accrue to systems that improve how assets move and settle across financial markets.

Data from a Dune-based tracker shows Lighter-based perpetuals have averaged $2.7 billion in trading volume over the past seven days, ranking the platform third behind Hyperliquid and Aster. Hyperliquid’s HYPE token currently carries a market capitalization of about $6.26 billion, making it the 29th-largest digital asset.

LIT is positioned as a core infrastructure token rather than a simple governance asset. It underpins Lighter’s execution and data verification layers, with users required to stake increasing amounts of LIT to access higher service tiers as the network decentralizes.

Participants and data providers also pay fees in LIT for access to market data and price verification services, with staking mechanisms designed to help ensure data reliability and support risk management.

Lighter said revenue generated from its trading platform and future products will be transparently tracked onchain. The company may use that revenue to support ecosystem development or conduct token buybacks, depending on market conditions and long-term strategy, without committing to a fixed timeline.