Lighter DEX Introduces LIT Token with 25% Community Airdrop

Lighter has finally launched its highly anticipated native token, LIT, following the reveal of its initial details.

Key Takeaways

Lighter has launched its native token, LIT, as a core element of its trading protocol.
The tokenomics involve a 50% allocation to the team and investors, with a 25% airdrop from the ecosystem share.
LIT holders will benefit from all revenue generated through the protocol.
Lighter has experienced rapid growth in 2025, emerging as a leading perpetual DEX.
Notable features include zero-fee trading and quick transaction times.

Lighter reveals LIT tokenomics as traders price near-certain launch

Lighter has announced its long-awaited token, the Lighter Infrastructure Token (LIT), which is set to play a crucial role in the platform’s on-chain trading operations. The distribution of tokens includes a significant community airdrop, with plans for future incentives, staking opportunities, and robust growth projected for 2025.

Tokenomics and Distribution

On December 30, Lighter introduced the Lighter Infrastructure Token (LIT) via a post on X, calling it the economic backbone of their expanding on-chain trading platform. According to the development team, all revenue generated by the platform's services will be directed to LIT holders, and the distribution of protocol revenues will be based on market dynamics to facilitate both growth and token buybacks.

In terms of distribution, 50% of the total token supply will be allocated to the team and investors, while the remaining 50% is reserved for ecosystem incentives. As part of an ongoing airdrop linked to points from seasons one and two in 2025, 25% of the ecosystem allocation will be distributed immediately, amounting to 12.5 million points generated during the seasons. The rest of the ecosystem allocation will fund future partnerships, growth initiatives, and incentive programs. The tokens assigned to team members and investors will undergo a one-year lockup period followed by linear vesting over three years, with the team receiving 26% and investors obtaining 24%.

"We are announcing the Lighter Infrastructure Token (LIT)! Lighter is building infrastructure for the future of finance and the native token is key to aligning incentives. In this thread, we will describe the structure of the token, broader vision, and roadmap of use cases." — Lighter (@Lighter_xyz), December 30, 2025

Importantly, Lighter has confirmed that the LIT token is issued by its U.S. C-Corp, which is responsible for managing the protocol. All revenues from the decentralized exchange (DEX) and future offerings will be tracked on-chain in real time.

Staking and Incentives

Lighter also plans to implement staking-based access tiers, where holding and staking LIT would enhance execution quality, increase capital efficiency, and provide access to yield-focused financial products. In this proposed model, LIT would function as the fee token for both subscribers and data providers, with staking utilized to secure and validate trading and risk data. As more tasks are decentralized to staked participants, the responsibilities for execution and verification are anticipated to become increasingly distributed.

Record Growth in 2025

Lighter has rapidly established itself as one of the most active perpetual DEXs of 2025. Built on an Ethereum application-specific zk-rollup, it utilizes innovative ZK-SNARK technology to cryptographically validate every trade, cancellation, and liquidation. In November, Lighter successfully raised $68 million, backed by notable investors such as Founders Fund, Ribbit Capital, and Haun Ventures.

For retail traders, Lighter provides significant advantages, including zero transaction fees, soft finality in just 5 milliseconds, and the ability to handle up to 10,000 orders per second. After going public in late 2025, Lighter rose quickly to become one of the top perpetual DEXs by trading volume, competing closely with platforms like Hyperliquid and dYdX.

Speculation surrounding the LIT token has also grown considerably, with Polymarket reporting a 97% probability for the token launch on December 30, attracting over $4 million in trading volume within 24 hours.