Will Price: The US onshore perpetual market is untapped, Lighter’s zero-fee model revolutionizes trading, and engineering talent rivals top AI startups | Bankless

Regulatory approval for US onshore perpetual markets could unlock billions in untapped growth potential.

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Add us on Google by Editorial Team Jun. 9, 2026

Key takeaways

• The US onshore perpetual market awaits regulatory approval, presenting untapped growth potential.
• Winning major brokerages as clients could lead to significant revenue streams for compliant platforms.
• Lighter’s zero-fee model is a strategic advantage in user acquisition and retention.
• The engineering talent at Lighter is comparable to top AI startups, enhancing its competitive edge.
• Lighter’s proactive integration strategy sets it apart from competitors.
• Lidar’s zero-fee model represents a paradigm shift in trading strategies.
• As a zk rollup, Lidar offers reduced trust requirements and user exit rights.
• Retail flows are highly profitable for market makers, benefiting from trading volume.
• Market makers prefer trading against retail flow, resulting in better pricing for retail users.
• Centralized sequencers offer latency advantages while ensuring fairness through verifiable logic.
• The absence of a perps license in the US highlights a significant regulatory gap.
• Lighter’s architecture provides critical advantages in trust and decentralization.
• The potential for tens of billions in revenue highlights the stakes of regulatory approval.
• Lidar’s escape hatch to Ethereum L1 ensures user security and trust.
• The competitive landscape of trading platforms is heavily influenced by fee structures.

Guest intro

Will Price is a DeFi investor focused on crypto markets and protocol opportunities. He has been an investor at Delphi Digital, where he has covered major trends in onchain finance and token design.

The untapped potential of the US onshore perpetual market

• The onshore perp market in the United States hasn’t even started yet due to lack of regulatory approval.

  — Will Price

• The absence of a perps license in the US indicates a significant regulatory gap.
• Potential growth opportunities await platforms that gain regulatory approval.
• Winning big brokerages as clients could result in substantial revenue flows.

• The world’s largest capital market still hasn’t given them regulatory approval.

  — Will Price

• The market shift is contingent on regulatory developments in the US.
• The stakes of regulatory approval involve tens of billions in potential revenue.

• There’s no one with a perps license inside the United States because that license doesn’t exist yet.

  — Will Price

Lighter’s competitive edge through zero fees

• Lighter’s zero-fee model is a strategic advantage in user acquisition and retention.

• The first and most obvious is zero fees and why does that matter it really affects their distribution strategy.

  — Will Price

• Zero fees significantly impact Lighter’s distribution strategy and user onboarding.
• Lighter’s fee structure differentiates it from competitors in the market.
• The zero-fee model represents a paradigm shift in trading strategies.

• It’s not just cheaper it’s actually just like zero fees.

  — Will Price

• The implications of fee structures on user behavior and market dynamics are profound.
• Lighter’s approach could impact user engagement and market competition.

The role of engineering talent in Lighter’s success

• Lighter has a highly skilled engineering team comparable to top AI startups.

• They have quite a large engineering team one of the sharpest teams I’ve met in crypto.

  — Will Price

• The engineering talent is crucial for Lighter’s technological integration and innovation.
• Lighter’s competitive advantage is enhanced by its engineering team.
• The importance of engineering talent in developing competitive technology solutions is highlighted.

• The talent is very much so on par with a lot of the startups you see in AI.

  — Will Price

• Lighter’s proactive integration strategy sets it apart from competitors.
• The proactive and supportive integration strategy is vital for growth and market positioning.

Lidar’s architectural advantages as a zk rollup

• Lidar’s architecture as a zk rollup provides critical advantages.

• Lidar also has some architectural differences… it’s a zk roll up.

  — Will Price

• Reduced trust requirements and exit rights for users are key benefits.
• The technical benefits of Lidar’s architecture are essential for understanding its competitive edge.
• Lidar’s escape hatch to Ethereum L1 ensures user security and trust.

• It gets you permission as collateral which reduces the trust surface for traders.

  — Will Price

• The implications for trust and decentralization in trading platforms are significant.
• Lidar’s architecture offers a competitive edge in the market.

Retail flows and market maker profitability

• Retail flows are highly profitable for market makers due to their benign nature.

• Retail flows are the golden goose for any financial app.

  — Will Price

• Market makers benefit from the trading volume of retail users.
• The relationship between retail trading behavior and market maker profitability is key.
• Retail trading dynamics play a crucial role in exchange economics.

• Retail benign flow…is a really profitable way for market makers to make money.

  — Will Price

• Market makers prefer to trade against retail flow, leading to better pricing for retail users.
• The interplay of pricing and execution costs benefits retail users.

Centralized sequencers and their dual benefits

• Centralized sequencers can provide latency advantages.

• Can benefit from the latency advantages and speed up that’s associated with running that sequencer in a centralized way.

  — Will Price

• Ensuring fairness through verifiable logic is crucial.
• The role of centralized sequencers in trading platforms is significant.
• Efficiency and verifiable fairness are dual benefits of centralized sequencers.

• Still verify to Ethereum that all of the logic of the matching engine was run correctly.

  — Will Price

• The impact on fairness and verification in trading platforms is highlighted.
• Centralized sequencers offer a balance between speed and fairness.

The impact of regulatory changes on financial platforms

• Winning major brokerages as clients could lead to significant revenue streams.

• The real prize are the big brokerages like IBKR or Charles Schwab.

  — Will Price

• The potential impact of regulatory changes on financial platforms is substantial.
• Regulatory approval could result in tens of billions of dollars in revenue.
• The shift in the financial landscape is contingent on regulatory developments.

• Winning those as clients can result in tens of billions of dollars of flows in revenue.

  — Will Price

• The stakes of regulatory approval involve major financial shifts.
• Platforms that gain regulatory approval stand to benefit significantly.

The strategic importance of Lighter’s integration approach

• Lighter’s integration strategy is more proactive and supportive compared to competitors.

• The talent density to go integrate this tech stack for IBKR where the competitors don’t quite have the same resources.

  — Will Price

• The proactive approach to partnerships and integrations is vital for growth.
• Lighter’s approach sets it apart from competitors in the market.
• The differences in integration strategies among crypto trading platforms are crucial.

• Nor do they take that approach.

  — Will Price

• Lighter’s growth and market positioning are influenced by its integration strategy.
• The strategic importance of Lighter’s approach is highlighted in its market success.

Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.