Lighter, a DEX focused on perpetual (perps) trading, was used to power Telegram’s native leveraged trading.
Telegram’s Wallet said on April 2 that users on the privacy-focused messaging app can now trade crypto, stocks, metals and oil with up to 50x leverage.
The wallet has seen strong adoption with over 150 million registered users.
Approximately 25 million of these users are thought to be active primarily in P2P transfers and fiat onramps, making Telegram a major crypto trading terminal. Messenger has more than 1 billion users.
Therefore, the integration of Lighter can also increase trading volumes on the DEX. As it stands now, this is the first and largest Lighter integration to date.
For comparison, its rival Hyperliquid The perpetrator carries out his trade For Phantom, Rabby, MetaMask and others. This accelerated the initial adoption of Hyperliquid by sharing fees from transactions driven by applications.
Could Lighter benefit from similar traction?
Will the deal increase Lighter’s trading activities?
The collaboration comes at a time when demand for sustained trade is booming. At the market peak last October, total perp volume reached $350 billion and Open Interest (OI) reached $25 billion.
Despite the broader crypto influx over the past few months, perp volume was still hovering around $150 billion.
However, Lighter’s business activity decreased significantly. Especially after LIT’s token launch at the end of last December, which ended its farming era. As a result, traders in search of airdrops migrated elsewhere in search of new opportunities.
As a result, Lighter’s trading activity dropped sharply after December. This decline extended into the first quarter of 2026, with no meaningful recovery in the second quarter as the broader crypto market remained under pressure.
So far weekly crime volumes have fallen from a record $75 billion in November to nearly $8 billion in April; This means an 89% drop in trading activity.
The protocol’s revenue also dropped. The weekly average fell from $4 million to $325 thousand, resulting in a 91% revenue decline.
It is worth noting that the short-term relief in February increased activity and income. This is after all triggered the buyback LIT is the native token of the protocol.
If Telegram integration improves activity and revenue increases in April, the recent 30% recovery rally could be extended. Otherwise, rejection of $1 and lower activity could drag LIT to $0.78 or below.
Final Summary
- Telegram integration increased LIT’s recovery by 30% in early April.
- Lighter DEX’s revenue is down 91%, but Telegram’s renewed trading activity could help reverse this and boost LIT buyback.
