From Beta to Mainnet: Ethereum L2 Platform Lighter Goes Live With ZK Circuits for Trading

After months of anticipation, Lighter has officially launched its public mainnet. The perpetual trading platform, which had been operating in private beta since early 2025, is now open to all users without deposit caps or referral restrictions.

Built on Ethereum Layer 2 with custom zero-knowledge (ZK) circuits, the platform aims to deliver low-cost, low-latency trading that can be verified onchain.

From beta to mainnet

The private beta kicked off with just 100 traders, but since then, Lighter’s user base has expanded significantly, with over 188,000 unique accounts and 50,000 daily active traders reported at launch.

During the beta, Lighter focused on building out its technical infrastructure and testing features such as its verifiable matching engine and liquidation process, designed to offer transparency while maintaining performance levels typically associated with high-frequency finance.

The project also completed audits of both its protocol smart contracts and the ZK circuits powering its L2, with reports now publicly available.

Alongside the mainnet launch, Lighter rolled out an updated block explorer, giving users visibility into order flow and trading activity. The platform is now tracked on dashboards like DeFiLlama and Artemis, with community-built monitoring tools popping up on Dune as well.

Incentives and roadmap

Community engagement remains a central part of Lighter’s strategy. The first phase of its points program has wrapped, with a second season now underway through the end of 2025.

The new program includes incentives for active traders and for inviting new participants. According to the team, upcoming updates will provide details on how fees will flow to LLP holders, the protocol treasury, and other stakeholders.

Trading remains free for retail users on the platform’s front end, while fees are now enabled for API-based trading, including market makers and high-frequency traders.

To maintain fair play, Lighter has also implemented rules against wash trading and Sybil activity. Looking ahead, the team says its roadmap will focus on making Lighter more composable with the broader DeFi ecosystem across Ethereum and other Layer 2s.

With its mainnet now live, Lighter joins a growing group of Ethereum L2 trading venues that are pushing the boundaries of what onchain markets can support.

Other Related Read/Listens

• Stripe Unveils Open Issuance Platform for Custom Stablecoins
• Starknet Launches Bitcoin Staking and Yield Product as Part of BTCFi Expansion
• Robinhood Wants to Take Prediction Markets Global, Can It Outpace Polymarket