Lighter plans to apply next month for a derivatives license from the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission, founder Vladimir Novakovski said, following about a year of discussions with regulators. The perpetual futures exchange had previously said it targeted a November 2026 filing. LIT traded at $3.94, up 23.75%, according to CoinMarketCap. Lighter aims to become the first CFTC-approved on-chain perpetual decentralized exchange, while its Robinhood Chain integration, Lighter Core account growth, token incentives, buybacks and burns remain central developments for the project.