Telegram Wallet Introduces Leveraged Trading for 150M Users via Lighter Integration

Key Highlights

• Telegram’s native wallet now supports perpetual futures trading through a partnership with decentralized exchange Lighter
• Traders can access leverage up to 50x on more than 50 assets, spanning bitcoin, ethereum, commodities, stocks, and ETFs
• The rollout aims to serve Telegram’s 150 million+ registered user base, with emphasis on developing markets
• Access is restricted for users in the United States and United Kingdom during the initial phase
• Lighter, holding a $1.5 billion valuation, operates with zero trading fees and plans collaborative reward programs with Wallet in Telegram

Telegram’s integrated cryptocurrency wallet now supports perpetual futures trading, enabling users to establish leveraged positions directly within the messaging platform. This functionality became operational on April 2, 2026.

The capability is facilitated through Lighter, an Ethereum-powered decentralized exchange holding a $1.5 billion valuation after securing $68 million in funding. Lighter currently holds the fourth position among decentralized perpetual exchanges measured by trading activity.

Traders can access over 50 different assets with leverage options reaching 50x. The available instruments encompass bitcoin, ethereum, crude oil, gold, stock indices, and exchange-traded funds. All transactions process through a custodial wallet embedded natively in Telegram.

The Open Platform, responsible for developing Wallet in Telegram, created this feature. CEO Andrew Rogozov emphasized the platform’s accessibility and ease of use.

Wallet in Telegram counts more than 150 million registered accounts. A significant portion of these registrations occurred during the 2024 tap-to-earn mini-application surge. The Open Platform anticipates converting some of these users into regular traders.

Perpetual futures represent derivatives contracts allowing speculation on asset price directions without expiration dates. These instruments dominate crypto trading activity. Decentralized perpetual contract volume approached $8 trillion throughout 2025, with monthly figures exceeding $1 trillion during the year’s final third.

Selection Rationale Behind Lighter

The Open Platform assessed three potential platforms before selecting Lighter: Hyperliquid, Lighter, and Aster. The final choice hinged on fee structures, reward mechanisms, and target demographic alignment.

Lighter operates without transaction fees. While Hyperliquid does impose fees and provides superior liquidity depth, Rogozov noted the distinction becomes negligible for retail-scale transactions on popular trading pairs.

Hyperliquid, dominating the market, serves over 200,000 active participants. Lighter pursues a distinct demographic—less seasoned traders—through this Telegram collaboration.

The arrangement includes a collaborative rewards initiative. Lighter will fund trading incentive campaigns where top-performing users receive its LIT token. Lighter’s backing includes Founders Fund, Ribbit Capital, and Robinhood.

United States and United Kingdom territories are excluded from this release. The Open Platform concentrates on emerging and frontier economies where conventional brokerage infrastructure remains limited.

Future Development Roadmap

The Open Platform intends to introduce referral systems, social profit-and-loss broadcasting within Telegram conversations, and copy trading capabilities. Additionally, it plans to deploy AI-powered trading agents accessible through Telegram bot interfaces.

Cryptocurrency trading bots operating on Solana generated $700 million in fees throughout 2024. TOP aims to replicate this engagement within Telegram utilizing perpetual futures instead of meme tokens.

In parallel developments, Bitget Wallet has incorporated Hyperliquid-supported markets delivering continuous trading in commodities, equities, and tokenized real-world assets.

Lighter has simultaneously broadened its offerings beyond derivatives recently, incorporating spot markets and 24/5 equity perpetual contracts into its ecosystem.

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