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OKX’s Web3 division developed a decentralized perpetuals trading platform in 2023, aiming to rival prominent platforms like Hyperliquid and Aster. However, the company refrained from launching the platform publicly, citing regulatory concerns as the primary obstacle, according to OKX founder and CEO Star Xu.

In a recent post on X, Xu highlighted the rapid success of Hyperliquid, a decentralized exchange that, despite a lean team, achieved notable milestones in the on-chain perpetuals space. He noted, “Hyperliquid proved that massive success in onchain perps can be achieved with very few employees. Now, more competitors like Aster are stepping into the space.” He added, “OKX Web3 has been testing a similar product since 2023, but we chose not to launch mainnet due to regulatory concerns.”

Decentralized perpetuals exchanges gain momentum

Hyperliquid, launched in 2024, has quickly become one of the leading platforms in DeFi’s perpetuals arena, hitting a new peak in July with approximately $319 billion in trading volume.

In parallel, Aster, which debuted as Aster Chain in July and is backed by YZi Labs—an entity linked to Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao—has made a significant impact. According to data from DefiLlama, Aster recorded over $22 billion in trading volume over the past 30 days, establishing itself as a key competitor in the crypto derivatives landscape.

Regulatory hurdles delay broader deployment

Xu did not specify how advanced his platform’s development was but pointed to the September 2023 enforcement action by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) against Deridex as a major concern. The CFTC accused Deridex of offering unregistered digital asset derivatives, particularly perpetual swaps, raising regulatory red flags.

Other protocols, like Opyn and ZeroEx, also faced scrutiny for allegedly offering leveraged and margined retail commodity transactions in digital assets, highlighting the shifting regulatory environment.

Xu emphasized, “While we celebrate the growth of onchain perps, we should not forget the CFTC enforcement against Deridex in 2023. Regulatory enforcement has fundamentally shifted — hopefully the industry can soon gain much-needed clarity.”

Changing regulatory landscape in the US

Following the election of a more crypto-friendly administration under President Donald Trump, there has been a notable shift in US regulatory policy. Recently, the CFTC appointed new members to its Global Markets Advisory Committee, including several industry leaders in crypto.

The White House’s July report on crypto policy recommended shared oversight between the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the CFTC, with the latter taking responsibility for spot crypto markets. This signals a potential path toward clearer regulation for the burgeoning cryptocurrency industry.