Hyperliquid Faces Fresh Solana Threat As Toly Backs New Perp DEX

Hyperliquid’s lead in onchain perpetuals drew a fresh challenge from the Solana ecosystem after Solana co-founder Anatoly Yakovenko, known as Toly, argued that Solana needs its own atomically composable perp DEX inside the SVM. The debate comes as Hyperliquid is already trying to define its regulatory path in Washington during the advancement of the CLARITY Act.

The exchange began with Hyperliquid co-founder Jeffrey Yan saying he had spent several days in Washington with the Hyperliquid Policy Center, meeting policymakers as the CLARITY Act advanced. According to him, the discussions focused on Hyperliquid, its potential benefits for American consumers, and the regulatory path for bringing onchain derivatives markets into the US framework.

That policy push quickly collided with a separate market-structure debate on X, where Toly publicly encouraged users who enjoy Hyperliquid to try a new Solana-based perp DEX. The comment drew pushback from users, who questioned whether the industry needs another perpetuals venue rather than further innovation.

Rune framed the issue directly: “I admire the Solana guys for pushing their apps publicly, genuine respect for the hustle, but maybe the energy should go towards innovation instead of replication.” He added that the central question was what a Solana-native perp DEX could do better than Hyperliquid, beyond competing on fees or copying the same product category.

Hyperliquid Vs. Solana

Toly’s answer was composability. He argued that the comparison is not fundamentally different from asking why Hyperliquid was needed when Binance, Coinbase or CME already existed.

“It’s like asking what can Hyperliquid do that Binance or Coinbase or CME can’t?” Toly wrote. “Solana’s SVM needs an atomically composable perp DEX in its runtime so innovation can flourish. Apps built inside the SVM can’t use HL because you have to bridge there.”

The disagreement cuts to the core of how different ecosystems view derivatives infrastructure. Hyperliquid has built its case around a vertically integrated, onchain exchange experience that appeals to traders seeking self-custody, speed, and a non-CEX interface. Rune acknowledged that Hyperliquid had answered its own “why exist” question through “self-custody, no KYC, community-owned,” but pressed whether composability alone is enough for a Solana-native rival to win.

Toly did not argue that success is guaranteed. Instead, he framed the market as large enough to justify aggressive experimentation from Solana teams, especially if the base layer can support products that compete with centralized venues.