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The decentralized platform Hyperliquid publicly responded to a Bloomberg report claiming that major traditional exchanges - CME and ICE, the parent company of NYSE - had urged U.S. regulators to intervene in the platform's operations. The conflict between legacy exchanges and the DeFi platform intensified as Hyperliquid stopped operating as a purely crypto-native venue and began directly expanding into TradFi territory.
The traditional financial sector is increasingly concerned about the rapid expansion of the on-chain 24/7 derivatives market, accusing Hyperliquid of lacking KYC/AML controls and enabling potential price manipulation.
Hyperliquid representatives called these claims "unfounded concerns", arguing that public blockchains, on the contrary, eliminate hidden manipulation. In its statement, the DeFi exchange emphasized the technological superiority of the on-chain model over traditional centralized exchanges, including:
- Hostile environment for insiders
- Assistance for regulators
- 24/7 efficiency
- Elimination of price gaps
The platform acknowledged that current U.S. legislation is not designed for public blockchains and expressed willingness to cooperate with Washington to integrate into the legal framework.
Why CME and ICE fear Hyperliquid
The reaction from CME and ICE coincided with Hyperliquid's emergence as a systemic player whose infrastructure is beginning to compete directly with the U.S. stock market. As an example, ahead of AI chipmaker Cerebras' Nasdaq debut, daily trading volume for pre-IPO contracts on Hyperliquid exceeded $230 million, while the official Nasdaq premarket generated only around $30 million.
Even professional market participants on social media actively shared screenshots referencing charts from the decentralized platform rather than legacy trading terminals.
As of May 2026, the platform controls 53% of all fees generated within the on-chain derivatives sector, while open interest has reached a new all-time high of $2.45 billion.
The conflict between Hyperliquid, CME, and ICE represents the first open war between Wall Street and DeFi over control of global capital flows, placing Washington in a dilemma - submit to TradFi lobbying and suppress an emerging technology, or recognize the evolution of financial markets and establish a new regulatory framework for public blockchains.
Dan Burgin
U.Today Editorial Team
