Side by side
Lighter vs Meridian Predict
Lighter and Meridian Predict both operate in the Perps & Derivatives part of the Robinhood Chain ecosystem. Lighter — The chain's official perps venue — a zero-fee ZK order-book DEX, USDG-collateralized, valued at ~$1.5B.. Meridian Predict — Prediction markets and RWA perps on Robinhood Chain, settled in USDe via RFQ auctions — formerly Ethereal..
Lightermainnet
The chain's official perps venue — a zero-fee ZK order-book DEX, USDG-collateralized, valued at ~$1.5B.
- What it is
- A zero-fee perpetual-futures DEX built on custom ZK infrastructure — an application-specific ZK-rollup anchored to Ethereum that proves order matching, funding, and liquidations before settlement.
- Role on the chain
- The official perpetuals trading partner for Robinhood Chain; eligible users trade perps through Robinhood Wallet with USDG as collateral and quote asset.
- Founder
- Vladimir Novakovski, a former Citadel engineer.
- Funding
- Raised $68m in November 2025 at a ~$1.5bn valuation, led by Founders Fund and Ribbit Capital, with Haun Ventures, Dragonfly, Craft Ventures, and Robinhood participating.
Meridian Predictmainnet
Prediction markets and RWA perps on Robinhood Chain, settled in USDe via RFQ auctions — formerly Ethereal.
- What it is
- A prediction-markets and RWA-perps venue on Robinhood Chain, settled in USDe, building prediction singles and combos across an expanding market set.
- Market structure
- RFQ auctions where market makers compete to take the other side of each prediction at the best odds; collateral, settlement, and payouts are handled onchain by smart contracts.
- Formerly Ethereal
- The project was formerly known as Ethereal and rebranded to Meridian in May 2026, shifting from general derivatives infrastructure toward prediction markets.
- TVL
- Around $108k on Robinhood Chain in early July 2026 — a small, early venue.
The record
How they compare
| Field | Lighter | Meridian Predict |
|---|---|---|
| Type | defi | defi |
| Category | Perps & Derivatives | Perps & Derivatives |
| Status | mainnet | mainnet |
| Chains | Robinhood Chain, Ethereum | Robinhood Chain |
| Website | Yes | Yes |
| Docs | Yes | Yes |
| GitHub | — | — |
| Confidence | 82% | 68% |
| Sources | 5 | 3 |
| Reported valuation | $1.5B | — |
| Meridian TVL | — | $107.8K |
Read on
Answers
Lighter vs Meridian Predict: questions
- What is the difference between Lighter and Meridian Predict on Robinhood Chain?
- Lighter is The chain's official perps venue — a zero-fee ZK order-book DEX, USDG-collateralized, valued at ~$1.5B.. Meridian Predict is Prediction markets and RWA perps on Robinhood Chain, settled in USDe via RFQ auctions — formerly Ethereal.. Both sit in the Perps & Derivatives part of the Robinhood Chain ecosystem.
- Is Lighter or Meridian Predict live on Robinhood Chain?
- Both are live on Robinhood Chain mainnet. Lighter is mainnet and Meridian Predict is mainnet.
- Should I choose Lighter or Meridian Predict?
- It depends on your use case — both serve the Perps & Derivatives role on Robinhood Chain. Compare them on type, status, chains, integrations and source-backed confidence (Lighter: 82%, Meridian Predict: 68%), then read each full profile before deciding.