OKX CEO Reveals: Hyperliquid Proves Onchain Perps Can Thrive With Small Teams—Here’s How

Small teams, massive impact—Hyperliquid just rewrote the rulebook for decentralized perpetual trading.

Lean and Mean Infrastructure

While traditional finance stacks require armies of developers and nine-figure budgets, Hyperliquid's architecture demonstrates how a focused team can outmaneuver legacy systems. The platform processes orders at speeds that would make most CEX infrastructure blush—all without the bloated corporate overhead.

The Efficiency Edge

By cutting middleware and leveraging pure on-chain execution, Hyperliquid eliminates the typical friction points that plague derivatives trading. No unnecessary layers, no bureaucratic delays—just raw market access that actually matches what centralized exchanges promise but rarely deliver.

Wall Street's Worst Nightmare

Imagine what happens when a handful of brilliant developers can build what traditionally required an entire investment bank's technology division. The old guard should be worried—their moats are looking more like puddles.

This isn't just another DeFi story—it's a blueprint for how crypto actually disrupts finance instead of just recreating it with extra steps and tokenomics. Maybe the real 'efficiency' was cutting out the overpaid middle management all along.

OKX CEO points to regulatory enforcement as market barrier

Xu’s comments come as HYPE (HYPE) token reached a new all-time high of $59.30 on September 18, jumping over 30% in the last 30 days.

Xu revealed that OKX Web3 has been testing a similar product since 2023 but chose not to launch on mainnet due to regulatory concerns.

He pointed to the CFTC’s 2023 enforcement action against Deridex as a key factor.

The OKX CEO shared CFTC enforcement data showing charges against Opyn, ZeroEx, and Deridex for failing to register as swap execution facilities, designated contract markets, or futures commission merchants.

The companies were also charged with illegally offering Leveraged and margined retail commodity transactions in digital assets without proper registration.

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. OKX Web3 has been testing a similar product since 2023, but we chose not to launch mainnet due to regulatory concerns.…

Xu expressed hope that the industry will soon gain much-needed regulatory clarity which will allow platforms like OKX to safely enter the on-chain perpetuals market.

Meanwhile, he noted that more competitors like Aster are stepping into the space following Hyperliquid’s success.

The CFTC’s enforcement actions against DeFi platforms have created a cautious atmosphere.

The charges centered on failures to comply with traditional financial regulations adapted for digital assets. This includes lack of proper customer identification programs needed under Bank Secrecy Act compliance.

Arthur Hayes predicts $5,000 HYPE target by 2028

BitMEX co-founder and Maelstrom CIO Arthur Hayes has made one of his most aggressive cryptocurrency predictions. He suggested that HYPE could reach $5,000 by 2028.

Hayes shared his bullish thesis during multiple September 2025 appearances, including the WebX 2025 conference in Tokyo and a podcast interview with Kyle Chasse.

🚨 THE $HYPE IS REAL@CryptoHayes says @hyperliquidx’s tiny team ships faster than giants. Already leading in leverage, moving into spot + permissionless listings.

Goal: beat Binance.
Risk: Nov unlock.
Upside: 100x by 2028, even $5K token.

Watch the full interview with… pic.twitter.com/KSSADr2sWs

His prediction builds on earlier remarks where he suggested HYPE could see a 126-fold gain within three years. Hayes’ $5,000 target WOULD be an 84x to 86x increase from current levels.