Perpetual futures are right now crypto’s most active trading category. DefiLlama data showed $21.9 billion in perp DEX volume over 24 hours on July 3, 2026, with open interest across derivatives protocols at about $15.5 billion. But the market is dominated and defined by Hyperliquid. The exchange led the sector with about $250.5 billion in 30-day perp volume, leaving little serious competition at the top. That gap explains why new trading chains are still entering the market.