Hyperliquid Launches D.C. Policy Center Backed By $28 Million In HYPE Tokens

Hyperliquid (HYPE) announced on Wednesday that its Foundation will back the creation of the Hyperliquid Policy Center (HPC), a new Washington, D.C.-based organization designed to advocate for clearer federal rules governing decentralized finance (DeFi).

Jake Chervinsky To Lead Hyperliquid Policy Center 

The new center will be led by Jake Chervinsky, who previously held senior roles at the Blockchain Association, one of the industry’s leading trade groups, and at venture capital firm Variant.

As HPC’s inaugural CEO, he is expected to lead efforts to engage lawmakers and regulators at a time when digital asset policy is shifting away from previous roadblocks that hampered the sector’s growth in the United States.

In comments to Fortune, Chervinsky said the United States is at a pivotal juncture in determining how decentralized finance should be integrated into the country’s financial framework. 

The center’s mission will be to help members of Congress and federal agencies better understand how DeFi protocols function and to offer technical expertise as regulators craft rules that can accommodate the technology, the executive asserted.

He emphasized that much of today’s financial regulatory system was designed for an earlier, analog era. In his view, those frameworks are poorly suited to decentralized protocols, which enable users to trade digital assets on automated platforms that operate without centralized intermediaries. 

HPC Backs Perpetuals Framework

Among the center’s top priorities will be establishing a legal structure for perpetual derivatives, commonly known as “perps.” These instruments, which do not have expiration dates, are widely traded on offshore crypto exchanges and account for a significant share of global digital asset activity. 

Chervinsky contends that perpetuals offer advantages over traditional options and futures contracts because they are simpler and provide more direct exposure to underlying assets. Despite their popularity abroad, they have yet to gain a foothold in mainstream US finance, in part due to regulatory uncertainty.

To fund the initiative, the foundation affiliated with Hyperliquid is contributing 1 million HYPE tokens. At current prices of $28.75 per token, that allocation is valued at approximately $28.7 million.

In addition to Jake Chervinsky’s role in the new venture, the founding team includes Policy Counsel Brad Bourque, formerly an associate at Sullivan & Cromwell LLP, and Policy Director Salah Ghazzal, who previously served as Policy Lead at Variant. 

The Hyperliquid Policy Center is also building out its leadership bench and is currently recruiting for key roles, including Chief of Staff, Head of Communications, and Head of Government Relations.

Featured image from OpenArt, chart from TradingView.com