Hyperliquid has launched a new DeFi Policy Center in Washington, D.C. The company-affiliated foundation backs the center with a 1 million HYPE token donation. At current prices, that contribution is worth about $28 million. The funds will support policy work that seeks a clear legal path for decentralized finance in the United States.
New DeFi Policy Center Opens in Washington
The Hyperliquid Policy Center will base its work in Washington to engage directly with U.S. lawmakers and regulators. Hyperliquid named veteran crypto lawyer Jake Chervinsky as the center’s first CEO, putting a well‑known policy voice at the front of the effort.
The center’s mission is to help Congress and federal agencies understand how DeFi protocols work. It also aims to support the drafting of rules for on-chain markets that use these protocols.
Early priorities include building a legal framework for perpetual futures in the United States. These products remain a gray area under U.S. law, even though they account for most DeFi derivatives volume.
Hyperliquid said the Hyper Foundation will provide 1 million HYPE tokens to finance the new policy organization. The foundation plans to unstake those tokens and convert them as needed to cover staffing, research, and outreach costs.
At current market prices, the grant provides roughly $28 million to support the center’s launch. This level of funding is a large commitment for a policy initiative tied to a single DeFi protocol.
The foundation argues that investing in legal clarity today can support Hyperliquid’s long‑term growth. By extension, it believes this work could also benefit HYPE holders over time.
Focus on Perpetuals, DeFi Rules, and Education
Chervinsky says current U.S. market rules were written for an analog era and do not cleanly cover decentralized protocols or 24/7 perpetual trading. The Policy Center aims to propose concrete models for registering or exempting DeFi markets, rather than fighting one enforcement action at a time.
Policy director Salah Ghazzal and policy counsel Brad Bourque are members of the founding team, and the center is seeking to fill positions, including head of government relations, head of communications, and chief of staff. As regulatory agencies review digital asset regulations, they will collaborate with industry groups, hold briefings on Capitol Hill, and submit comment letters.
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