by cookedwhat crypto can i deposit on lighter
Lighter's Deposit window takes USDC (Perps), USDC (Spot), ETH and XAUT as collateral, plus AAVE, LDO, LINK, SKY, UNI, AZTEC and LIT without the Collateral tag. Want to trade perps straight away? Pick USDC (Perps).
the destination tokens
This is what you pick under Select destination token, and the window's title changes with it ("Deposit USDC Perps", "Deposit ETH Spot").
| Destination token | Tag |
|---|---|
| USDC (Perps) | Collateral |
| USDC (Spot) | Collateral |
| ETH | Collateral |
| XAUT | Collateral |
| AAVE, LDO, LINK, SKY, UNI, AZTEC, LIT | none |
USDC (Perps) is the plain route: it lands where perps margin lives. Depositing ETH to ETH Spot works too, since ETH is collateral. The next section is how it counts.
ETH as margin
Lighter calls it Multi-Asset Margin. Your ETH's value, less a haircut, counts toward your margin, so you can open perps without selling it for USDC first.
- It needs a Unified Trading Account, which for now you turn on in the web app.
- Without one (a Simple Trading Account), perp and spot balances stay separate and perps only use settlement assets as collateral.
- It covers perps only for now. Spot trading in USDC against ETH collateral isn't in yet.
sending from another chain: Transfer Crypto
Funds not in the connected wallet? Use Crypto has Transfer Crypto, which gives you a deposit address. It takes USDC, USDT, ARB, BNB, BTC, BTCB, BUSD, cbBTC, DAI, ETH, HYPE, MATIC, MON, POL, SOL, TRUMP, UBTC, USDC.e, USDe, USDG, WBNB and WETH.
Every chain has a minimum. Send at least that much.
| Minimum | Chains |
|---|---|
| $3 | Arbitrum, Base, Polygon, Optimism, Robinhood |
| $10 | Ethereum, Solana, BSC, Tron, Bitcoin, HyperEVM, Monad |
With ETH as the destination token, Transfer Crypto starts on ETH on Ethereum, the $10 row.
Coming from an exchange, Connect Exchange lists Bybit Pay and Coinbase. With no crypto at all, Use Cash takes Card, Apple Pay and Google Pay. how to deposit on lighter walks the window and what comes after the first deposit.
Your first deposit opens the account, and a referral code only counts at sign-up. the lighter referral has what ours gets you. If you haven't deposited yet, the link below is our referral link.
Signing up through this link gets you your first week of Lighter Premium free: the fees you pay that week are rebated to you in USDC, which signing up without one does not. We get a commission from Lighter, which helps support our work, at no extra cost to you. We might add tools for people who used our code.
Tapping the button puts apebrief on your clipboard and opens Lighter. Where the signup shows a code field, paste it there.
How we know: every number on this page
8 sources
- the Deposit window's destination tokens, in order, and which carry the Collateral tag Collateral · our screenshot, 28 Sep 2026, 'Select destination token': USDC (Perps) Collateral, USDC (Spot) Collateral, ETH Collateral, XAUT Collateral, then AAVE, LDO, LINK, SKY, UNI, AZTEC, LIT (no Collateral tag).2026-09-28
- the window's title follows the destination token Deposit · our screenshot, 28 Sep 2026: 'Deposit USDC Perps' by default, 'Deposit ETH Spot' with ETH picked.2026-09-28
- Transfer Crypto's token list USDC · our screenshot, 28 Sep 2026, Transfer Crypto, Tokens: USDC, USDT, ARB, BNB, BTC, BTCB, BUSD, cbBTC, DAI, ETH, HYPE, MATIC, MON, POL, SOL, TRUMP, UBTC, USDC.e, USDe, USDG, WBNB, WETH.2026-09-28
- Transfer Crypto's chains and each one's minimum $3 · our screenshot, 28 Sep 2026, Transfer Crypto, Chains: Arbitrum $3, Ethereum $10, Solana $10, BSC $10, Base $3, Tron $10, Bitcoin $10, Polygon $3, HyperEVM $10, Robinhood $3, Optimism $3, Monad $10. With ETH as the destination token, Transfer Crypto defaults to ETH on Ethereum.2026-09-28
- Multi-Asset Margin lets non-USDC assets such as ETH count as margin, discounted by a haircut; only on accounts with Unified Trading Accounts enabled; perps only at release haircut · source2026-09-28
- Unified Trading Accounts can only be enabled on the web for now; on a Simple Trading Account perp and spot balances are separate and perps use only settlement assets as collateral web · source2026-09-28
- Connect Exchange lists Bybit Pay and Coinbase; Use Cash offers Card, Apple Pay and Google Pay Bybit · our screenshot, 28 Sep 2026: Connect Exchange, 'Select an exchange': Bybit Pay, Coinbase; Binance, Kraken, Gate marked 'Coming Soon'. Use Cash: Card, Apple Pay, Google Pay.2026-09-28
- a user who joins through a Lighter referral link can activate one week of Premium free; the trial week's trading fees are rebated every Monday, on the first $10M of volume one · source2026-09-28
next
- lighter standard vs plus vs premiumStandard is free: 0% maker, 0% taker, 300 ms taker latency. Plus charges 0.005% on both sides for higher API limits.
- lighter referral code: apebrief, and the free premium weekOur Lighter referral code is apebrief.
- how to deposit on lighterDeposit on Lighter from the Deposit button. With a wallet connected and nothing deposited, the positions panel says your first deposit opens the account.
- lighter fees: free on standard, and what costs moneyLighter charges Standard accounts 0% maker and 0% taker on perps and spot.
- comparehyperliquid vs lighter: fees, the code and getting money inHyperliquid for most perp traders: it's the more established venue, a code takes 4% off your fees for your first $25M of volume, and the code can go on after sign-up.