Updated
Updated · CoinDesk · Jun 30
Phantom Hires 3 Ventuals Founders to Deepen Perpetual Futures Push
Updated
Updated · CoinDesk · Jun 30

Phantom Hires 3 Ventuals Founders to Deepen Perpetual Futures Push

3 articles · Updated · CoinDesk · Jun 30

Summary

  • Phantom brought in Alvin Hsia, Emily Hsia and Aris Samad—the team behind Ventuals—to join its trading and data units after Ventuals shut its OpenAI and Anthropic perpetual markets earlier this week.
  • CEO Brandon Millman said the hires will help Phantom go deeper into perpetual futures and open markets as crypto wallets increasingly compete to become full-service trading platforms.
  • Phantom, already the largest distribution partner in the Hyperliquid ecosystem, said the Ventuals team will accelerate trading products built around Hyperliquid's onchain liquidity and market infrastructure.
  • Perpetual futures have become one of crypto's fastest-growing products and are spreading into broader finance, with Kalshi launching its own perps business last month after regulatory approval.

Insights

Can Phantom's new team break the 90% monopoly on Hyperliquid, or is the 'permissionless' market already won?
Are pre-IPO futures in a crypto wallet the future of finance or just a looming regulatory disaster?
As crypto wallets become trading hubs, how will they protect millions of retail users from high-risk derivatives?