Hyperliquid Co-founder Says 24-Hour Trading Is Not Onchain Finance's Key Advantage

WHY IT MATTERS

Traditional stock markets have set hours — for example, the New York Stock Exchange is open roughly from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays. Crypto markets, by contrast, never close. Many people point to this 24/7 availability as a major advantage of blockchain-based finance. Jeff Yan is arguing that this always-open feature, while convenient, is not the most important thing that makes onchain finance different. Think of it like comparing a convenience store to a regular grocery store: being open all night is nice, but it is not necessarily the main reason you would choose one over the other. Other features of decentralized finance — such as the ability for anyone to participate without needing approval from a bank, or the ability to verify transactions publicly on a blockchain — may be more significant differences. Understanding what truly sets crypto finance apart from traditional finance helps newcomers evaluate the technology on its actual merits rather than surface-level features.