NYSE Parent ICE Held Talks With Hyperliquid on Onchain…

Intercontinental Exchange CEO Jeffrey Sprecher confirmed that ICE — parent of the New York Stock Exchange — has held multiple meetings with the Hyperliquid team to explore overlapping business opportunities in the onchain perpetual futures market. Speaking at a Bernstein conference, Sprecher framed earlier reports of ICE lobbying the CFTC against Hyperliquid as exploratory inquiries, not adversarial pressure: "We're not freaked out about it. We're actually talking to these people and learning about it."

Sprecher's core regulatory ask is a level playing field — ICE wants permission to operate onchain perps under the same conditions Hyperliquid already enjoys globally. "If you don't think it's lawful, then how come they're not getting the same nasty letters that you send us?" he said, pointing to the structural tension between legacy regulated venues and offshore 24/7 DeFi markets.