Aster vs Lighter Funding Arbitrage
51 shared markets · net of estimated fees · updated every few minutesAster and Lighter both quote 51 of the same perpetual markets, so a delta-neutral position can be split across the two and collect the difference in their funding. The widest spread on a market with real depth is SOXL — long Lighter / short Aster at 393.2% net APR — but the median across all shared markets is 7.1%, which is the number worth planning around.
The long leg is whichever venue prices funding lower for that market. It is a property of the MARKET, not of the exchange, and it flips as rates move: here 33 markets go long on Aster and 18 on Lighter. 30 markets clear 5% net APR, 22 clear 10%.
How this pair behaves
Aster pays funding every 4h on 136 markets and every 8h on 95 markets; Lighter pays every 8h on 134 markets. The two clocks differ, so one leg settles while the other is still accruing: a position held for only a few hours can pay one side without ever collecting from the other. Aster quotes 242 perpetual markets in total and Lighter quotes 134; the 51 they share are what this page ranks. Across its own book Aster runs a median funding rate of 10.9% and Lighter 10.5%, so the edge here comes from individual markets rather than from a standing gap between the venues.
Spreads by market
top 25 of 51 by net APR| Market | Long | Short | Net APR | Gross | 7d avg | Thin leg vol |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SOXL | Lighter | Aster | 393.2% | 394.9% | -9.4% | $3.3M |
| CASHCAT | Aster | Lighter | 220.2% | 223.3% | +2.7% | $438K |
| XPD | Lighter | Aster | 87.8% | 90.5% | -5.3% | $25K |
| MU | Lighter | Aster | 77.6% | 78.8% | +0.7% | $3.7M |
| AAPL | Lighter | Aster | 76.7% | 78.0% | -3.6% | $480K |
| MSTR | Aster | Lighter | 74.1% | 76.2% | -3.9% | $1.2M |
| PYTH | Lighter | Aster | 62.5% | 65.3% | +16.6% | $81K |
| DRAM | Lighter | Aster | 53.5% | 55.2% | -10.7% | $57K |
| AMD | Lighter | Aster | 48.5% | 50.1% | -1.0% | $639K |
| LITE | Lighter | Aster | 44.7% | 47.3% | -17.6% | $63K |
| GRAM | Aster | Lighter | 38.4% | 41.6% | -0.0% | $29K |
| CBRS | Lighter | Aster | 36.8% | 38.3% | -6.6% | $325K |
| PAXG | Lighter | Aster | 35.5% | 37.2% | +10.7% | $474K |
| NBIS | Lighter | Aster | 24.7% | 27.2% | -12.4% | $162K |
| POL | Aster | Lighter | 20.9% | 23.8% | +17.3% | $34K |
| MET | Aster | Lighter | 20.7% | 24.8% | +11.7% | $23K |
| TIA | Lighter | Aster | 19.7% | 23.2% | +1.0% | $459K |
| IBM | Aster | Lighter | 19.1% | 26.3% | +14.9% | $19K |
| LIT | Lighter | Aster | 18.9% | 20.6% | +9.5% | $2.5M |
| DRV | Lighter | Aster | 17.3% | 25.8% | +1.7% | $75K |
| ZEC | Aster | Lighter | 14.3% | 16.0% | +0.9% | $40.9M |
| SOL | Aster | Lighter | 13.5% | 14.7% | +0.5% | $59.9M |
| BNB | Aster | Lighter | 8.7% | 10.5% | +4.8% | $633K |
| HYPE | Aster | Lighter | 8.2% | 9.3% | -2.4% | $16.7M |
| PENDLE | Aster | Lighter | 7.6% | 11.9% | +1.0% | $39K |
Net APR subtracts entry and exit fees, both legs' bid/ask spread and estimated slippage from the gross funding spread. The 7-day average is historical gross funding for the same pair: a current rate close to it suggests the spread has persisted, one far above it is usually a spike that will decay.
Aster vs Lighter — FAQ
How many markets can you arbitrage between Aster and Lighter?
51 perpetual markets are quoted on both Aster and Lighter right now. 30 of them show a net spread of at least 5% APR after estimated fees, and 15 have at least $1M of 24h volume on the smaller leg.
What is the best Aster / Lighter funding spread right now?
SOXL: long Lighter and short Aster for about 393.2% net APR after estimated fees, counting only markets with at least $1M of 24h volume on the smaller leg. The median across all 51 shared markets is 7.1%, so the top of the list is not typical.
Which side pays on the Aster / Lighter pair?
It varies by market: Aster is the long (funding-receiving) leg in 33 of the shared markets and Lighter in the other 18. The direction is set per market by which venue currently prices funding lower.
Trading the Aster / Lighter spread
The trade is one position split across two venues: long the exchange paying the more negative funding, short the one paying the more positive, in the same size. What limits it is not the headline APR but the smaller leg's liquidity, the fees on both sides, and how long the spread survives — funding decays and flips, often within hours. Venue detail: Aster funding rates · Lighter funding rates; the full calculation is in the methodology.