Hyperliquid Policy Center Launches in Washington D.C., Names Jake Chervinsky CEO and Receives $28M HYPE Funding
Hyperliquid Policy Center (HPC) launched in Washington, D.C., on February 18, 2026 as an independent nonprofit research and advocacy group focused on promoting decentralized finance (DeFi) adoption and regulatory clarity in the United States. Jake Chervinsky — formerly of the Blockchain Association and Variant — was named CEO to lead policy outreach and legal engagement. The Hyper Foundation funded initial operations by donating 1 million HYPE tokens (roughly $28 million at recent valuations), with tokens to be unstaked later and converted into usable resources for research, advocacy and education. HPC intends to engage lawmakers, regulators and industry participants, with an early focus on creating a clear regulatory framework for perpetual derivatives (perps) to encourage onshore platforms and institutional participation. The launch has drawn attention from developers, institutions and regulators, and market participants monitored HYPE staking and liquidity activity following the funding disclosure.
Neutral
The launch of the Hyperliquid Policy Center is primarily a regulatory and institutional development rather than an immediate market catalyst. Positive elements — appointment of experienced policy lead Jake Chervinsky and substantial initial funding (1M HYPE, ~ $28M) — may improve long-term prospects for onshore DeFi activity by reducing legal uncertainty, which is bullish over the medium-to-long term for DeFi tokens and derivatives venues. However, near-term market impact is limited: funding disclosure produced short-term HYPE staking and liquidity movements that could increase volatility in that token specifically, but broader crypto markets are unlikely to move significantly on this single advocacy group launch. History shows that policy-focused organisations (e.g., Blockchain Association, Coin Center) produce gradual shifts in regulatory outcomes and institutional participation rather than immediate price rallies. Traders should expect short-lived token-specific volatility around HYPE staking/un-staking events and incremental, longer-term positive flows into regulated DeFi infrastructure if HPC succeeds in clarifying rules for perpetual derivatives.