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In the last few months, the DEFENSE thematic basket on Ventuals has outperformed Bitcoin by more than 40%. It might be one of the best ways to get points before a VNTLS token airdrop.
What is Ventuals, and why is it important for airdrop farmers?
Ventuals is a crypto-native platform that lets traders buy or sell thematic baskets, which are structured products that follow real-world sector ETFs. Thematic basket trading is now a big part of what Ventuals V2 offers since it came out.
The ongoing points program and the purchase of the VNTLS ticker in October 2025 both strongly suggest that a token airdrop is coming soon.
For background:
- Hyperliquid’s points program ran for 13 months before the airdrop.
- For well-known crypto projects, the average time is about six months.
- It’s only been four months since Ventuals started.
There is still a good amount of time to farm VNTLS points, with an estimated 6+ months left.
What Is the DEFENSE Thematic Basket?
The DEFENSE basket on Ventuals follows the Global X Defense ETF (ticker: SHLD), which gives you targeted exposure to companies that are at the cutting edge of defense technology. This includes:
- Companies that protect against cyber attacks
- Using AI in defense
- Robots and drones
- Advanced hardware, like sensors, planes, and fuel systems
- Surveillance systems and big data
Trading the DEFENSE basket is different from holding just one stock, like Palantir. It has a mix of stocks from different countries, with about 60% in U.S. stocks and 40% in international defense companies like Lockheed Martin. This makes it a better way to protect against risk that only affects the U.S.
Why DEFENSE Will Do Well in 2026
Several macroeconomic and geopolitical trends point to more gains for the DEFENSE basket:
- Military expedenditure: still going up because of ongoing wars in Ukraine and the Middle East.
- European rearmament: NATO members are being told to raise their defense budgets to at least 5% of GDP, which would make them less dependent on U.S. military support.
- Emerging multipolar world order: The fact that the US may no longer be the world’s main security provider is making governments all over the world build their own defense capabilities.
- Recent performance snapshot: Year to date, SHLD went up 20% while Bitcoin went down 20% during a time of rising tensions in the Middle East. That’s a difference of around 40 percentage points.
The Bull and Bear Case for DEFENSE
The Bull Case
- Gulf states, European countries, and Asian powers are all spending more on defense.
- SHLD Holdings’ sales are growing thanks to AI-powered weapons systems, self-driving drones, and next-generation cybersecurity.
- Geopolitical fragmentation keeps going, which keeps military budgets high around the world.
The Bear Case
- In Ukraine or the Middle East, peace deals or ceasefires make it less important to spend money on the military.
- Higher prices for SHLD constituents, which point to a “return to the mean”
- A sudden rise in oil prices or a big drop in the stock market brings the basket down.
Over the past three months, DEFENSE has been less volatile than Bitcoin, but it is still sensitive to news about politics and is mostly made up of a small number of large-cap stocks.
How to Get VNTLS Points with the DEFENSE Basket
The DEFENSE basket has about $460,000 in open interest right now, which is much less than Ventuals’ more popular markets like Pre-IPO equities and the MAG7 thematic basket. This is a big plus for points farming: less competition means your position is a bigger part of the market, which probably means you get more points.
Step-by-Step: Opening a DEFENSE Position
- You can get USDH through Hyperliquid
- Go to Ventuals (get a 10% fee discount): app.ventuals.com/join/QKTYTE
- Trade → Indices → DEFENSE
- Based on how you see the market, you can open a long or short position with up to 20x leverage.
Example of Position Sizing
| Deposit | Leverage | Position Size | % of Open Interest |
|---|---|---|---|
| $1,000 USDH | 10x | $10,000 | ~2% |
| $5,000 USDH | 10x | $50,000 | ~10% |
| $10,000 USDH | 10x | $100,000 | ~21% |
A $10,000 deposit with 10x leverage would be about 21% of the total open interest. This would likely give you a big boost in VNTLS points compared to farming markets that have a higher open interest. Remember, funding payments are likely to build up over time if you go long so you’ll also need to factor this in.
Is DEFENSE a Good Fit for Your Portfolio?
If you already have a lot of crypto in your portfolio, the DEFENSE basket could be a hedge against downturns. In the past, geopolitical tensions have led to sharp, long-lasting rallies in defense stocks. With Ventuals, you can get that exposure in a crypto-native way, as well as accumulating points for a potential VNTLS airdrop.
The main risks to keep an eye on are reversals driven by headlines, a high concentration of defense majors, and the overall state of the stock market.
This is not financial advice. Always do your own research before taking on leveraged positions.
