VICTORIA, Seychelles, Sept. 08, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Aster, a decentralized perpetuals exchange known for its privacy-focused trading infrastructure, has officially launched Aster Genesis: Stage 2, its airdrop points campaign, just as it confirms the long-anticipated date for its Token Generation Event (TGE).
The Stage 1 campaign saw 527,224 unique wallets amassing over $37.7B in trading volume across 20 weeks, signaling strong traction in the emerging decentralized exchange (DEX) space. In just a few months since Stage 1, Aster has grabbed nearly 20% of the entire perpetual DEX market share in terms of monthly trading volume.
“Stage 1 sent a clear message: traders want more than access - they want speed, composability, privacy, and capital that keeps working,” said Leonard, CEO of Aster. “Aster is pioneering a new category - where users can earn yield from liquid staking tokens such as asBNB or stablecoins like USDF, while simultaneously leveraging these yield-generating assets as liquid collateral for perpetuals trading on Aster. This unlocks a whole new level of capital efficiency for all traders.”
Unveiling a new vision for Aster Genesis: Stage 2
Aster Genesis: Stage 2 introduces a new points system with updated eligibility metrics, as well as higher transparency, shaped directly by community feedback from Stage 1.
Traders accumulate points through metrics such as trading volume, position holding time, referral activities, team boosts, using Aster’s asBNB and USDF as margin, and on every profit or loss realized during the event. Stage 2 kicks off immediately, setting the stage for token distribution in Q4 2025.
“Stage 2 tightens the link between engagement and reward ahead of TGE,” said Leonard. “Shaped by user feedback, the new rules prioritize fairness and incentivize authentic user engagement so that every trader can participate on a level field and build toward the airdrop.”
Over 50% of ASTER’s total token supply has been earmarked for community airdrops, and 8.8% (704,000,000 ASTER) will be unlocked immediately upon TGE for eligible participants who have earned Rh or Au points from Aster’s points programs. In addition, users who received Aster Gems allocations from community and partner initiatives, and those who traded on Aster Pro and earned loyalty points after Stage 1 ended, will also be eligible.
Any unclaimed ASTER tokens will be redirected back to the ‘Airdrop’ allocation for future community rewards.
Road to TGE: Platform, products, and milestones
Since Spectra, Aster has advanced its vision for privacy-first trading, introducing Hidden Orders and unveiling Aster L1 Chain as a foundation for private, non-custodial execution, and bringing traditional equity exposure on-chain with 24/7 stock perpetuals. It has also recently launched Spot markets, making Aster a one-stop destination for all on-chain trading needs.
Together, these milestones set the foundation as the exchange moves toward its token generation event (TGE) set for September 17th, 2025.
Long-term success is paramount for the ASTER airdrop
The Aster token (ASTER) is expected to list on major exchanges, including Aster’s spot markets, with coordinated launch promotions to follow closely.
“The ASTER community airdrop is scheduled to take place on the day of TGE,” said Leonard. “We’ve heard comparisons to recent, high-engagement airdrops from competing projects, but our primary focus is signal over spectacle. Authentic participation across Stages 0 and 1 is what this design seeks to reward - generously and fairly - at TGE.”
“With the issuance of ASTER, we are opening the door to the next phase of ecosystem growth and decentralized governance,” said Leonard.
Capturing the winds of change
With the imminent launch of ASTER, Aster is poised to compete with decentralized heavyweights such as Hyperliquid and challenge centralized venues like Binance and Coinbase - anchored by a clear focus on trader protection and capital efficiency.
“Our next leg of growth will come from distribution. Aster will form the liquidity layer behind apps that people already use: an open, capital-efficient platform that partners with wallets and DEXs like PancakeSwap, Trust Wallet, SafePal, or emerging platforms like Four.meme and more. Our goal is simple: compound liquidity across partners so on-chain markets feel invisible, instant, and always on,” said Leonard.
At the time of writing, Aster has garnered over $350M in total value locked (TVL) across seven EVM chains and Solana, with an annualized fee run-rate above $30 million - reflecting an 87.5% year-to-date growth in 2025.
About Aster
Aster is a next-generation decentralized exchange offering both Perpetual and Spot trading, designed as a one-stop onchain venue for global crypto traders. It features MEV-free, one-click execution in Simple Mode. Pro Mode adds 24/7 stock perpetuals, Hidden Orders, and grid trading, available across BNB Chain, Ethereum, Solana, and Arbitrum. Its unique edge lies in the ability to use liquid-staking tokens (asBNB) or yield-generating stablecoins (USDF) as collateral, unlocking unparalleled capital efficiency. Powered by Aster Chain, a high-performance and privacy-focused L1, and backed by YZi Labs, Aster is building the future of DeFi: fast, flexible, and community-first.
Learn more at the Aster official website, or connect with Aster on the official X account.
Media contact
Amber Hsu,
Growth Marketing Manager, Aster
amber@asterdex.com
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