Aster News Today: Aster Delays Airdrop Check to Curb Abuse, Ensure Fair Rewards

Aster, a decentralized perpetual exchange, has announced that the check page for its Stage 2 airdrop will be delayed and is now scheduled to go live at 10:00 PM UTC today, October 10, 2025. This update follows the conclusion of Genesis Phase 2 (S2), which distributed 320 million $ASTER tokens-4% of the total supply-to eligible participants based on Rh points earned through trading activity, referrals, and use of yield-bearing collateral like asBNB or USDF .

The eligibility checker, accessible via Aster's official airdrop portal, allows users to verify their rewards by connecting their wallets to the platform. Participants must have engaged in trading on Aster Pro, held positions, or participated in referral programs during the S2 trading window (June 23 to August 24, 2025) to qualify Aster airdrop^[4]. The claim window for Stage 2 opens on October 14 and closes on October 17, with unclaimed tokens redirected to Aster's ecosystem fund .

Aster introduced flexibility in reward redemption for S2 participants, offering two options: receiving the standard $ASTER airdrop or opting for a full refund of S2 trading fees, effectively enabling zero-fee trading Aster Offers Users Choice Between Airdrop and Full Transaction Fee Refund in S2 Phase^[6]. The default selection is the airdrop if no choice is made. This adjustment aims to address community feedback on reward distribution fairness and reduce potential gaming of the system .

The Stage 2 airdrop has been closely watched due to its scale and the platform's rapid growth post-launch in mid-September 2025. Within days of its debut, ASTER's price surged from $0.03 to a peak of $2.26, with open interest exceeding $1.25 billion and total value locked (TVL) nearing $2 billion Aster Airdrop October 2025: Eligibility, Rewards, and How to Join^[2]. However, critics have raised concerns about potential wash-trading inflating these metrics. Aster has emphasized its anti-abuse filters and weekly protocol fees (exceeding $120 million) to stabilize the token's value and ensure fair distribution .

Stage 3 (Dawn) is set to follow, with enhanced scoring mechanisms, anti-abuse systems, and expanded rewards for spot trading and multi-dimensional participation. These updates aim to refine reward accuracy and sustain user engagement beyond the airdrop hype .