Aster's Trading Volume Surges 1800% in Five Days, Challenges DEXs

Aster, a cryptocurrency, has been gaining significant attention in the market due to its rapid growth and rising trading volumes. The token has seen a sharp increase in user activity, drawing both strong interest and skepticism from analysts and traders. The project is targeting a key support zone between $1.65 and $1.55, which many view as a potential bounce zone before the token aims for higher levels. This zone includes the Point of Control (POC) and a previous resistance level that has now turned into support. Technical traders believe this zone could offer a rebound opportunity, with many watching closely for a confirmed hold of the support to validate the bullish path.

Aster’s trading volume has shown fast growth, reaching $36 billion in daily trading after recording $1.9 billion five days post-launch. The platform has introduced gamified trading, attracting a large number of users who earn points through activity, which are expected to be used in a future airdrop. The token’s market cap has also jumped significantly, while the platform’s open interest and total value locked (TVL) have doubled to over $2 billion. Despite the growth, some analysts have raised concerns about the project’s decentralization, as on-chain data shows that 96% of ASTER tokens are held by only six wallets. There is also concern over the project’s ties to former Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao, whose fund, YZi Labs, is backing Aster. While some see this as strong support, others question the project’s decentralization. The token’s rise challenges established DEXs like Hyperliquid, which has set a record of $102.4 million revenue per employee with only 11 contributors. As the market watches the $1.65 to $1.55 support range, traders prepare for what could be the next major move, depending on whether this level holds or breaks.

Aster has addressed a significant technical incident affecting its XPL perpetual contracts trading pair on September 25, 2025. An abnormal, sharp price surge occurred around 11 p.m. UTC, where the XPL contract price deviated substantially from the token's typical $1.30 level observed on other exchanges, reportedly spiking beyond $4. This anomaly triggered unexpected liquidations for some traders using the platform.

The decentralized exchange acted promptly, acknowledging the unusual price movement publicly and assuring users about the security of funds within hours of the event. Aster immediately initiated a full technical review to determine the cause. Concurrently, the project committed to compensating users who suffered liquidations directly resulting from this price spike.

Affected users received full reimbursement for the losses incurred due to the liquidations. Compensation was distributed in USDT (Tether), a stablecoin, and transferred directly to the impacted users' wallets. Furthermore, Aster conducted a subsequent round of compensation to cover associated trading and liquidation fees stemming from the incident. The project confirmed the compensation process was initiated and largely completed within three hours of the initial announcement regarding reimbursement.

The incident coincided with the launch of the Plasma network's XPL token, for which Aster had recently introduced its perpetual contract market. Community speculation suggested the price anomaly might have resulted from the temporary removal of certain price safeguards following the XPL token's launch, although Aster's official communications focused on resolution and compensation rather than confirming a specific root cause. The platform subsequently notified users that the technical issue causing the abnormal price movement had been resolved.

Aster's swift response in investigating the issue, transparent communication regarding fund safety, and execution of a comprehensive reimbursement plan for affected users has been highlighted as a key action taken by the platform to maintain user confidence during this operational challenge, particularly occurring amidst Plasma's mainnet developments.