Aster bounced back sharply today, gaining more than 12% and climbing past $2.10. The move came as Binance officially opened spot trading for the token across several pairs, including ASTER/USDT and ASTER/USDC. Despite the recent price pressure, the listing appears to have restored short-term confidence – at least for now.
Binance added a Seed Tag to the token, signaling its early-stage status and potential for volatility. Deposits opened ahead of the launch, with withdrawals scheduled to follow. The exchange also moved all ASTER balances from its Alpha platform into Spot accounts, ending the token’s Alpha Points program.
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Volume Concerns Still in Play
While the Binance listing boosted visibility, recent concerns around Aster’s trading volume have not disappeared. Analytics site DeFiLlama delisted Aster DEX’s perpetual data after detecting volume patterns that closely mirrored Binance’s – raising the possibility of artificial activity. Aster’s use of dark pools makes it difficult to verify order-level data.
The platform had previously reported more than $96 billion in daily volume, surpassing even major centralized exchanges. Critics raised the possibility of wash trading, while supporters argued the similarities could be due to liquidity migration. As of now, the Aster team has not addressed the delisting directly.
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Despite the controversy, large buyers appear to be accumulating. On-chain data shows multiple whales have withdrawn tens of millions worth of ASTER from exchanges in recent days. The token has also remained one of the most actively traded assets across decentralized platforms, even after the DeFiLlama delisting.
Meanwhile, new features are being rolled out. Aster DEX recently introduced VIP trading tiers and a $300,000 monthly reward pool for market makers. The platform is also entering its third season of rewards, with airdrops set to resume on October 14 following the recent Stage 2 conclusion.
What Comes Next
Technically, ASTER now faces resistance between $2.25 and $2.70, with traders watching whether today’s move will be sustained or fade like previous rallies. Support level remains near $1.53.
The project’s near-term path may depend on how it handles the upcoming token unlock and whether it provides clearer data transparency. For now, Aster remains a high-profile DeFi contender – with strong momentum but growing questions.
