Astherus, the multi-asset liquidity hub backed by YZi Labs (formerly Binance Labs), has officially rebranded as Aster, signaling a strategic pivot toward becoming the dominant force in decentralized perpetuals trading.
This transformation includes adopting AST as the future token ticker, replacing the current APX token following the merger between Astherus and APX Finance. Together, APX and Astherus have facilitated over $258 billion in decentralized perpetual trading volume.
What Are Decentralized Perpetual Exchanges?
Decentralized perpetual exchanges (perp DEXs) have revolutionized the cryptocurrency derivatives market by enabling investors to trade perpetual swaps in a truly decentralized environment. Unlike centralized platforms such as Binance, these exchanges operate on a fundamentally different model.
At their core, perp DEXs facilitate trading against community-provided liquidity, transforming the traditional counterparty relationship. Rather than trading against a centralized exchange, users interact with liquidity pools funded by community members.
This shift not only democratizes the trading process but also ensures self-custody of assets, giving traders complete control over their funds throughout the trading experience. This decentralized approach represents a significant departure from traditional exchange models, offering traders greater transparency, reduced counterparty risk, and alignment between platform success and community interests.
The architecture of perpetual futures DEXs consists of three essential components that work in harmony:
- First, the trading interface serves as the user’s gateway to the platform, providing the tools and visualizations necessary for executing trades, analyzing markets, and managing positions.
- Second, a governance token empowers the community to participate in decision-making processes, from fee structures to protocol upgrades, creating an environment where users have a direct stake in the platform’s evolution.
- Third, and perhaps most critically, a community-funded liquidity pool acts as the counterparty for all trades. This pool absorbs market movements, provides necessary depth for order execution, and distributes rewards to liquidity providers who make the entire system possible.
Aster Features And Upgrades
Building on this impressive foundation, Aster now offers traders two distinct experiences: a Simple mode featuring one-click, MEV-resistant on-chain perpetual trading, and a Pro mode with an advanced order book interface, deep liquidity pools, minimal trading fees, and sophisticated trading tools.
The rebrand positions Aster to directly compete with industry leaders like Hyperliquid. Its ambitious roadmap includes implementing zero-knowledge proofs, developing a dedicated Layer 1 blockchain, and creating an intent-based architecture to streamline DeFi trading.
“Our rebrand reflects our ambition to lead the DeFi perps market while ensuring long-term sustainability,” explains Dust, a Core Contributor at Aster. “With our roots in both APX and YZi Labs, we’ve built strong foundations in trading infrastructure and yield strategies. Aster will continue prioritizing exceptional user experience, robust liquidity, and uncompromising security.”
The platform overhaul includes comprehensive upgrades:
- A completely redesigned homepage showcasing the new brand identity
- Enhanced trading interface with seamless mode switching
- Competitive fee structure (0.01% for makers, 0.035% for takers)
- Expanded liquidity through partnerships with premier market makers
- A generous referral program offering 20% commission
- The upcoming Rh Points Program, allowing traders to earn points redeemable in future airdrops
- A special $10,000 trading campaign targeting users from other leading perpetual DEXs
Aster’s long-term vision includes launching its own Layer 1 blockchain optimized specifically for trading performance, alongside native blockchain explorers to enhance transparency in on-chain trading.
Aster Earning Potential
The introduction of the AST token ticker represents Aster’s evolving identity. While the token listing is planned for the future, the team’s primary focus remains building world-class infrastructure before making AST a central component of the ecosystem.
Aster will continue supporting Astherus’ popular yield products through Aster Earn, including the BNB liquid staking derivative asBNB and yield-bearing stablecoin USDF.
Additional ecosystem partnerships, airdrop details, and token mapping timelines will be announced in the coming months.
About Aster Aster is a next-generation decentralized perpetual exchange designed for all trader profiles. It provides MEV-free, one-click trading with leverage up to 1001x in Simple Mode (on BNB Chain and Arbitrum), alongside comprehensive professional-grade tools in Pro Mode (available on BNB Chain, Ethereum, and Solana). Backed by YZi Labs, Aster is building DeFi’s future with speed, flexibility, and community at its core.
For more information, visit https://asterdex.com or connect with the team on their official X account.