ASTER Gears Up for Second Airdrop Phase as Open Interest Explodes to $5B

Decentralized trading platform ASTER has unveiled its roadmap for the second phase of its airdrop program, set to begin on October 10, marking another milestone in the project’s rapid rise. 

The team confirmed via X that the Genesis Stage 2 airdrop will officially wrap up on October 5, with reward claims opening five days later and token distribution beginning on October 14.

Unlike the previous phase, rewards in Stage 2 will come with no lock-up period, meaning participants can use or trade their tokens immediately. Following that, Stage 3 — “Aster Dawn” — will launch and run for five weeks until November 9, introducing a more sophisticated incentive system featuring spot trading bonuses, multi-dimensional scoring, and symbol-specific multipliers.

Team-based incentives are also evolving. Instead of weekly resets, progress will now carry over, encouraging long-term collaboration and sustained engagement within the community. The strategic redesign aims to maintain user momentum and deepen loyalty as ASTER continues expanding its ecosystem.

Speculation Builds Around Binance Listing

Momentum around ASTER has been surging, fueled by on-chain activity hinting at a potential Binance listing. Observers noticed ASTER tokens being moved into Binance wallets, beginning with a small test transfer of 20 tokens, followed by a much larger $4.8 million transaction.

Former Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao (CZ) recently endorsed the project, intensifying speculation that a listing announcement may be imminent. Such a move could significantly broaden ASTER’s exposure to millions of retail and institutional investors worldwide.

In derivatives markets, ASTER’s growth has been extraordinary. Analyst Fefe Demeny reported that open interest skyrocketed from near zero to $5 billion in just two weeks, now representing roughly one-third of HyperliquidX’s total open interest. 

Despite Hyperliquid’s $50 billion fully diluted valuation compared to ASTER’s $13 billion, the sharp climb signals massive investor confidence and capital inflow.

Celebrity Backing and Price Volatility

Adding to the hype, YouTube megastar MrBeast reportedly bought over 167,000 ASTER tokens worth $320,000, raising his total investment to about $1.28 million. His involvement has drawn mainstream attention and strengthened community enthusiasm.

However, the token’s price has seen heightened volatility. After climbing from $1.50 to above $2.14, ASTER recently slipped below a key support at $1.74. Analyst Ardi cautioned that losing this level could trigger deeper losses, while reclaiming it could push prices above $2.30.

At press time, ASTER trades around $1.80, down 10% in the past 24 hours, but market sentiment remains optimistic ahead of the airdrop and potential exchange listing.