- Aster is staging a recovery after a severe market crash, reclaiming key price levels.
- However, its delisting from DeFiLlama sparked trust concerns across the DeFi community.
- Upcoming token unlocks and a delayed airdrop also present fresh volatility risks.
After suffering one of the steepest sell-offs to date, the cryptocurrency Aster (ASTER) is showing renewed signs of life.
The decentralized exchange token has climbed more than 13% in the past 24 hours, bouncing back from a deep sell-off that wiped out over half its market value earlier this month.
The rebound follows a chaotic week in crypto that saw more than $20 billion in leveraged positions liquidated — the largest single-day wipeout in digital asset history.
Aster, which rose to prominence after rebranding from APX, was hit especially hard, plunging nearly 52% from September highs near $2.30 to as low as $1.10.
The crash followed a string of damaging events, including a sudden delisting from DeFiLlama, a $12 million token transfer to Binance, and a delay to the long-awaited Stage 2 airdrop.
DeFiLlama delisting raises deeper questions
Aster’s removal from DeFiLlama last week was more than a routine data correction. It reignited a broader debate about transparency and trust in decentralized finance (DeFi).
The analytics platform flagged Aster’s reported volumes for suspicious similarities to Binance’s perpetual market data, suggesting some exchange activity may not have been entirely organic.
For a project that had quickly climbed the DEX rankings, the delisting was a significant credibility blow.
The controversy highlighted a deeper problem in DeFi: how much the supposedly trustless ecosystem still depends on centralized gatekeepers to determine what’s real.
Experts note that roughly a quarter of exchanges still show signs of inflated activity through wash trading or automated self-trading.
When DeFiLlama removed Aster’s data, some critics accused the aggregator of acting as a centralized authority. Others defended the decision as necessary to preserve the integrity of market data.
The episode served as a reminder that in a world built on transparency, trust remains the weakest link.
Delayed airdrop and token unlock weigh on outlook
Adding to the uncertainty is Aster’s upcoming Stage 2 airdrop, which the team postponed from October 14 to October 20 after complaints about distribution discrepancies.
Developers have confirmed that 4% of the token supply will soon be moved from the Airdrop Reserve to the project’s Treasury contract in preparation for unlocking.
Heads up, community.
We’re moving funds on-chain to prepare for the upcoming Stage 2 $ASTER airdrop claim.
A total of 4% of $ASTER tokens will be transferred from the Airdrop Reserve to the Aster DEX Treasury contract.These are official transactions conducted by the team.…
— Aster (@Aster_DEX) October 13, 2025
Although the delay temporarily eased selling pressure, it also raised concerns about future dilution.
More than half of Aster’s total supply remains allocated to upcoming airdrops, and the lack of clear vesting details could trigger volatility as those tokens enter circulation.
Bulls return, but resistance looms
Despite these headwinds, Aster’s price has staged a notable recovery and is trading around $1.56 after reclaiming key support at $1.50.
Technical indicators reflect improved sentiment. The Relative Strength Index (RSI) has climbed above the neutral 50 level, and the MACD has turned positive, signaling renewed buying pressure.
A clean break above $1.60 could open the path to $1.70 and potentially the psychological $2 level if momentum continues.
On-chain data also supports the bullish turn. Aster’s total value locked (TVL) has ticked up to $2.16 billion, indicating liquidity is slowly returning to the protocol.
The TVL increase, while modest, suggests users are regaining confidence after last week’s panic.
Analysts caution, however, that the move resembles a “dead cat bounce” often seen after sharp declines.
$ASTER this might be unpopular, but there’s a valid case to be made that despite the liquidation, Aster’s still forming another lower high while bulls try to regain momentum.
The rejection around $1.53 lines up pretty nicely with both the top of the descending channel and the… pic.twitter.com/FAztwhn2Pl
— Ardi (@AltcoinArdi) October 13, 2025
If bullish pressure fades, the price could retreat toward $1.25 or even $0.97.