- Aster is rebounding after a sharp market crash, regaining key price levels.
- DeFiLlama delisting, however, sparked trust concerns across the DeFi community.
- Upcoming token unlock and delayed airdrop also pose new volatility risks.
After one of its steepest declines, the Aster (ASTER) cryptocurrency is showing renewed strength.
The decentralized exchange token has climbed more than 13% in the past 24 hours, recovering ground after a severe sell-off that erased over half of its market value earlier this month.
This recovery comes in the wake of a chaotic period for the crypto market that included the liquidation of over $20 billion in leveraged positions — the largest single-day wipeout in digital asset history.
Aster, which gained attention after rebranding from APX, was hit especially hard, dropping nearly 52% from September highs near $2.30 to lows around $1.10.
The plunge followed several disruptive events: Aster’s abrupt removal from DeFiLlama, a $12 million token transfer to Binance, and a postponement of the anticipated Stage 2 airdrop.
DeFiLlama delisting raises deeper questions
Being delisted from DeFiLlama was more than a routine data update for Aster — it reopened a broader discussion about transparency and trust within decentralized finance (DeFi).
The analytics platform highlighted suspicious similarities between Aster’s reported volumes and Binance’s perpetual market data, implying that some of the exchange activity may not have been organic.
For a project that had rapidly risen to the top of DEX rankings, the delisting represented a significant credibility setback.
The episode underscored a persistent tension in DeFi: although the ecosystem is designed to be trustless, many participants still rely on centralized aggregators and authorities to validate market data.
Observers estimate that roughly a quarter of exchanges display signs of inflated activity through practices like wash trading or automated self-dealing.
When DeFiLlama removed Aster’s data, critics accused the aggregator of behaving like a centralized gatekeeper, while defenders argued the action protected data integrity. The incident illustrated that even in systems built around openness, trust remains fragile.
Airdrop delay and upcoming token unlock add volatility risk
Compounding market uncertainty is the postponed Stage 2 airdrop, which the Aster team rescheduled from October 14 to October 20 after community complaints about allocation discrepancies.
The developers confirmed that 4% of the token supply will be moved from the Airdrop Reserve into the project’s Treasury contract in preparation for the unlock.
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
The delay has temporarily reduced immediate selling pressure, but it also raises concerns about future dilution. More than half of Aster’s total supply remains earmarked for forthcoming airdrops, and unclear vesting schedules could trigger volatility once those tokens start circulating.
Bulls return, but resistance and downside risks remain
Despite these headwinds, Aster has recovered to trade near $1.56 after reclaiming support around $1.50.
Technical indicators have improved: the Relative Strength Index (RSI) has moved above the neutral 50 level, and the MACD has turned positive, both signs of renewed buying interest.
A decisive move above $1.60 could open the way toward $1.70 and, if momentum continues, push toward the $2 psychological level.
On-chain metrics lend some support to the recovery. Aster’s total value locked (TVL) has ticked up to about $2.16 billion, indicating that liquidity is returning to the protocol after last week’s panic.
Even with a modest rebound in TVL, analysts warn that the latest uptick could be a “dead cat bounce” — a brief recovery following a steep decline rather than a sustained turnaround.
$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 momentum falters, Aster could retreat toward support levels near $1.25 or potentially test lows around $0.97. Traders and holders will likely watch on-chain indicators, upcoming token movements, and market sentiment closely as the situation develops.