- Aster recovers after a sharp market crash and regains key price levels.
- Removal from DeFiLlama, however, sparked trust issues within the DeFi community.
- Upcoming token unlocks and a delayed airdrop also introduce fresh volatility risks.
After one of its steepest sell-offs to date, the Aster (ASTER) cryptocurrency is showing signs of recovery.
The decentralized exchange token rose more than 13% in the past 24 hours, climbing back from a deep liquidation that wiped out more than half of its market value earlier this month.
The rebound comes after a chaotic week across crypto markets, during which more than $20 billion in leveraged positions were liquidated—the largest single-day wipeout in digital asset history.
Aster, which had gained attention following the APX rebrand, was hit particularly hard, sliding nearly 52% from September highs near $2.30 to lows around $1.10.
The crash followed several damaging events, including Aster’s sudden removal from DeFiLlama, a $12 million token transfer to Binance, and a delay to the long-awaited Stage 2 airdrop.
Removal from DeFiLlama raises deeper questions
Last week’s removal of Aster from DeFiLlama was more than a routine data adjustment. It reignited a broader debate about transparency and trust within decentralized finance (DeFi).
The analytics platform flagged reported Aster volumes for suspicious overlaps with Binance perpetual market data, suggesting some exchange activity might not have been fully organic.
For a project that had quickly climbed the DEX rankings, the delisting was a serious blow to credibility.
The controversy highlighted a persistent issue in DeFi: how much the ecosystem still relies on centralized gatekeepers to validate what appears on-chain.
Observers note that roughly a quarter of exchanges still display signs of inflated activity due to wash trading or automated self-dealing.
When DeFiLlama adjusted Aster’s figures, some critics accused the aggregator of acting like a centralized authority. Other voices defended the decision as necessary to protect the integrity of market data. The episode underscored that, even in systems built on transparency, trust remains a fragile link.
Airdrop delay and token unlock weigh on outlook
Adding to the uncertainty is the postponed Stage 2 airdrop, which the Aster team moved from October 14 to October 20 after complaints about allocation discrepancies.
Developers confirmed that 4% of the token supply will be transferred from the Airdrop Reserve to the project’s Treasury contract in preparation for an upcoming 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
While the delay temporarily eased immediate selling pressure, it also raised concerns about potential dilution. More than half of Aster’s total supply remains allocated for future airdrops, and unclear vesting schedules could generate volatility once those tokens enter circulation.
Bulls return, but resistance looms
Despite these headwinds, Aster’s price has staged a strong recovery, trading around $1.56 after reclaiming support at $1.50.
Technical indicators show improving sentiment: the Relative Strength Index (RSI) has climbed above the neutral 50 mark and the MACD has turned positive, signaling renewed buying interest.
A decisive break above $1.60 could open the path to $1.70 and, if momentum continues, test the psychological $2 level.
On-chain metrics also support the bullish shift. Aster’s total value locked (TVL) has inched up to about $2.16 billion, suggesting liquidity is gradually returning to the protocol.
Though modest, the TVL uptick indicates users are regaining confidence after last week’s panic.
Analysts caution, however, that the bounce could be a short-lived “dead cat bounce” commonly seen after steep 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…
— Ardi (@AltcoinArdi) October 13, 2025
If bullish pressure fades, the price could retreat toward $1.25 or even $0.97.