Bybit said today it became the first exchange to list Aster’s spot pair (ASTER/USDT). The exchange set the rollout around the weekend and paired the launch with reward campaigns. The company framed the move as an early listing ahead of other major platforms.
The exchange detailed two promotions tied to the listing window. A fixed-term ASTER staking product opened on September 21 at 10:00 UTC, while a trading campaign with a prize pool up to 100,000 USDT runs from September 21 at 11:00 UTC through September 29 at 11:00 UTC. These dates place the incentives on both sides of today’s listing headlines.
Bybit’s owned media also highlighted the Aster debut in its Daily Bits update published September 22. The post grouped token-claim mechanics and new listings around the spot debut, reinforcing timing and venue confirmation from the exchange’s channels.
OKX schedules ASTER perpetual futures at 05:00 UTC
OKX announced it would open USDT-margined ASTER perpetual futures today at 05:00 UTC. The venue posted the time on its official X account, noting availability across its standard interfaces once live. The listing adds leveraged access to the token shortly after Bybit’s spot market.
Coverage summarizing the OKX launch reiterated the 05:00 UTC start and typical leverage ranges OKX offers on comparable contracts. While secondary, those recaps align with the exchange’s own timestamp and expand context for derivatives access following the spot listing.
Together, the moves put ASTER on a major spot venue and a top-tier derivatives venue within the same news cycle. The sequence is notable for liquidity formation, as it places order books and perps side by side while marketing campaigns are active.
Diamond hand’ APX holder’s $226K grows to $7M as ASTER swap drives rally
A crypto wallet that accumulated 3.62 million APX in 2022 now holds more than $7 million. Arkham Intelligence data attributes the stash to wallet 0x9d22, which built the position through swaps and transfers when APX traded below $0.07. The notional value rose as APX hovered around $1.95 this weekend.
The position began near $226,000 based on historical prices and purchase timing. As APX printed strong gains, the market value reached roughly $7.07 million. The shift reflects both price appreciation and the size of the original holdings, rather than new inflows.
During the past 24 hours, APX jumped more than 120% and briefly touched an all-time high near $1.98, according to CoinMarketCap. The move pushed market capitalization to about $827 million, while daily volume approached $79 million. The token now sits nearly 8,000% above its 2022 low.
ASTER upgrade and swap window underpin flows
The price spike followed the launch of Aster’s token upgrade and swap. APX holders can exchange APX for ASTER, the new native token of the Aster protocol. The exchange window opened midweek with a declining ratio across five periods to encourage early participation.
APX DAO stakers received a path to unlock positions without penalties starting Tuesday. They can swap recovered tokens under the same terms as other holders. The project ended DAO rewards last week, which removed a parallel incentive stream and concentrated attention on the upgrade path.
As the swap went live, liquidity moved across venues that support the migration. Consequently, traders reacted to swap mechanics and price discovery in real time. The combination of a firm timetable and tiered ratios created clear near-term catalysts for APX price and volumes.
Network activity and TVL reset after spike
Aster’s total value locked briefly crossed $2 billion around the token’s debut before falling back near $545 million, according to prior reports. The surge coincided with a burst of trading activity as the swap began and early liquidity formed. Subsequently, TVL retraced as initial deposits shifted and rates normalized.
Within 24 hours of launch, Aster recorded about $434 million in trading volume. That level placed the venue among the more active decentralized derivatives platforms during the window. However, it still trailed Hyperliquid on both volume and open interest, based on public dashboards at the time.
Incubation links trace back to YZi Labs and Astherus, Aster’s predecessor. A BNB Chain spokesperson said Aster received mentorship, exposure, and technical support through the program. The network also highlighted Aster’s role within its derivatives stack, positioning it as a leading venue on BNB Chain while the swap proceeds.
ASTER cools after a vertical run, holds above intraday trend line
ASTER trades near 1.5252 USDT on the 30-minute chart captured on Sep. 22. Price pulled back from a local peak late on the 21st, then stabilized around the 50-EMA at 1.4859. The sequence shows a strong advance from sub-1.00 levels into the 1.80 area, followed by a lower-high drift and a test of short-term support. Volume rose during the push up and faded on the dip, which usually signals profit-taking rather than aggressive selling.
Momentum reset but remains neutral-positive. The 14-period RSI sits at 53.98 with a smoothing line near 49.05. Earlier, RSI spiked into the 70s during the breakout, then cooled below 50 as price retreated toward the EMA. This mean-reversion eased overbought pressure and left room for a fresh attempt higher if buyers defend the moving average on subsequent candles.
Near term, watch the 1.49–1.50 zone at the 50-EMA. Holding above it favors a grind back toward 1.60, then the 1.70–1.80 supply area where the last push stalled. A clean break and close below the EMA would shift focus to prior liquidity pockets around 1.40 and 1.30, where the last consolidation formed. As derivatives liquidity comes online, expect wider ranges intraday; sustained closes above 1.60 with RSI basing above 50 would validate recovery, while repeated rejections there would keep the chart in a sideways cooling phase.