Aster Chain Mainnet Final Preparation Stage, Project Governance Transparency is Key

Supported by Binance founder Changpeng Zhao, the decentralized exchange Aster is making final preparations for the full launch of the Aster Chain mainnet in March 2026. With this mainnet launch, Aster’s platform will go beyond mere crypto asset trading, establishing its own blockchain, community-led governance structure, and expanding access to real-world assets.

The project team announced on X (formerly Twitter), “Aster Chain mainnet is in March. Privacy is secured. Aster moves forward.” This statement reflects a strong commitment to ensuring transparency in governance (as the opposite of opacity) for users.

The implementation of the Aster Chain mainnet is a key milestone on the roadmap leading up to 2026. The integration of fiat on/off ramps is expected to further strengthen Aster’s infrastructure. The chain will function as a dedicated network for Aster’s proprietary on-chain products and developer tools.

From Testnet to Full Operation, Rapid User Base Growth

The Aster Chain Layer 1 testnet began operation in early February 2026. After initial testing phases at the end of 2025, the current user base has grown to over 50,000. Having gone through multiple testnet phases, the project is now well-positioned to smoothly transition from verification to implementation.

Throughout 2026, Aster will focus on community-led upgrades for its decentralized exchange. Key goals include staking features, expanded on-chain participation, and strengthening governance rights through the native token. Additionally, expanding access to real-world assets like the stock permanent market and enhancing synthetic trading functions are major focuses. These initiatives aim to shift Aster’s platform toward more transparent and democratic governance.

Market Volatility Maintains ASTER Token’s Steady Rise

Aster DEX token (ASTER) is expected to increase in value soon, thanks to the success of the L1 testnet implementation. However, at the time of this announcement, the overall market was down 20.3% since the beginning of the year.

As of March 5, 2026, the latest ASTER data:

• Current Price: $0.72 (slightly up from $0.7001 in the previous report)
• 1-hour change: -0.21%
• 24-hour change: +2.67%
• 7-day change: +1.92%
• 24-hour trading volume: $1.80M
• Market cap: $1.19B
• Circulating supply: approximately 1.65 billion tokens
• Total supply: 8 billion tokens

Despite the overall market decline, ASTER’s nearly 2% increase over 24 hours is notable.

Market activity insights:

According to CoinGlass, ASTER experienced total liquidations of $3,610 in the past hour, with $525,240 from long positions and $3,080 from shorts. Over four hours, liquidations totaled $33,290, with longs at $24,670 and shorts at $8,620.

On-chain data shows that in the past 24 hours, liquidations reached $2,390,000, with $317,150 from longs and $2,080,000 from shorts. Over 12 hours, liquidations totaled $365,800, with longs at $100,600 and shorts at $265,190. The market chaos favors shorts, with increasing liquidation amounts.

Futures and spot trading volumes:

• 24-hour futures trading volume: $775,640,000
• 24-hour spot trading volume: $96,030,000
• Open interest: $325,910,000

These figures indicate very active futures market activity for ASTER tokens.

Rapid Expansion of Perp DEX Market and Surging Demand for Custom Chains

In March 2025, Aster rebranded to a perpetual futures DEX. This positioned it in direct competition with Hyperliquid, a Layer 1 application-specific blockchain.

Across the Web3 industry, launching dedicated custom chains has become a major trend. Projects are reducing reliance on general-purpose networks like Ethereum and Solana, shifting toward high-throughput, specialized blockchains tailored to their needs.

Hyperliquid’s strong performance has increased interest in other Perp DEX platforms, including Aster. This trend is fundamentally changing how traders access crypto futures on decentralized platforms.

Growth scale of the Perp DEX market:

The total trading volume of perpetual futures DEXs nearly tripled last year, growing from about $4 trillion to over $12 trillion. According to DeFiLlama, approximately $7.9 trillion of this was generated in 2025.

Notably, the monthly trading volume of perpetual exchanges surpassed $1 trillion in October, November, and December 2025, illustrating the rapid growth trajectory of the Perp DEX market.

Aster’s launch of its mainnet on its own blockchain aligns with this expanding market wave. With transparent governance and user-focused upgrade processes, Aster aims to carve out its own position in this highly competitive landscape.