Aster Stats 2026: Volume, OI & Fees
Live Aster stats updated every minute: 24h volume, open interest, fees (0% maker / 0.040% taker), and up to 100x leverage across 50+ pairs on Arbitrum.
Rating
Trading Info
Fee Comparison
Advantages
- Diverse asset coverage including forex and commodities alongside crypto
- High leverage up to 100x on supported pairs
- Active points program for early adopters
- Professional trading interface with advanced order types
Considerations
- Relatively new platform (formed from the APX Finance + Astherus merger, 2024)
- Lower liquidity compared to top-tier protocols
- Limited ecosystem integrations so far
Aster Review 2026
What Aster is
Aster came from the merger of APX Finance and Astherus in December 2024. The combined platform relaunched as Aster on March 31, 2025. APX Finance brought the perp trading engine. Astherus added cash and yield tools. The ASTER token replaced the APX token at a 1:1 ratio. The platform runs on Arbitrum and lists 50 markets: crypto perps, forex pairs, raw goods futures, and 24/7 stock perps. Two modes handle access: Simple mode for retail traders and Pro mode for more advanced order types.
Pricing comes from off-chain data feeds, not from on-chain bid-ask flow. This lets Aster list forex and raw goods markets that would be near-impossible on an on-chain order book. There is no native DeFi pool for EUR/USD or crude oil. The trade-off is feed dependency. Price accuracy relies on feed quality. Fills follow feed updates, not live market flow.
Security and audits
The Trail of Bits audit covers the current Aster design, per the platform's docs. Trail of Bits is one of the most cited audit firms in DeFi. It has a public record going back several years. As of May 2026, no major exploit or fund loss has been reported against the Aster contracts.
The wash-trading issue was not a smart contract bug. It was a question about reported volume data. User fund safety and data integrity are separate issues. No depositor funds were at risk during the DefiLlama delisting.
Fees in detail
Standard fees are 0% for makers and 4 bps (0.04%) for takers. A $10,000 round-trip taker trade costs $8. That puts Aster below Aevo at 8 bps ($16 per trade). It is level with ApeX Omni after its referral cut. It is above DESK's 1.75 bps ($3.50). Paying with the ASTER token cuts fees by an extra 5%.
A $50,000 position opened and closed as a taker at 4 bps costs $40. The fee calculator shows this in real time vs all PerpFinder-tracked venues.
Simple mode allows up to 1,001x leverage on select pairs. Pro mode runs lower leverage bands by asset class. Stock perps have the most conservative caps.
Volume and the DefiLlama controversy
This is the most important data point for reading Aster's numbers. In October 2025, DefiLlama delisted Aster's volume data over suspected wash trading. DefiLlama found that Aster's volume for pairs like XRP/USDT tracked Binance's perp volumes at about 1:1. That pattern does not fit organic trading. Aster's volumes were near 50% of total DEX perp market share before the delisting.
Aster was relisted on October 19, 2025 after asking for reinstatement. DefiLlama noted the numbers remained "a black box." Aster's CEO said the tie came from airdrop farming by "API traders," not wash trading. Cointelegraph called the event a sign of DeFi's broader data problem.
The PerpFinder team cross-checks Aster's DefiLlama data against our Coinalyze and internal tracking data. See live volume numbers with context on our perpetuals page.
Trading experience
Access requires a Web3 wallet and no KYC. Simple mode offers a clean interface for single-direction trades on crypto majors. Pro mode adds hidden limit orders, stock perps (settled in USDT at Pyth prices), and lower leverage caps than Simple mode.
In our May 12, 2026 test, a BTC-PERP position in Pro mode filled within 2 seconds at the oracle price. Stop-loss and take-profit orders worked without issue during moderate volatility. The interface loads from any location with no geo-block.
The points program credits trading activity toward a potential future token event. Referral code "9D087C" gives a 10% point bonus to referred users.
Who Aster is for
Traders who want stock perps (AAPL, TSLA, etc.) alongside crypto in one account: Aster is one of a small set of perp DEXes that offer this, alongside DESK.
Traders who need clean, verified volume data: the DefiLlama issue warrants caution. Use our open interest tool to check Aster's reported positions vs other venues.
Traders who want forex and raw goods perps on Arbitrum: the feed-based model is the only viable path here, and Aster's fees are fair for this use case.
The DefiLlama delisting history most Aster reviews soften
You cannot judge Aster's volume numbers without the delisting context — and most 2026 reviews skip or soften it. Covered here:
1. The October 2025 delisting and relisting history — the volume numbers before and after only make sense with that context 2. Fee context: at 4 bps taker, Aster is in the second tier — not as cheap as DESK (1.75 bps) but well below Aevo (8 bps) 3. We track Aster's volume trend with daily DefiLlama cross-checks — see the perpetuals leaderboard 4. The Simple vs Pro mode split affects both leverage limits and available markets — a detail most sites omit
Related Resources
PerpFinder Research
Editorial TeamEditorial team tracking 30+ perpetual futures venues with live on-chain and exchange data.
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Risk Warning: Trading perpetual futures involves substantial risk of loss and is not suitable for all investors. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Only trade with funds you can afford to lose.
Key Features
Audits
Frequently Asked Questions
How much leverage does Aster offer?▾
Aster tops out at 100x on perpetual futures. Maximum leverage varies by asset class — crypto pairs typically allow higher leverage than forex or commodity markets.
What are Aster trading fees?▾
Aster charges 0 basis points (0%) for makers and 4 basis points (0.04%) for takers. Users can reduce fees by 5% when paying with the $ASTER token. The fee structure is competitive with leading perp DEXes.
What types of assets can I trade on Aster?▾
Aster lists around 50 markets spanning crypto perpetuals, forex currency pairs, and commodity futures. This makes it one of the few DeFi platforms where you can go long oil or short EUR/USD alongside standard crypto pairs.
Has Aster been audited?▾
Aster has been audited by Trail of Bits, one of the most respected smart contract security firms in the industry. The audit covers the current protocol architecture following the APX Finance and Astherus merger.
How does the Aster referral program work?▾
Using referral code 9D087C earns a 10% point bonus on all referred trading activity. Points accumulate toward potential future token rewards, making referrals valuable for both direct rewards and long-term upside.
Why is Aster built on Arbitrum?▾
Arbitrum provides the low gas costs and fast finality needed for an oracle-based perp exchange to function efficiently. The Arbitrum DeFi ecosystem also provides access to professional market makers and deep liquidity infrastructure.
Does Aster have a points program?▾
Yes. Aster runs an active points program rewarding traders based on volume, open interest, and referral activity. Points may convert to future token rewards as the protocol continues to develop its tokenomics.
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