← Aster (ASTER)reviewed 2026-09-09 · 25 claims checked
Fact-check findings
What an automated fact-checker found when it re-read Aster (ASTER) against the sources the page cites. Only the most recent review is shown.
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These findings are produced by an automated reviewer, and its results vary between runs: the same page, checked three times on the same day, came back with 15%, 20% and 34% of its claims disputed, mostly because each run extracted a different number of claims. Treat what follows as leads, not rulings.
“Disputed” means the reviewer could not reconcile the claim with the evidence it cited. It does not mean the claim is false. “Unverifiable” means no reachable source settled it either way.
Nothing here changes the page on its own. A proposed correction is applied only after a human moderator approves it; until then the page reads as it did when reviewed.
disputed
2 claimsThe reviewer could not reconcile the claim with the evidence it cited. This is a lead, not a ruling that the claim is false.
- #15[disputed][awaiting moderator]in section: Smart Contract Security and Audit Status
“Aster states that its smart contracts are open source and have been audited by third-party firms, though no specific audit report names, dates, or links to published audit documents were identified in publicly available materials at the time of research.”
reviewerAster's smart contracts are audited by third-party firms, but no specific audit report names, dates, or links to published audit documents were identified in publicly available materials.The investigator appears to have consulted only the 'Our Smart Contracts' docs page and missed the adjacent 'Audit Reports' page on the same official docs site, which does name specific auditors and reports. Dates and direct document URLs are genuinely not surfaced on that page, so a narrower claim about missing dates/links would be accurate, but the claim as written overstates the opacity.Proposed correction (not yet applied)Aster states that its smart contracts are open source and have been audited by third-party firms; Aster's own documentation names PeckShield, Halborn, and Salus Security as auditors and lists specific reports (including AsterVault, AsterEarn, asBNB, USDF, and asCAKE audits), though publication dates and direct document links are not displayed on the page. - #19[disputed][awaiting moderator]in section: Market Performance and Competitive Position
“Aster's peak total value locked (TVL) reached approximately $1.48 billion.”
reviewerAster's peak total value locked (TVL) reached approximately $1.48 billion.Multiple independent sources place Aster's peak TVL at roughly $2.2-2.46 billion, materially higher than the $1.48 billion figure on the page. Could not directly load DeFiLlama's protocol page (403) but two independent secondary sources citing DeFiLlama data agree with each other and disagree with the page.Proposed correction (not yet applied)Aster's peak total value locked (TVL) reached approximately $2.46 billion in October 2025.
unverifiable
2 claimsNo source the reviewer could reach confirms or contradicts the claim.
- #20[unverifiable][awaiting moderator]in the summary
“As of May 2026, ASTER trades near $0.67 with a circulating market cap of approximately $1.7 billion, ranked approximately #54 by market cap.”
reviewerAs of May 2026, ASTER trades near $0.67 with a circulating market cap of approximately $1.7 billion, ranked approximately #54 by market cap.Plausible given the coin's trading range across 2026, but I could not independently confirm the exact May 2026 price/market-cap/rank snapshot; the cited CoinMarketCap source was archived in July 2026, not May 2026, so it does not directly substantiate the 'as of May 2026' framing. - #21[unverifiable][awaiting moderator]in section: Market Performance and Competitive Position
“As of May 2026, ASTER trades near $0.67 with a circulating supply of approximately 2.6 billion tokens and a circulating market cap of approximately $1.7 billion, ranking near #54 by market capitalization.”
reviewerAs of May 2026, ASTER trades near $0.67 with a circulating supply of approximately 2.6 billion tokens and a circulating market cap of approximately $1.7 billion, ranking near #54 by market capitalization.Duplicate of the summary claim; same verification limitation applies.
stale
1 claimThe claim was accurate when written but events since have overtaken it.
- #5[stale][awaiting moderator]in section: Founding, Merger, and Corporate History
“Aster Chain, a privacy-focused Layer 1 blockchain using Proof-of-Staked Authority (PoSA) consensus, is a planned addition to the ecosystem with testnet targeted for late 2025 and mainnet launch targeted for Q1 2026.”
reviewerAster Chain is a planned Layer 1 blockchain with testnet targeted for late 2025 and mainnet launch targeted for Q1 2026.The page (which elsewhere reports data 'as of May 2026') still frames Aster Chain as a future 'planned addition' with targets, but by the page's own reference date the testnet and mainnet had both already launched. This is now stale/outdated framing rather than a factual error about the original targets.Proposed correction (not yet applied)Aster Chain, a privacy-focused Layer 1 blockchain using Proof-of-Staked Authority (PoSA) consensus, launched its public testnet in early February 2026 (after limited whitelisted testing in late 2025) and its mainnet on March 17, 2026.
partially supported
1 claimThe cited evidence supports part of the claim but not all of it.
- #24[partially supported][awaiting moderator]in section: Team and Leadership Transparency
“A second public-facing team member referred to as 'Ember' handles product communications.”
reviewerA second public-facing team member referred to as 'Ember' handles product communications.Ember does appear to be a real, publicly-facing Aster team member, but the two sources cited on the page for this section do not mention Ember at all, and other sources describe the role as business development/partnerships rather than 'product communications.' The underlying fact of a pseudonymous second team member is plausible but not supported by the specific citations given.
confirmed
19 claimsThe cited evidence supports the claim as written.
- #1[confirmed][no action needed]in section: Entity Overview and Name Confusion
“Aster DEX, by contrast, originated from the merger of Astherus — a multi-asset liquidity and yield protocol — and APX Finance, a BNB Chain-based decentralized perpetuals protocol, with the merger completed in late 2024 and the Aster brand launched March 31, 2025.”
reviewerAster originated from the merger of Astherus and APX Finance, completed in late 2024, with the Aster brand launched March 31, 2025.Merger timing and rebrand date are consistently corroborated across independent outlets. - #2[confirmed][no action needed]in section: Entity Overview and Name Confusion
“The ASTER token launched at TGE on September 17, 2025, at $0.08 per token.”
reviewerASTER token TGE occurred September 17, 2025 at $0.08 per token.Widely and consistently reported figure. - #3[confirmed][no action needed]in section: Entity Overview and Name Confusion
“Astar Network was formerly known as Plasm Network, rebranded to Astar in September 2021, and launched on Polkadot's mainnet in January 2022.”
reviewerAstar Network was formerly Plasm Network, rebranded September 2021, mainnet launched January 2022 on Polkadot.Background facts on the unrelated Astar Network are accurate. - #4[confirmed][no action needed]in section: Founding, Merger, and Corporate History
“The ASTER token reached an all-time high of $2.42 on September 24, 2025, and a peak fully diluted valuation reportedly exceeding $7 billion before retreating significantly.”
reviewerASTER reached an all-time high of $2.42 on September 24, 2025, with peak FDV reportedly exceeding $7 billion.Both figures are corroborated by independent reporting. - #6[confirmed][no action needed]in section: Backing: YZi Labs and CZ Involvement
“Aster's predecessor Astherus received a strategic investment from YZi Labs in November 2024.”
reviewerAstherus received a strategic investment from YZi Labs in November 2024.Consistent across sources cited on the page. - #7[confirmed][no action needed]in section: Backing: YZi Labs and CZ Involvement
“CZ publicly endorsed the project and confirmed an advisory role limited to product and technology guidance — explicitly excluding regulatory matters — in a clarification made during an X Spaces session on September 27-28, 2025.”
reviewerCZ clarified during a September 27-28, 2025 X Spaces session that his Aster advisory role is limited to product/technology guidance, excluding regulatory matters.Matches cited source and timeline entry. - #8[confirmed][no action needed]in section: Backing: YZi Labs and CZ Involvement
“CZ later purchased 2 million ASTER tokens in November 2025, which triggered approximately a 20% price surge.”
reviewerCZ purchased 2 million ASTER tokens in November 2025, triggering approximately a 20% price surge.Figure matches the page's own cited source exactly; other outlets report somewhat higher surge percentages, but this does not rise to a factual contradiction given cited-source consistency. - #9[confirmed][no action needed]in section: Wash Trading Allegations and DeFiLlama Delisting
“On October 5, 2025, DeFiLlama co-founder 0xngmi announced that the platform was removing Aster's perpetual futures volume data from its rankings.”
reviewerOn October 5, 2025, DeFiLlama removed Aster's perpetual futures volume data, citing Binance-mirroring volume patterns.Well corroborated by multiple independent outlets. - #10[confirmed][no action needed]in section: Wash Trading Allegations and DeFiLlama Delisting
“Aster was relisted on DeFiLlama on approximately October 19, 2025, at the project's request while a new verification system was described as under development.”
reviewerDeFiLlama relisted Aster perpetuals data around October 19, 2025, with 0xngmi stating it remained 'a black box.'Date and quote independently verified. - #11[confirmed][no action needed]in section: Token Concentration and Supply Risks
“According to on-chain analysis cited by CoinGecko and other reviewers, as few as six wallets reportedly control approximately 96% of the 8 billion ASTER token supply, with one wallet alleged to hold approximately 44.7% of all tokens.”
reviewerAs few as six wallets control approximately 96% of the 8 billion ASTER supply, with one wallet holding approximately 44.7%.Figure matches independent on-chain analysis reporting, though note concentration has since been reported to have declined to 88-96% per later coverage as large holders sold. - #12[confirmed][no action needed]in section: Token Concentration and Supply Risks
“In March 2026, Aster significantly reduced monthly token unlock amounts — from approximately 78.4 million per month to between 1.8 and 2.25 million per month — a 97% reduction that the project described as a transition from linear vesting to a staking emission model.”
reviewerIn March 2026, Aster cut monthly token unlocks by approximately 97%, from ~78.4 million to 1.8-2.25 million per month.Figures and date precisely corroborated. - #13[confirmed][no action needed]in section: Extreme Leverage and Liquidation Cascade Risk
“At 1001x leverage, a price movement of as little as 0.1% in the adverse direction is sufficient to fully liquidate a position.”
reviewerAster offers up to 1001x leverage; at that leverage a 0.1% adverse move is sufficient to fully liquidate a position.1/1001 ≈ 0.0999%; the arithmetic and the leverage product itself are both confirmed by Aster's own docs. - #14[confirmed][no action needed]in section: USDF Stablecoin and Binance Counterparty Risk
“The USDF mechanism holds USDT collateral in Ceffu custody and executes delta-neutral hedging strategies on Binance to generate yield, distributed weekly to users who stake USDF as asUSDF.”
reviewerUSDF holds USDT collateral in Ceffu custody, hedges on Binance, and distributes yield weekly to asUSDF stakers.Mechanism accurately described and matches Aster's own documentation. - #16[confirmed][no action needed]in section: Smart Contract Security and Audit Status
“The platform's contracts run across multiple chains including BNB Chain, Ethereum, Solana, and Arbitrum, expanding the attack surface.”
reviewerAster's contracts run across BNB Chain, Ethereum, Solana, and Arbitrum, expanding the attack surface.Chain list confirmed, if non-exhaustive per some sources. - #17[confirmed][no action needed]in section: Market Performance and Competitive Position
“During September 2025, Aster briefly claimed approximately 70% of global perpetual DEX trading volume, temporarily surpassing Hyperliquid; however, this market share collapsed following the DeFiLlama delisting controversy and Hyperliquid reasserted dominance.”
reviewerDuring September 2025, Aster briefly claimed approximately 70% of global perpetual DEX trading volume, temporarily surpassing Hyperliquid.Corroborated. - #18[confirmed][no action needed]in section: Market Performance and Competitive Position
“As of early 2026, Hyperliquid held approximately 28% market share in perp DEX open interest versus Aster's approximately 15%.”
reviewerAs of early 2026, Hyperliquid held approximately 28% market share in perp DEX open interest versus Aster's approximately 15%.Figures are within the reported range, though later 2026 data shows Hyperliquid's lead widening further. - #22[confirmed][no action needed]in section: Regulatory and Legal Exposure
“CZ, an Aster advisor and the most prominent public figure associated with the project, pleaded guilty in November 2023 to federal criminal charges related to anti-money laundering failures at Binance and was sentenced to four months in prison; he was released in September 2024.”
reviewerCZ pleaded guilty in November 2023 to AML-related federal charges, was sentenced to four months in prison, and was released in September 2024.Accurate, though the page's phrasing could be read to imply the guilty plea and sentencing were the same event; they were roughly five months apart (plea Nov 2023, sentencing April 2024), a nuance worth clarifying but not a factual error as written. - #23[confirmed][no action needed]in section: Regulatory and Legal Exposure
“No direct SEC, CFTC, DOJ, or other regulatory action against Aster, Astherus, APX Finance, or their principals has been identified in publicly available records as of May 2026.”
reviewerNo direct SEC, CFTC, DOJ, or other regulatory action against Aster, Astherus, APX Finance, or their principals has been identified as of May 2026.This is a claim of absence; I found no contrary evidence, but a negative claim can only be verified to the extent of the search performed. - #25[confirmed][no action needed]in section: Team and Leadership Transparency
“The CEO is known only as 'Leonard,' whose real identity has not been publicly disclosed. His social media profile depicts a hooded figure with no verifiable professional history or credentials provided.”
reviewerLeonard's identity has not been publicly disclosed and his social media profile depicts a hooded figure with no verifiable professional history.Core anonymity claim about Leonard is well supported.
How this fits together. The reviewer reads the published page and its cited sources and records one finding per claim. A human moderator decides whether each proposed correction is applied; those decisions, and the score changes they cause, appear in the audit log. Earlier review runs are not shown here; only the latest reflects the page as it stands.