If you’ve been paying attention to the DeFi space lately, you’ve probably heard the buzz around Aster DEX. This next-generation decentralized perpetual exchange has been making serious waves, and right now there’s a massive airdrop opportunity that you don’t want to sleep on. I’ve been digging into the details, and in this guide I’ll walk you through everything you need to know to start farming the ASTER airdrop.
What Is Aster DEX?
Aster DEX emerged from the merger of Astherus and APX Finance in late 2024, and it’s quickly positioned itself as one of the most exciting competitors to Hyperliquid in the decentralized derivatives market. Backed by YZi Labs and CZ from Binance, the platform offers both spot and perpetual trading with some genuinely impressive features.
We’re talking up to 1001x leverage in Simple Mode, hidden orders that function like a dark pool to protect you from MEV and front-running, and support across 8+ chains including BNB Chain, Arbitrum, Ethereum, Solana, and Base. The platform has already hit $1.14 billion in TVL and processes over $3 billion in daily volume. Those aren’t small numbers for a relatively new DEX.
One of the standout innovations is yield-bearing collateral. You can use asBNB (which auto-compounds BNB staking rewards) or USDF (a delta-neutral stablecoin) as your trading margin. So you’re earning 5-7% baseline yield while simultaneously trading. That’s capital efficiency that most other platforms simply can’t match.
The ASTER Airdrop: Stage 2 Genesis and Beyond
Here’s where things get really interesting. Aster has allocated a whopping 53.5% of the total ASTER supply — that’s 4.28 billion tokens — for community rewards through their airdrop program. The Stage 2 Genesis kicked off on September 17, 2025, and the program has continued evolving through multiple stages, with Stage 4 and 5 now underway.
The points system revolves around “Rh points” which reset every week on Monday at 00:00 UTC. These points convert into future token distributions, and the more consistently you farm, the bigger your allocation. Past stages have yielded six-figure drops for top participants, so the rewards here are very real.
How Rh Points Work
Your Rh points come from several sources, and understanding the weighting is key to maximizing your airdrop:
Trading Volume: This is the biggest driver. Taker orders earn 2x the points compared to maker orders, so market orders are your friend here. The magic number is $500k+ in weekly volume to hit the “High” scoring tier, and if you can push past $5 million monthly, you unlock a 5x multiplier.
Position Holding Time: Aster rewards patience. Holding positions for longer than 60 minutes improves your holding-time score, which can cap at 2x your weekly volume score. Don’t just scalp in and out — let your trades breathe a little.
Realized P&L: Here’s a nice twist — both profits AND losses count positively toward your score. The platform rewards active trading regardless of outcome, so don’t stress about every trade being a winner.
Yield Collateral Usage: Using asBNB or USDF as your trading collateral gives you an extra multiplier. USDF holders with more than 1 USDF get a 20x Au-points multiplier, which is massive.
Referrals: Building a team earns you 10% from first-level referrals and 5% from second-level. It adds up quickly if you have an active network.
Step-by-Step Farming Strategy
Let me break down exactly how to get started. The whole setup takes about 15 minutes.
Step 1 — Connect and Set Up: Head to asterdex.com and connect your wallet. They also have a mobile app in beta for iOS and Android, which makes tracking your points much easier on the go.
Step 2 — Prepare Yield Assets: Mint asBNB by staking BNB at a 1:1 ratio. This earns you staking yield plus BNB airdrops while serving as margin. Also consider minting USDF for that juicy 20x Au-points multiplier. Transfer these assets to your Pro-mode margin account.
Step 3 — Trade in Pro Mode: This is critical — Simple Mode trades don’t count for airdrop points. You need to be trading exclusively in Pro Mode. Focus on taker orders for the 2x point bonus, hold positions for at least 60 minutes, and aim for that $500k weekly volume target.
Step 4 — Weekly Optimization: Since points reset every Monday, treat each week as a fresh campaign. Realize your P&L regularly (remember, both wins and losses count), monitor your ranking on the leaderboards, and adjust your strategy based on where you stand. Only your rank matters, not raw values, which helps prevent gaming.
What Makes This Airdrop Worth Farming
A few things set the ASTER airdrop apart from the typical DeFi token distribution. First, the sheer allocation — 53.5% of supply going to the community is generous by any standard. Second, the multi-stage structure means there are ongoing opportunities even if you missed earlier rounds. Third, the Binance ecosystem backing gives ASTER legitimate staying power. CZ himself has highlighted Aster as the largest BSC-USDT holder, and that kind of endorsement carries weight.
ASTER has already shown impressive price action, surging over 2,100% from its $0.03 launch price. While there are valid concerns about supply concentration (96% sitting in just 4 wallets) and potential selling pressure from unlock events, the fundamental thesis remains strong for a platform that’s actively competing with Hyperliquid on volume and TVL metrics.
Risk Considerations
I’d be doing you a disservice if I didn’t mention the risks. The 96% supply concentration is a real concern — insider selling has already caused significant dumps, with $60 million+ moved in a single day at one point. Token unlock events can trigger cascading sell pressure. There have also been some early technical hiccups, including paused Arbitrum withdrawals and vanishing ETH balances.
That said, the community sentiment sits around 60% bullish, with many viewing ASTER as the “next Hyperliquid” play. The platform’s accessibility (no VPN required for US users, seamless SOL USDT deposits) and innovative features like hidden orders give it genuine competitive advantages.
Final Thoughts
The ASTER airdrop represents one of the more compelling farming opportunities in DeFi right now. With over half the token supply dedicated to community distribution and a clear, transparent points system, the path to earning is straightforward — trade actively in Pro Mode, use yield-bearing collateral, build your referral network, and stay consistent week over week. The earlier you start, the better positioned you’ll be as the program continues to evolve through new stages. Happy farming!
Michael Gu
Michael Gu, Creator of Boxmining, stared in the Blockchain space as a Bitcoin miner in 2012. Something he immediately noticed was that accurate information is hard to come by in this space. He started Boxmining in 2017 mainly as a passion project, to educate people on digital assets and share his experiences. Being based in Asia, Michael also found a huge discrepancy between digital asset trends and knowledge gap in the West and China.