Aster's Layer-1 Testnet Goes Live for All Users
Aster, the decentralized perpetual futures exchange born from the merger of Astherus and APX Finance, has officially launched the testnet for its dedicated Layer-1 blockchain. The testnet is open to all users, with the full mainnet deployment targeted for Q1 2026. The announcement, confirmed by CoinMarketCap, comes at a time when the broader perp DEX sector is experiencing explosive growth, with cumulative trading volume nearly tripling to over $12 trillion in 2025.
The move positions Aster as a direct challenger to Hyperliquid, which pioneered the app-specific Layer-1 approach for perpetual futures trading. Rather than building on general-purpose chains like Ethereum or Solana, Aster is betting that a purpose-built blockchain optimized for high-throughput derivatives can deliver the performance traders demand.
Why a Dedicated Chain Changes the Game
The decision to build a standalone Layer-1 rather than deploying on an existing chain reflects a growing conviction among DeFi teams: general-purpose blockchains impose performance ceilings that perpetual futures platforms cannot afford.
Perpetual futures contracts require constant price feeds, rapid liquidations, and high-frequency order matching. On congested networks, these operations can lag or fail, resulting in bad fills, missed liquidations, and frustrated traders. By controlling the entire stack, Aster can optimize block times, gas costs, and validator incentives specifically for trading workloads.
Hyperliquid proved this thesis works. Its app-specific chain handles billions in daily volume with sub-second finality. Aster's bet is that the market is large enough for a second major player, especially one with a different lineage. The Astherus yield infrastructure combined with APX Finance's battle-tested perpetuals engine gives Aster a unique vertical integration that Hyperliquid lacks: native yield generation alongside trading.
The $12 Trillion Perp DEX Opportunity
The timing of Aster's testnet launch is not accidental. Perp DEX cumulative trading volume nearly tripled in 2025, surging from roughly $4 trillion to over $12 trillion by year-end. Monthly volumes hit the $1 trillion mark in October, November, and December, a milestone that seemed impossible just two years earlier.
The broader perp DEX sector expanded from representing less than 2% of centralized exchange perpetual trading volume in 2022 to commanding over 20% by 2025. That 10x increase in market penetration signals a structural shift, not a temporary trend.
Several forces are driving this migration:
- Self-custody preference: Traders increasingly want to control their keys while accessing leverage. Self-custody crypto cards and wallets have normalized the idea that users can manage their own assets without sacrificing functionality.
- Regulatory pressure on CEX platforms: Stricter KYC and compliance requirements on centralized exchanges push privacy-conscious traders toward decentralized alternatives.
- Better UX: Perp DEXs have closed the user experience gap with CEXs, offering comparable interfaces, order types, and charting tools.
What the Q1 2026 Roadmap Includes
Aster's roadmap for Q1 2026 extends well beyond simply switching on the mainnet. The planned rollout includes:
Fiat on-ramps: Direct fiat-to-crypto conversion within the Aster ecosystem, removing one of the biggest friction points for new DeFi traders. This is significant because most perp DEX users currently need to go through a centralized exchange or a separate on-ramp service before they can start trading.
Aster code release for developers: Opening the chain's codebase to third-party builders, enabling ecosystem development from launch rather than relying solely on the core team to build every feature.
FHE and DOLO integration: Fully homomorphic encryption and Aster's proprietary DOLO technology aim to protect trader data and improve platform security. Privacy in trading, particularly around order flow and position sizes, has become a competitive differentiator.
Looking further ahead, Q2 2026 plans include ASTER token staking with on-chain governance and "Aster Smart Money," a copy-trading feature that lets users replicate strategies from selected top performers.
What This Means for Traders and the Broader Market
For active derivatives traders, Aster's testnet launch represents a new option in an increasingly competitive landscape. The key question is whether Aster can deliver on latency, uptime, and liquidity, the three pillars that determine whether a perp DEX succeeds or fails.
The ASTER token's performance since its September 2025 TGE has been notable, surging over 2,700% from its $0.08 launch price to an all-time high of $2.42, with the fully diluted valuation exceeding $7 billion by November 2025. That kind of market enthusiasm creates both opportunity and risk for traders evaluating the ecosystem.
For the broader crypto market, the Aster launch reinforces a clear trend: the most ambitious DeFi protocols are moving toward owning their infrastructure. Rather than competing for block space on Ethereum or Solana, projects like Aster and Hyperliquid are building sovereign chains tailored to their specific use cases. This mirrors what Binance did with BNB Chain and what other major exchanges have explored with their own blockchain infrastructure.
The perp DEX race also has implications for crypto card users. As decentralized trading volumes grow, more capital flows through non-custodial wallets and protocols. Card issuers that integrate with DeFi ecosystems, allowing users to spend trading profits directly, will capture a growing share of this market.
FAQ
What is Aster? Aster is a decentralized perpetual futures exchange that emerged from the merger of Astherus and APX Finance in late 2024. It rebranded under the Aster name in March 2025 and is now building a dedicated Layer-1 blockchain for high-performance derivatives trading.
When does Aster mainnet launch? Aster is targeting Q1 2026 for its mainnet launch, along with fiat on-ramps and a code release for developers.
How does Aster compare to Hyperliquid? Both run on purpose-built Layer-1 blockchains designed specifically for perpetual futures trading. Aster differentiates through its integrated yield infrastructure from Astherus and APX Finance's perpetuals engine, plus planned FHE privacy features.
What is the ASTER token used for? The ASTER token is used for platform governance and will support staking in Q2 2026. It launched via TGE in September 2025.
Overview
Aster's Layer-1 testnet launch marks another milestone in the perp DEX sector's rapid maturation. With cumulative volume crossing $12 trillion and monthly volumes regularly exceeding $1 trillion, the market for decentralized derivatives is no longer experimental. Aster's bet on a purpose-built chain, combined with its Astherus yield infrastructure and APX trading engine, positions it as a serious Hyperliquid competitor. Traders should test the chain during the testnet phase and evaluate liquidity and performance before committing capital at mainnet launch.
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