Aster DEX, a decentralized cryptocurrency exchange often compared to Hyperliquid, has unveiled a dual announcement that sent its native token, ASTER, up over 10% on June 17, 2026. The centerpiece is a structural revamp of its tokenomics: starting at 12:00 PM UTC, 99% of daily platform fees will be automatically directed to buying back ASTER via time-weighted average price (TWAP) orders, settled on-chain to a public wallet. For every token repurchased, an equal amount is permanently burned from reserves, beginning with team allocations, putting ASTER on a clear deflationary path.
All bought-back tokens flow into Loyalty Rewards, stacked atop an existing 300,000 ASTER base pool and distributed proportionally to veASTER lock weight. The protocol had already completed over $214 million in cumulative buybacks before this upgrade, reclaiming more than 143.38 million ASTER (7.11% of supply) in under a month. The announcement broke a short-term downtrend, with ASTER rallying 12% in less than two hours, though resistance near $0.75 has so far capped gains. Support is clustered around $0.63, with the 30-period moving average at $0.65 acting as a short-term floor; the RSI hovered near 61, signaling moderate bullish momentum.
Simultaneously, Aster launched a $100,000 New User Bonus Campaign, running from June 17 to June 24 UTC. Eligible new users who meet deposit and trading volume milestones can earn rewards up to $100,000, distributed within 14 business days after the campaign ends. Strict anti-abuse measures exclude market makers and disqualify wash trading, volume manipulation, or Sybil attacks. These back-to-back moves highlight Aster’s aggressive push to attract liquidity and users in the competitive on-chain derivatives market, directly challenging established players.
