Aster DEX Unlocks Stage 4 Airdrop Claims, Burns 754k ASTER

Aster, a decentralized exchange offering perpetual and spot trading across multiple blockchains, has opened early claims for its Stage 4 airdrop. Users who chose the 50% early claim option can start accessing their allocations today at 12:00 UTC.

The platform also confirmed that 118.5 million ASTER tokens, representing 98.74% of the total allocation, will remain locked until April 28. This means only a small portion is available now, while the majority will stay restricted to ensure gradual distribution.

Stage 4 airdrop early claim opens today at 12:00 UTC.

118.5M $ASTER (98.74%) remain locked until 28 April.

Users who selected the 50% early claim option can start claiming their allocation at 12:00 UTC. A total of 754,041 $ASTER (0.63%) has been transferred from the Airdrop…

— Aster (@Aster_DEX) January 28, 2026

ASTER Token Burn

According to the project’s announcement, 754,041 ASTER tokens (0.63%) were moved from the airdrop reserve to the Aster DEX treasury contract. An equal amount of 754,041 ASTER tokens is scheduled for permanent burning later today. The exchange plans to share the transaction hash once the burn is completed.

Community reaction to the announcement has been mixed. Some users welcomed the token burn as a step toward supply discipline and potential price stability. Others expressed concern about market manipulation and token dumping. One commenter noted,

1: its all fake volume, they are lying about the vesting vs claim ratio to grab liquidity and dump on us

2: its all fake volume, they aren’t lying about the vesting vs claim ratio but they don’t want the token to die just yet.

— Tax Evader (@the_taxevader) January 28, 2026

Aster DEX Strengthens Market Presence

Aster has seen strong activity in the decentralized finance sector. It reported roughly $2.53 billion in recent trading volume and $2.52 billion in open interest. The native ASTER token is trading near $0.6954, with 24-hour volume exceeding $133 million.

Alongside this market activity, the exchange, supported by YZi Labs, offers trading modes for both beginner and pro users. It recently added AXL trading with up to 75x leverage, expanding its offerings for a wider range of participants.

To complement these features, Aster launched a strategic buyback reserve last week, dedicating 20–40% of daily protocol fees for open-market ASTER purchases. This builds on Stage 5, introduced in late December, which aims to support token demand while gradually reducing circulating supply.

Together with the Stage 4 airdrop and token burn, these initiatives show the DEX’s efforts to manage liquidity, supply, and community. Market watchers will be closely observing how these moves influence ASTER’s performance in the coming months.