You’ve probably noticed Aster popping up everywhere recently. When it comes to rewarding users, the perp DEX that resulted from the merger of Astherus and APX Finance is one of the more aggressive players in the market. And, yes, even in mid-January 2026, with the market choppy and many airdrop farmers fatigued, the incentives appear appealing enough that many people are quietly stacking points.
Here are the top practical reasons why farming Aster airdrops (especially through Spectra points, trading volume, and referrals) is still worthwhile right now.
1. Perpetual Trading Still Pays Very Well (Points Keep Flowing)
Aster’s main product is perpetual futures trading with leverage of up to 1001x on cryptocurrency, altcoins, and even tokenized US stocks 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Every trade you make earns Rh and Au points in the Spectra program, which are directly applied to future $ASTER airdrop allocations.
- Recent phases, particularly Crystal Phase / Stage 5, have reduced emissions, but trading activity continues to convert very efficiently into points. High-volume traders are still earning meaningful points, particularly if they use Simple Mode (MEV-free) or Pro Mode tools.
- Many farmers use spot Swaps and perps to maximize points while minimizing risk.
If you’re already trading perps, routing some volume through Aster still gives you one of the best point-to-dollar ratios in the current perp DEX landscape.
2. Aster boasts trading while earning passive yield.
This is probably the single biggest “why now” feature most people overlook. Instead of parking boring USDT as margin, you can use yield-generating assets as collateral:
You earn staking/lending yields on your margin while it is actively used in leveraged positions. It’s a true Trade & Earn loop, with your capital working twice; once to trade PnL and once to generate passive yield. In a sideways or choppy market like we’re experiencing right now, this additional yield layer makes holding positions much less painful.
Few perp DEXs offer this level of capital efficiency. That’s why many sophisticated farmers are rotating collateral into Aster even if they’re not going full degen on 100x.
3. The Buyback Flywheel Is Finally Hitting Stride
This is the long-term thesis that separates Aster from many point-farm-and-dump projects. It takes up to 80% of platform fees and routes them into two buyback mechanisms:
- 40% for Automatic daily open-market buybacks.
- 20-40% for Strategic Buyback Reserve.
All repurchased $ASTER is burned or sent to the community treasury, resulting in a permanent supply reduction. During high-volume periods (Aster has previously reached $70 billion in daily trades), this translates into millions of dollars of daily buy pressure. Even during quieter weeks, tokens are consistently removed from circulation.
When combined with the massive community allocation (53.5%), the flywheel creates a textbook shift from inflationary airdrop pressure to deflationary fee accrual. If trading volumes recover, $ASTER will become one of the few perp tokens with real, revenue-backed demand.
4. Multi-Chain DEX, CEX-Like and UX Still Gives It an Edge
Aster runs natively on the BNB Chain, Ethereum, Solana, and Arbitrum, with no forced bridging. This means you can farm points and trade on whatever chain you already have liquidity on.
The UX is purposefully CEX-like (fast executions, clean interface), lowering the barrier for those coming from Binance or Bybit.
In a market where many users are still intimidated by full DeFi stacks, this hybrid approach keeps bringing in new traders, and those traders keep generating fees, buybacks, and better tokenomics.
5. Timing Feels Better Than Most Expect
Plenty of farmers mentally checked out after the big unlocks and price drawdown (down ~75% from ATH). But that’s accurately when the risk/reward on farming can look interesting again:
- Lower competition for points!
- Emissions more sustainable
- Buybacks ramping up
- Yield collateral, making holding less painful
It’s not 2025 hype season anymore; it’s the quiet accumulation phase many degens actually prefer.
Quick Start Recommendation
If you’re thinking about jumping in:
- Head to Aster DEX (multi-chain)
- Deposit yield-bearing collateral (asBNB or USDF recommended)
- Start with small perpetual positions to learn the modes
- Track your Rh/Au points in the Spectra dashboard
Consider using Bitunix for spot/futures trading of $ASTER itself if looking for no KYC, quick signup bonus, and a nice way to get exposure without bridging everything.
Farming Aster isn’t free money, and the market can still punish over-leveraged plays. But between perpetual point rewards, yield collateral, and a real buyback engine finally running hot, the setup looks more attractive today than it did a few months ago.
For more DeFi farming guides and airdrop breakdowns, check our Airdrops category.
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