Decentralized derivatives exchange Aster is weighing whether to introduce vesting schedules for recipients of its upcoming token airdrop, a move aimed at easing sell pressure and balancing incentives between existing holders and new participants.

During a livestream on Monday, CEO Leonard (who has not disclosed his full name) said the team was actively discussing the best approach.

“I think we reserve the right of doing it. We will decide and announce soon,” Leonard told viewers, suggesting an update could come within the next few days.

Vesting is a common tool in crypto designed to prevent early recipients from selling all at once, helping to protect token stability while aligning long-term interest between the project and its community. Cointelegraph reached out to Aster for further details but had not received a reply at the time of publication.

Source: Mable Jiang

Aster Prepares $600M Season 2 Airdrop

Aster has previously committed more than 50% of its total token supply to community airdrops. For its upcoming season two distribution, the team confirmed that 320 million ASTER tokens—worth roughly $600 million at current prices—will be released to qualifying participants.

Leonard admitted the team is still fine-tuning the mechanics of the drop. One concern is whether releasing 4% of supply in one go could put undue pressure on the market.

“We need to consider not just the airdrop participants, but also existing Aster tokenholders,” he explained.

The cutoff date for season two points has been set for Oct. 5 at 11:59 p.m. UTC, with final details expected shortly before the snapshot is taken.

Perp Trading Volume Hits $85B in a Day

Aster’s rapid growth has already made waves in the perpetuals DEX sector. On Monday, data from DefiLlama showed that Aster’s 24-hour trading volume surged to $85 billion, more than twelve times higher than its nearest rival, Lighter.

While this performance highlights the protocol’s growing traction, some community members remain skeptical about the long-term sustainability of such volumes, particularly once incentive programs taper off.

Aster records perp DEX trading volume of over $80 billion. Source: DefiLlama