Aster [ASTER] launched nearly three months ago following the merger of Astherus and APX Finance. During this time, the broader crypto market has suffered significant losses as Q4 turned bearish.
Yet, Aster has remained relatively steady, supported by the team’s earlier roadmap. The key question now is: what lies ahead for ASTER in 2026?
Aster’s 2026 roadmap
After recording early successes, AsterDex announced its 2026 roadmap. The team posited that as they advance, they will double down on infrastructure, token utility, Ecosystem, and community.
These three foundational engines will reinforce each other in a continuous cycle.
Firstly, in early December 2025, Asterdex will enact a shield mode for private high-leverage trading and TWAP strategy orders.
Building on this, mid-December 2025 will see RWA upgrade to deeper, broader stock perpetual markets. By the end of the year, the Aster chain testnet will open for community testing.
In Q1 2026, Aster will launch its Layer‑1 chain, introduce Aster Code for builders, and roll out a fiat on/off ramp.
By Q2, the project plans to begin staking, establish on‑chain governance, and release smart‑money tools that allow users to track top traders.
With these milestones, Aster aims to evolve beyond “just a DEX” and position itself as a full‑stack liquidity network.
Aster burns 77.8 million tokens
To achieve the 2026 goals, AsterDex has continued to stabilize Aster’s market conditions by aggressively taking deflationary measures.
In fact, after completing the S3 buyback program of 155.7 million tokens, the team executed token burn and airdrop allocations as earlier promised.
According to the official statement, 77,860,328 ASTER tokens, valued at $89.8 million, were burned, permanently removing them from circulation.
Thereafter, 77,860,328 ASTER tokens were locked, with the remaining 50% of buyback tokens transferred to the airdrop locked wallet.
Source: Asterlify
So far, the team has purchased 10.1 million Aster tokens, spending $10.5 million. In total, their acquisitions amount to 165.8 million tokens valued at $173.3 million.
These buybacks have significantly reduced supply, creating long‑term scarcity and positioning Aster for potential gains if demand remains strong.
Impact on price?
Undoubtedly, the continued token buybacks and burns have managed to absorb sell pressure, arising from the open market.
As a result, after the market rebounded from the dip on the 1st of December, ASTER has traded within a parallel consolidation range.
In fact, upward momentum has gradually strengthened, with demand outweighing selling pressure, as evidenced by the Stochastic Momentum Index.
Source: TradingView
These market conditions position Aster for more gains on its price charts. Therefore, if demand holds, Aster will reclaim the middle band of Bollinger Bands at $1.1.
In doing so, the altcoin will be strong enough to attempt to break the upper band at $1.3. However, this bullish case depends on the bull’s ability to hold above $1.
If they fail to hold $1, the move will be invalidated, with Aster seeking support at the lower band at $0.91.
Final Thoughts
- AsterDex unveils its 2026 roadmap with staking and an L1 launch, as it aims for a full-stack liquidity network.
- Aster burned 77.8 million tokens (155.7 million bought under the s3 buyback) and locked 77,860,328 ASTER tokens.
Source: https://ambcrypto.com/aster-wipes-77-8m-tokens-as-buybacks-hit-173m-can-price-reclaim-1/
