Aster DEX Faces Rocky Start to October as Price Drops 15%
Aster, the decentralized exchange (DEX) that has gained traction in recent weeks, is facing mounting scrutiny and a rocky start to October.
It follows the DEX’s move to acknowledge inconsistencies in its Team Boost dashboard data alongside accusations of inflating trading volumes.
Aster Price Drops 15% Amid Data Discrepancy ConcernsThe controversy has coincided with a sharp sell-off in the ASTER token, which fell almost 16% in the last 24 hours. As of this writing, ASTER was trading for $1.57.
Aster Price Performance. Source: BeInCrypto
The move left some traders liquidated, but others continue to hold out hope, anticipating a break above a crucial resistance trendline.
I'm fully liquidated
I feel … sick men ,fuck this $XPL $ASTER pic.twitter.com/xE6KNUHORO
The drop comes as Aster DEX admitted to discrepancies in the personal dashboards of Stage 2 users during Epoch 3.
“These issues may have been related to how the mechanism was presented and described, which could have caused some confusion,” the team wrote.
It concerns the Aster Genesis program, DEX’s initiative to distribute 4% of the ASTER token supply via an airdrop and reward users for trading and referrals.
Stage 2 began earlier in 2025 and is in its final phase with two epochs left, ending on October 5, 2025, at 23:59 UTC. Epoch 3 is the current weekly cycle (Monday 00:00 UTC to Sunday 23:59 UTC), making this issue timely as users maximize Rh points for the airdrop.
The Team Boost Mechanism feature allows users to earn up to a 1.5x multiplier on Rh points based on their referral team’s cumulative trading volume.
The inconsistency suggests a display error or a calculation flaw, impacting perceived rewards. With Stage 2 nearing its end and ASTER’s recent 6,000% surge, accurate data is critical for users farming points and trading leveraged positions.
Aster assured users that fixes are underway and adjustments are expected to be completed soon. Notwithstanding, other users expressed dissatisfaction with the project and called for more transparency.
More importantly you need to make a statement regarding obvious wash trading and manipulation of your airdrop in line with you own terms pic.twitter.com/ickYsXWaFW
— Dman (@TheOfficialDman) October 1, 2025The community has voiced deeper concerns, with some users questioning the validity of Aster’s reported trading activity. Among them, a user noted that the project had claimed $560 billion in volume between September 22 and 28 during Epoch 3.
“This number does not match Dune or DefiLama, so please take all my numbers with a grain of salt, as ASTER is clearly comfortable with manipulating RH as they please,” he wrote.
Aster Price Outlook Amid Community FUDThese allegations strike at the heart of Aster’s ongoing airdrop campaign, which has been a key driver of user participation.
Inflated figures could undermine trust in the reward system’s fairness, especially as some users report losing significant funds during the latest price drop. Nevertheless, Binance executive Changpeng Zhao sees the drop as a shakeout for weak hands.
Markets always try to shake out the weak hands. The foundation/support is more solid without them.