Aster L1 Testnet Goes Live; Mainnet Targeted for Q1 2026
News
The Aster decentralized exchange (DEX) and perpetual futures platform said on Thursday that its layer-1 blockchain testnet is now open to all users, with a planned mainnet launch targeted for Q1 2026.
According to the Aster roadmap, several additions are slated for a Q1 rollout, including fiat on-ramps, public release of the Aster codebase for developers, and the forthcoming L1 mainnet.
The roadmap indicates that in 2026 the project will prioritize infrastructure, token utility, and expansion of its ecosystem and community.
Source: Aster
Aster rebranded as a perpetual futures DEX in March 2025 and competes directly with Hyperliquid, another perpetuals DEX that operates on an application-specific layer-1 network.
The move to a dedicated layer-1 reflects a broader shift among Web3 projects toward custom chains optimized for high-throughput transactions, rather than general-purpose networks such as Ethereum or Solana.
Perpetual DEX activity accelerated in 2025
Interest in perpetual DEXs, including Aster, was boosted by the performance of Hyperliquid.
Traditional futures contracts have set expiry dates and require manual rollovers, while perpetual futures have no expiration. Positions are maintained through a funding rate, enabling 24/7 trading.
Cumulative trading volume on perpetual DEXs nearly tripled in 2025, climbing from about $4 trillion to over $12 trillion by year-end. Approximately $7.9 trillion of that cumulative volume was generated in 2025, according to DefiLlama.
Monthly Perp DEX trading volume. Source: DefiLlama
Monthly volume on perpetual exchanges reached the $1 trillion mark in October, November, and December, DefiLlama data shows.
The sharp increase in 2025 activity underscores rising interest and demand for crypto derivatives as a larger share of financial transactions moves onchain.
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