Bull Market is the Best Marketing.

In just one week, the number of new users on the Aster platform has exceeded the 710,000 mark. The 24-hour perpetual contract trading volume has reached $211.12 billion, directly surpassing the well-established DeFi derivative platform Hyperliquid by more than twice. The platform's TVL has reached $17.44 billion, with a 24-hour income of $7.12 million, ranking just below stablecoin giants Tether and Circle on the network income leaderboard.

In addition to "Can I still buy ASTER?" another common question is "Can I still farm ASTER?"

There are 11 days left in Aster's Season 2 airdrop, with the airdrop pool accounting for 4% of the total supply, approximately 320 million ASTER tokens. This also means that at the time of writing, based on a price of $2.3 per ASTER, the Season 2 airdrop is worth over $700 million. In this context, BlockBeats has compiled the core airdrop strategies for Aster at present.

1. Aster × Backpack Arbitrage Strategy

This is currently the main farming strategy, with the core step being to place opposing orders on the same asset on two trading platforms (such as Backpack and Aster) to achieve "point farming + capturing fee spreads."

The only thing to note is: Aster uses "market orders" because Aster receives double points for taking liquidity.

The detailed steps involve shorting ASTER on Backpack with a "limit order" to earn maker points, while using a "market order" on Aster for quick execution. Additionally, market orders must be executed quickly; otherwise, if one side is not filled, it may result in directional exposure.

Furthermore, the weighting of holding time and opening frequency needs to be managed by oneself. The longer the holding time, the higher the points, but the point cap is twice the weekly trading volume.

In addition, to prevent front-running, one can try modifying various parameters such as opening amount, leverage, direction, etc. Do not always use the same set of parameters for arbitrage to avoid triggering risk control and front-running due to high-frequency trading. Beginners can start with small-scale farming, gradually increasing leverage and amount after becoming familiar with the process.

2. Funding Rate Capture

This strategy builds on arbitrage between two trading platforms and further operates on capturing the funding rate.

Mainly, it leverages the perpetual contract funding rate mechanism. When the funding rate is positive, one shorts perpetual contracts to earn the funding rate; when the rate is negative, one goes long to earn the funding rate. The funding rates between the two trading platforms generally differ. For example, the tools in the following image show the funding rate variances between different trading platforms, suitable opening directions, and APRs.

Data Source: hibot

Continue to hedge the spot market in the previous manner using Backpack (Limit Order) + Aster (Market Order) to earn points. Net profit is calculated as = Point Value + Funding Rate Income - Fee Cost - Slippage Loss.

Be sure to consider the trading platform's fee structure. Fees are usually divided into two types: Taker: refers to orders that are immediately matched, incurring higher fees; Maker: refers to orders placed on the order book waiting to be matched, incurring lower fees.

Real-time monitoring is required for this strategy, making it suitable for experienced traders or those using funding rate bots. Pay attention to latency and reconciliation between multiple accounts and exchanges. Funding rate arbitrage usually has a longer time span compared to point arbitrage, so do not overlook position management.

3. Convert Deposit to USDF

In addition to the hedging and funding rate strategies mentioned earlier, Aster also provides a relatively "low-risk, passive income" gameplay, which is based on the "Trade & Earn" system of USDF and asBNB. This product continues Aster's predecessor's experience in asset staking liquidity, essentially combining "trading" and "funding," allowing users to enjoy stable APY while maintaining active trading.

Currently, USDF offers an annualized return of approximately 16.7% (APY), with two participation methods: deposit rewards, where holding over 1 USDF in your account automatically generates interest; and transaction rewards, which have slightly higher requirements, needing users to be active for at least 2 days per week and have a cumulative trading volume exceeding 2000 USDT. Once the conditions are met, the system will distribute rewards the following week, depositing them directly into the trading account and automatically reinvesting them.

In addition to USDF, Aster also offers the asset asBNB, which functions similarly to USDF. Users can exchange BNB or slisBNB for asBNB to use as collateral and enjoy an annualized return of approximately 9.1%.

Furthermore, Aster has implemented a "Double Points" mechanism in its incentive design. If you choose to use USDF or asBNB as collateral, your transaction points will receive a double bonus, and the weekly transaction points cap will be doubled. This makes using these two assets almost a must for players seeking airdrop points or rebate rewards, as it is equivalent to stacking interest income and points advantage while trading.

In addition, holding $ASTER provides a 5% fee discount, so it is advisable to hold a certain amount of $ASTER in each wallet.

4. Fleet Bonus

Individual players can only obtain limited benefits by farming points, but if you can build a "fleet" and expand the network through invitations, you can leverage the points generated by others' transactions, and further increase your share in the entire network through team rankings. In the long run, the points earned by an individual account through their own transactions may be much lower than the total contribution of an active team. Therefore, "invitation + fleet" will become a key factor in widening the gap between players in the later stages.

The core idea is to integrate the power around you into a team through a two-layer mechanism of "referral" and "team contribution" to boost your points.

Specifically, the referral rewards are divided into two layers: if you invite a first-level user, you can receive 10% of the Rh points they generate; if it is a second-level user (i.e., someone invited by your downline), you can receive a 5% points split. However, it is important to note here that this split is only for their transaction points earnings and does not include referral points and team points themselves to avoid an "infinite nesting" situation.

Aster has also introduced the concept of Team Points. It can be understood as a fleet, where the points of each fleet will be settled on T+1, compared horizontally with other fleets. Before the final points distribution, the system will also perform some "fairness adjustments," including limiting whale domination and smoothing out abnormal fluctuations. In other words, the fleet reward is not just about "the more people I invite, the better," but more like a comprehensive evaluation of "team activity" + "overall contribution percentage."

Ultimately, these points will be converted into your share in the platform-wide points pool on a weekly basis, directly determining how much reward you will receive in the upcoming $ASTER airdrop allocation. In simple terms: the referral relationship gives you a stable 10% / 5% split; team points determine whether you can squeeze into the top ranks on the leaderboard to receive higher additional rewards;

There are 11 days left for the Aster Season 2 airdrop, with the airdrop pool accounting for 4% of the total supply, approximately 320 million ASTER tokens. As of the time of writing, the Season 2 airdrop is valued at over $700 million.

Facing such significant user growth and a complex loyalty point ecosystem, the Aster team has made it clear that professional market makers will be excluded from the Rh loyalty point system and will not be eligible for the $ASTER token airdrop. In the current calculation for Rh loyalty points in the second phase, only pure spot holding and trading are not yet included in the points system. However, this does not mean that spot trading is entirely without value. It can be inferred from the official statement that spot trading is likely to be reintegrated into the point calculation scope in the third quarter's airdrop rules.

Therefore, at present, there are still many opportunities for retail investors. However, it is important to note that the current market is overheated, fueled by FOMO sentiment, with various scams prevalent. Moreover, the distribution timing of the Season 2 airdrop is uncertain, leading to significant competition. Users need to be aware of these risks.

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