DeFiLlama Delists Aster’s Perpetual Futures Data Following Wash Trading Suspicions

0xngmi noted integrity demanded action, as Aster’s API inflated overall metrics and couldn’t be corrected with a warning.

DeFiLlama has officially delisted perpetual futures volume data from Aster.

The decision follows concerns over suspicious trading activity that mirrors that of Binance.

DeFiLlama Moves to Delist Aster (ASTER)

0xngmi, DeFiLlama’s pseudonymous co-founder, shared via X that there has been an ongoing investigation into the BNB-based decentralized exchange’s volumes. He compared XRPUSD and ETHUSDT trading on Aster with its competitor Hyperliquid. The results showed that the former’s pairs had an almost 1:1 match with Binance’s perpetual futures volumes, while its counterpart showed some differences.

The analytics platform explained that it also couldn’t check detailed order data, such as market maker or filler addresses, which made it hard to know if the trades were real or manipulated. This resulted in the decision to remove Aster’s perpetual data from the DeFiLlama dashboard.

Aster, which launched in September, quickly rose as a strong competitor to Hyperliquid. By late September, its daily perpetual trading volume had surged to $60 billion, briefly surpassing that of its rival.

The perpetuals DEX exchange’s dominance was supported by CZ’s public endorsement and backing from YZi Labs, which holds a minority stake through its earlier investment in Astherus.

0xngmi’s Response to Community Backlash

Elsewhere, the delisting has gotten mixed reactions from the X crypto community. Some users backed DeFiLlama’s move, viewing it as a step toward protecting data integrity, while others criticized it for alleged bias and spreading unnecessary FUD.

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0xngmi has since denied conflict of interest claims, clarifying that they have never held HYPE or ASTER tokens nor opened any trading positions involving them. Additionally, he dispelled the allegations of unfairness by stating that similar actions had been taken against other exchanges.

In an update, he emphasized that the platform’s credibility depends on providing reliable figures since users make investment choices based on its data. He also dismissed accusations that the delisting was paid for, explaining that the development followed an unusual spike in trading volumes that prompted a review.

“All we care is about the integrity of our data cause its important that users can trust it,” read the statement.

0xngmi added that the move was made openly because a past quiet delisting of Aster had led to rumors of secret deals. The statement concluded with him sharing that a warning was also not possible since the platform’s API would still distort the overall data.