Changpeng Zhao stated that he is only part of Aster’s advisory team and is not involved in the platform’s regulatory matters.
Binance founder Changpeng “CZ” Zhao recently addressed speculation about his involvement with the growing perpetual decentralized exchange (DEX) Aster. Zhao stressed that his work with the project is strictly advisory, focused only on product and technology.
“I only advise them on product and tech, and I do not advise them on regulatory issues,” he said. “That’s not my scope, that’s not my specialty. I’m not a lawyer. I got into some trouble before with that. I’m just helping them.”
NEW: @cz_binance EXPLAINS HIS INVOLVEMENT WITH ASTER
— DEGEN NEWS (@DegenerateNews) September 27, 2025
Zhao acknowledged that Aster’s team includes several former Binance employees, adding they remain close to the BNB Chain ecosystem.
He also confirmed that YZi Labs, a venture capital firm managing more than $10 billion for him and other early Binance executives, owns a minority stake in Aster.
Despite those ties, CZ emphasized that Aster operates independently. However, he calls it “a very strong project,” adding that while it competes with Binance, its success indirectly benefits BNB.
Few understand this.
Aster competes with @Binance, but helps #BNB. https://t.co/CmTSvVKUGR
— CZ 🔶 BNB (@cz_binance) September 28, 2025
Aster’s Rapid Rise
Aster, launched in March this year on BNB Chain, has quickly become one of the most talked-about decentralized exchanges. The platform offers both perpetual and spot trading, with native cryptocurrency, ASTER.
Notably, ASTER is used for governance, trading fee discounts, staking rewards, and deflationary buybacks to help stabilize price. The new crypto recently climbed to an all-time high of $2.41 before easing to $1.7 at the time of writing.
The exchange’s recent airdrop, set to distribute about 8.8% of total token supply through October 17, has fueled trading enthusiasm.
Perpetual DEX Market Surges
Meanwhile, broader perpetual DEX volumes have also surged, as per the data by DeFiLlama. The market hit three consecutive daily records this week, recording $70 billion in 24-hour volume on September 25.
At the time of writing, perpetual DEX volumes stand at $62.48 billion, with Aster alone accounting for nearly $42.8 billion.
Industry watchers view Aster’s massive growth as a sign of renewed momentum in decentralized finance. With perpetual trading volumes climbing and its token still near recent highs, Aster has become a leader, surpassing Hyperliquid.
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