Aster, a decentralized exchange and perpetual futures platform, has launched its layer-1 blockchain testnet and opened it to all users. The team also signaled a potential mainnet rollout in Q1 2026 as part of a broader development timeline.
According to Aster’s roadmap, planned Q1 features include fiat on-ramps, a public code release for builders and the eventual L1 mainnet launch. The project says its 2026 focus will be on strengthening infrastructure, expanding token utility and growing both the ecosystem and community.
Aster repositioned itself as a perpetual futures DEX in March 2025 and is targeting competition with platforms like Hyperliquid, which runs on its own application-specific layer-1 network. Moving to a dedicated L1 follows a wider Web3 trend: teams are building custom chains to support high-throughput trading rather than relying on general-purpose chains that mix diverse traffic.
Perpetual futures differ from traditional futures because they have no expiration date; traders pay or receive a funding rate to keep positions open, enabling continuous 24/7 markets. The success of Hyperliquid and similar projects helped drive increased interest in perp DEXs through 2025.
Market data show a substantial rise in activity: cumulative trading volume for perpetual DEXs nearly tripled during 2025, climbing from about $4 trillion to more than $12 trillion by year-end. Roughly $7.9 trillion of that volume occurred during 2025, according to DefiLlama, and monthly volumes hit the $1 trillion mark in October, November and December. That surge underscores growing demand for on-chain derivatives and decentralized trading infrastructure.
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