The native token of the Aster platform, ASTER, surged about 30% within minutes on Sunday after Changpeng Zhao (better known as “CZ”), Co-Founder of the largest crypto exchange Binance, revealed he had used his personal funds to buy ASTER. The market reacted swiftly, pushing the price from roughly $0.91 to a peak around $1.25.
CZ shared a screenshot on X post, that showed a wallet balance of approximately 2.09 million ASTER tokens, which, at the then roughly $0.91 per token price, equalled about $2 million.
Zhao shared that he bought “at market” and compared this purchase with his early acquisition of BNB eight years ago, signalling a longer-term conviction rather than a short-term trade.
The publication of this purchase coincided with a sharp increase in volume, within 24 hours the trading volume for ASTER reportedly jumped from roughly $224 million to over $2.2 billion according to DeFiLlama data. The token’s market capitalization also rose from about $1.8 billion to over $2.25 billion.
CZ’s disclosure was made on November 2, 2025. The price rally occurred the same day, within minutes of CZ’s public announcement. ASTER is listed on multiple exchanges and trading pairs, including ASTER/USDT on major platforms.
According to data from TradingView, ASTER’s 24h volume at the time of writing was over $2 billion and it was trading around $1.05, with a 12.27% surge.
Zhao’s personal purchase of ASTER drew attention because such disclosures are rare from him. The project Aster itself is supported by the BNB Chain ecosystem and has previously received investment via YZi Labs (formerly Binance Labs) into its predecessor, Astherus. The platform merged with APX Finance in late 2024 and now operates as Aster.
In addition to investor activity, two whales opened large short positions against ASTER, one building a short of ~42.97 million tokens ($52.8 million) and another ~15.3 million tokens (~$19.1 million) with liquidation prices near $2.00 and $2.10, respectively, according to Lookonchain data. These actions indicate mixed sentiment among large players.
First, any public acquisition announced by CZ is likely to change the mood on the market, particularly within the BNB Chain ecosystem. The fact that he bought BNB eight years ago is seen as a symbolic gesture and therefore his comparison is an indication that he sees ASTER as more than a speculative play.
Second, this increase in price and volume shows that investors have become confident in Aster again, both in its token and platform roadmap. The turnaround in price is also significant as ASTER had dropped by more than 40% in the previous month before this announcement.
Third, the project structural changes give some more background, the Aster team announced on October 31 that it was changing its S3 buy-back and airdrop model.
Under the new policy, 50% of all buy-backs from Seasons 2 and 3 will be burned, reducing supply, while the other half go to a locked airdrop address, thus decreasing circulating supply and reserving tokens for long-term holders. This adds a deflationary dynamic that may support longer-term price stability.
Lastly, the high short positions initiated by whales point to the fact that some of the key players in the market anticipate a pull-back, or are hedging against a possible volatility. The difference between long buys and large shorts highlights one of the major risks, the sustainability of the rally or its sentimental nature.
In the short run, the rally may get more retail and institutional involvement in ASTER and the entire BNB Chain infrastructure. Provided that CZ keeps amassing assets in this area, his efforts may further legitimize BNB Chain infrastructure projects and attract new capital.
However, risks remain. The high supply that is unlocked through airdrops or subsequent token releases might create a greater sell pressure. The high volume spike may be partially due to speculative interest and not to actual use.
In addition, transparency concerns surfaced when DeFiLlama delisted Aster’s volume data citing irregularities that raised questions about how much of the volume is real.
For ASTER holders, the ability of the platform to deliver sustained growth, via protocol fees, trader activity, and ecosystem expansion, will matter more than the headline of a single notable purchase. For other projects on BNB Chain, this episode highlights how influential public endorsements can be.
The 30% rise of Aster following the purchase of them by CZ is a vivid illustration of the interaction of the sentiment, supply forces, and ecosystem approvals that impact token markets.
The continuity of this momentum will be determined by execution, user adoption, and the overall market environment.