Key Takeaways:
- Aster Chain mainnet went live with 450 million ASTER tokens staked
- The network supports 112 real-world asset markets using ZK proofs
- Block times of 50 milliseconds make it one of the fastest L1 chains
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Aster Chain mainnet launches with 450M staked and 112 RWA markets
Aster Chain activated its mainnet with 450 million ASTER tokens staked and 112 real-world asset markets live, the privacy-focused Layer 1 said July 21.
The project, which began as a decentralized perpetual futures exchange on BNB Chain, has backing from YZi Labs, the family office of Binance founder Changpeng Zhao. "The transition to a sovereign chain gives Aster control over its own consensus rules and fee structures," the project said in a statement.
The network uses zero-knowledge proofs to verify transactions without exposing trade details, a feature aimed at institutional users. Block times of 50 milliseconds position it among the fastest settlement layers in crypto, compared with roughly 12 seconds on Ethereum and 400 milliseconds on Solana. Public staking is now live, allowing any token holder to participate in securing the network.
The 112 RWA markets include tokenized stock perpetuals, letting traders gain exposure to equity prices without holding shares. The move puts Aster in direct competition with dYdX, which migrated to its own Cosmos-based chain, and Hyperliquid, which built a custom Layer 1 for perpetuals. Aster's roadmap includes permissionless features, governance upgrades, and developer tools called Aster Code.
The 450 million ASTER tokens staked at genesis represent a substantial portion of the circulating supply, though the project has not disclosed the exact percentage. The tokens secure the network through proof-of-stake consensus, with validators processing transactions on the new chain.
Aster's privacy angle is particularly relevant as traditional finance institutions exploring on-chain trading have flagged transaction privacy as a requirement. ZK proofs enable verifiable transactions without public exposure of trade counterparties or amounts, according to the project's technical documentation.
The competitive field for on-chain perpetuals has grown more crowded. dYdX migrated to its own Cosmos application chain in 2023, while Hyperliquid launched its custom Layer 1 in 2024. Aster enters the arena with a differentiated bet on zero-knowledge privacy and tokenized real-world assets, backed by one of the most prominent names in crypto venture capital.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice.
