Aster Launches Stage 6 Buyback: Up to 80% Fees for On‑Chain Repurchases; CEO Denies Binance Links
Aster announced Stage 6 of its buyback program, effective Feb 4, 2026, committing up to 80% of daily platform fees to on‑chain ASTER repurchases to reduce circulating supply and support demand. The fee split: an automatic daily buyback using 40% of fees from a dedicated wallet, plus a strategic reserve of 20–40% for opportunistic purchases based on market conditions. The project says all buybacks are verifiable on‑chain. Earlier phases used 70–80% of transaction fees and accelerated buybacks; prior activity bought back 254 million ASTER, burned 78 million, and relocked 78 million into airdrop allocation. Circulating supply is about 2.57 billion ASTER. Management also said Stage 6 will be the final trading airdrop and paused the monthly 1% token unlock until staking launches; roadmaps include deeper liquidity, additional listings and a privacy‑focused layer‑1 slated for March. CEO Leonard publicly denied claims that Aster is controlled by Binance or affiliates, calling the allegations incorrect and addressing holder frustration over price performance. The announcement coincided with a ~6.5% 24‑hour price rise to $0.59; some technicals note a falling‑wedge pattern with a potential breakout target near $1.25. For traders: the predictable, fee‑backed buyback mechanics reduce circulating supply pressure and provide on‑chain, verifiable support — factors likely to improve liquidity depth and investor confidence — but market impact will depend on execution pace, reserve deployment, broader market sentiment and actual fee generation.
Bullish
The Stage 6 program is structurally bullish for ASTER because it dedicates a high, predictable share of platform fees (40% daily plus 20–40% strategic reserve) to on‑chain buybacks. That mechanism directly reduces circulating supply and creates verifiable, fee‑backed demand — factors that typically support price and improve liquidity depth. The immediate 6.5% price uptick on the announcement shows positive short‑term market reaction. Short term, price upside is likely when buybacks are active or when strategic reserves are deployed into thin markets; volatility may increase around opportunistic reserve executions. Long term, if fee generation remains strong and the team executes transparently, steady buybacks and paused token unlocks (until staking) should tighten supply dynamics and bolster investor confidence, supporting a higher base price. Risks that could limit bullishness include lower than expected fee revenue, slow or halted execution, broader market downturns, or loss of credibility from governance/association concerns — any of which could mute the program’s impact.