According to Arkham Intelligence data, Aster’s wallet holds $131 million in USDT, trailing Binance’s $236 million.
His visible support added momentum to a token launch already drawing industry-wide attention.
Aster first launched as ApolloX in 2021 before merging with Astherus in late 2024, marking its rebrand and new direction, culminating in this week’s TGE.
That structure, combined with Zhao’s backing, helped fuel investor enthusiasm.
According to CryptoSlate’s data, ASTER jumped more than 800% this week to $0.81593, with its market capitalization climbing to $1.3 billion.
Meanwhile, the ripple effect extended across the market, with APX also rallying over 600% during the reporting period.
Beyond investor enthusiasm, Aster has quickly positioned itself among the largest decentralized derivatives platforms.
However, the scale of competition is stark, with Hyperliquid, its main rival in the sector, handling about $10 billion in volume over the same period.
The disparity illustrates Aster’s uphill challenge, even as Zhao’s endorsement and early trading data give the project a stronger foothold than most newcomers.
