DefiLlama Quietly Reinstates Aster After Data Dispute

Decentralized finance data aggregator DefiLlama has quietly reinstated decentralized exchange Aster on its analytics platform, just weeks after delisting it over questionable trading data. The relisting, which occurred without any official announcement, was first noticed by Dragonfly managing partner Haseeb Qureshi, who highlighted the move on X and questioned the integrity of Aster’s restored data.

Qureshi pointed out “big gaps” in Aster’s historical statistics and directly asked DefiLlama’s pseudonymous founder 0xngmi whether the data could now be trusted. In response, 0xngmi admitted that the platform still cannot verify Aster’s numbers, calling the situation a “black box.”

DefiLlama Plans New Data Verification System

According to 0xngmi, the DefiLlama team is working on a new data verification framework designed to include broader onchain metrics and reduce reliance on self-reported statistics. However, while this system is still under development, Aster’s team requested to be reinstated. “We’re working on a solution that will include other metrics to make this better, but since this might take some time, Aster’s team asked us to relist them meanwhile,” 0xngmi explained.

Transparency Dispute Exposes Structural Flaws

Aster was initially delisted two weeks ago after DefiLlama analysts flagged inconsistencies in its trading activity data. The team was reportedly unable to identify who was making or filling orders on Aster, making it impossible to distinguish between genuine trading volume and wash trading.

The delisting ignited a heated debate across the DeFi community over transparency and accountability among data providers. Supporters of Aster accused DefiLlama of acting like a centralized authority, while critics questioned whether Aster’s meteoric rise in reported volumes was organic or artificially inflated.

The incident underscored a persistent issue within decentralized finance—how to maintain trust and accuracy in an ecosystem that prizes openness yet often lacks verifiable data.

Aster Returns, But With Missing Historical Data

Following its quiet reinstatement, Aster’s data is once again live on DefiLlama, though historical information remains incomplete. The gaps disrupt long-term analytics such as market-share comparisons, revenue growth, and fee trends, effectively resetting Aster’s track record.

Despite the missing data, Aster has reappeared near the top of several leaderboards, including 24-hour and seven-day perpetual volume rankings, ahead of rivals Hyperliquid and Lighter. Still, the absence of a full historical dataset leaves analysts and traders uncertain about how much of Aster’s activity reflects real market traction.