Changpeng Zhao (CZ), former CEO of Binance, has responded to allegations that BlackRock, the world's largest asset manager, has applied to open an ETF fund for a coin named Aster (ASTER).
The connection between Aster and CZ originates from significant personal investment and his public support for decentralized derivatives exchanges, which had previously spurred substantial price increases and speculation in the past.
Has BlackRock applied for an ETF for Aster?
A social media post stating that BlackRock has applied to open an ETF fund for ASTER coin with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has gone viral on X (formerly Twitter) today. The post included what appears to be an official registration document S-1 dated December 5, 2024, referring to the 'iShares Staked Aster Trust ETF' and showing BlackRock's contact information.
The image spread rapidly, sparking speculation about institutional movements regarding ASTER. However, it is important to note that there is no evidence of such registration in the official SEC documents. The fake document closely resembles genuine SEC documents, making it difficult to distinguish the forgery at first glance.
However, upon closer inspection of that image, it turned out to be a doctored image. The description in the document actually refers to the iShares Staked Ethereum Trust ETF, which is a legitimate registration document that BlackRock filed on December 5. Moreover, the company has clearly stated in the past that its interest in crypto is limited to Bitcoin and Ethereum.
CZ also responded immediately to address this misinformation. He warned followers that even renowned thought leaders in crypto can be deceived.
It's fake; even big KOLs can be fooled sometimes. Aster does not want these fake doctored images to grow, he wrote.
It is noteworthy that the connection between CZ and Aster dates back a long time. In September, the executive publicly supported this platform. Additionally, YZi Labs (formerly Binance Labs) also holds some shares in this DEX.
In November, CZ revealed that he purchased Aster coin worth approximately 2 million USD as a long-term investment, which triggered a 30% increase in the price of ASTER coin.
The price of ASTER has fallen despite the repurchase program.
Meanwhile, the ASTER token is facing negative factors in the market, although the project is attempting to repurchase recently. On December 8, the team announced that they would begin phase 4 of the repurchase program, increasing the daily purchases to approximately USD 4 million, up from the previous purchases of approximately USD 3 million.
This new acceleration allows us to bring the accumulated phase 4 fees onto the chain faster than before, helping to alleviate during periods of high volatility. Based on the current fee levels, we expect to enter regular operations in 8–10 days. After that, the daily buybacks in phase 4 will continue at 60–90% of the previous day's revenue until the end of phase 4 Aster posted.
So far, this movement has not converted into price momentum; ASTER has dropped nearly 4% in the last 24 hours, extending recent losses.
As of this writing, this altcoin is trading at USD 0.93. Trading activity has also weakened, with trading volume decreasing by 41.80%.
