Decentralized finance (DeFi) data aggregator DefiLlama quietly reinstated decentralized exchange (DEX) Aster to its analytics platform, weeks after delisting the project over disputed trading data.
Dragonfly managing partner Haseeb Qureshi flagged the development on X, noting that there was no public discussion or announcement from either Aster or DefiLlama. Qureshi noted “big gaps” in the historical data, and asked the pseudonymous DefiLlama founder 0xngmi if the numbers are now legitimate.
Responding to the post, 0xngmi said the team still could not verify the numbers, describing it as a “black box.” He added that while DefiLlama is developing a new system to include more metrics, Aster’s team requested to be relisted in the meantime.
“We’re working on a solution that will include other metrics to make this better, but since this might take some time aster team asked us to relist them meanwhile,” 0xngmi wrote.
Aster data dispute sparked transparency debate
Aster was initially delisted two weeks ago after inconsistencies were detected in its onchain trading data. This raised concerns that part of its reported activity are unverified.
On Oct. 6, 0xngmi said the platform did not make it possible to get data on who is making and filling orders. This means that the data platform couldn’t distinguish wash trading from legitimate activity.
The Aster delisting from the data platform sparked a broader debate about the power of data providers. Aster supporters accused DefiLlama of being centralized, while critics questioned whether Aster’s jump into the limelight was genuine or manufactured.
The delisting incident reflected an ongoing challenge in measuring the truth in decentralized markets. Such disputes show how quickly data-related questions can impact trust.
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Aster relisting left data gaps
While Aster’s metrics are now live on DefiLlama, once again visible on the platform, the missing historical data left gaps.
This means that longitudinal comparisons, like market-share trends, fee leaderboards or comulative revenue charts, are fragmented. For traders and model builders who rely on these metrics, the gaps effectively reset Aster’s historical footprint.
After being reinstated, Aster still stood at the top of the leaderboards in the 24-hour perp volume and seven-day perp volume list. It’s followed by its biggest rivals Hyperliquid and Lighter.
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