Aster Drops USDT for RWA Perps, Switches to Trump-Backed USD1 Settlement

Aster DEX has confirmed that every perpetual contract tracking real-world assets (RWA) on its platform will settle exclusively in USD1, the dollar-pegged stablecoin issued by Donald Trump-backed World Liberty Financial (WLFI). 

What Does USD1 Settlement Mean for RWA Perpetuals?

In a perpetual contract, settlement refers to how profit, loss, and margin are calculated and paid out. By designating USD1 as the sole settlement asset for its RWA vertical, Aster is making USD1 a functional requirement, not an optional alternative, for anyone trading commodity perps on the platform.

The first markets going live include:

• Gold
• Silver
• Crude oil
• Brent crude

Additional markets are planned to follow. The fee structure for these USD1 commodity pairs is set at 1 basis point for takers and negative 0.5 basis points for makers, meaning the exchange pays a rebate to liquidity providers who add depth to the order book.

For traders unfamiliar with basis points: one basis point equals 0.01%. So takers pay 0.01% per trade, while makers actually receive a small payment back for providing liquidity.

Why Is Aster Moving Away From USDT for RWA Markets?

Last March Aster's CEO Leonard stated: 

"By bringing USD1 into our core trading engine during this phase, we're building the trading foundation for the Aster Chain launch. Our 0-bps maker fees are designed to encourage participation in USD1 markets on Aster as the mainnet launch."

The exchange is also backing BTC, ETH, and SOL perpetual pairs denominated in USD1, with over 10 additional pairs planned in the coming weeks. USD1 carries collateral ratios on par with USDT, which means traders are not being asked to take on extra risk or accept worse terms just because the stablecoin is newer.

Zak Folkman, Co-founder and COO of World Liberty Financial, said: 

"Perpetual markets are where a significant portion of trading volume lives. Aster listing USD1 perps pairs and matching USDT collateral ratios means traders can use USD1 in a manner similar to any major stablecoin. That's the bar we set: functional parity, rather than positioning USD1 as a secondary option."

Aster began as a crypto-only perpetuals decentralized exchange (DEX) and has been widening its scope. It already offers perpetuals on U.S. equities alongside crypto derivatives. The addition of commodity RWA perps settled in USD1 is part of that multi-asset push.

The exchange is also in the genesis phase of Aster Chain, a privacy-focused Layer 1 blockchain using zero-knowledge proofs (ZK proofs). ZK proofs allow transactions to be verified without revealing the underlying data, which adds a privacy layer not common in most Layer 1 chains.

Building USD1 liquidity now is explicitly tied to supporting the Aster Chain launch. Adding USD1 as a margin asset and reducing dependence on any single stablecoin gives the upcoming chain a more diversified liquidity base from day one.

Where Does USD1 Stand in the Stablecoin Market?

USD1 launched in April 2025 and has moved quickly. According to CoinMarketCap, it is currently the sixth-largest stablecoin by market cap, with approximately $4.38 billion in circulation. More recent figures put its circulating supply above $4.6 billion, spread across:

• Ethereum: 40.60%
• BNB Chain: 40.47%
• Solana: 18.48%

WLFI has been expanding USD1's reach through several channels. Recent integrations include BitGo Mint adding USD1 to its institutional stablecoin management platform, MEXC integrating it across Launchpool, Savings, and futures collateral, and World Liberty Markets launching as a DeFi lending platform with USD1 as the primary asset. 

Coinbase and MEXC have both listed the stablecoin, and Binance ran a campaign offering a 135 million WLFI reward pool to USD1 holders. WLFI also released a toolkit allowing AI agents to transact autonomously using USD1.

What Is the Token Integration Both Teams Are Exploring?

Both Aster and WLFI confirmed on X that they are "exploring integration across their respective tokens," though neither gave specific details at the time of announcement. Aster DEX posted: "Aster and WLFI are working together to support closer ecosystem alignment, with both sides exploring integration across their respective tokens."

This suggests the partnership may go beyond settlement mechanics into tokenomics-level alignment, though no formal structure has been announced.

Aster is backed by YZi Labs. The partnership also includes WLFI token rewards as trading incentives for users on the platform.

Conclusion

Aster's move to settle all RWA perpetuals in USD1 gives WLFI's stablecoin a specific, structural role in on-chain commodity trading rather than just another exchange listing. For Aster, it consolidates liquidity around a single asset ahead of the Aster Chain mainnet launch. The first markets are live with gold, silver, crude oil, and Brent crude. More pairs are coming. The deeper token integration both teams hinted at remains undefined, but the settlement architecture is already in place.

Resources

1. Aster on X: Post on April 6

2. Report by Defiant: Aster to Settle RWA Perps Exclusively in USD1

3. Report by BeInCrypto: Trump’s WLFI Lands Exclusive Deal: USD1 on Aster DEX

4. Press release: Aster Expands WLFI Collaboration, Launches USD1-Denominated Perpetual Markets

5. World LibertyFi on X: Post on March 31