Aster launches USD1-settled RWA perpetuals with $28M liquidity fund
What's the deal? AsterDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, a perpetuals decentralised exchange, launched five real-world asset perpetual markets on August 20 settled entirely in USD1, the stablecoin issued by World Liberty Financial. The contracts cover tokenised equities and commodities, backed by a liquidity fund worth roughly $28 million.
What's in the fund? The combined growth fund holds 250 million WLFI tokens from World Liberty Financial and 12.5 million USD1 contributed by Aster. At current prices, the package totals about $28 million.
What's on offer? The five contracts, listed under Aster's AOS-2 open listing standard, are SPCXUSD1, CLUSD1, XAUUSD1, SNDKUSD1, and SKHYNIXUSD1. They function as perpetual futures on assets including gold, crude oil, and SpaceX exposure, denominated and settled in USD1 rather than USDT.
Why now? The RWA launch extends a partnership that began in March 2026, when Aster integrated USD1 as collateral for crypto perpetuals on assets like BTC and ETH. USD1 is now the exclusive settlement asset for all of Aster's RWA and commodity contracts.
What's the endgame? Aster, which emerged from a 2025 merger and runs on its Aster Chain Layer 1, previously listed tokenised stocks pegged to USDT. The shift to USD1 marks a strategic pivot backed by YZi LabsDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, deepening ties between the two platforms.
For World Liberty Financial, the arrangement drives utility for USD1 beyond transfers and lending. Every open position locks USD1 as collateral, and every trade generates settlement volume. USD1 has grown to roughly $4.4 billion in circulation as of early 2026.
What could go wrong? The 250 million WLFI tokens tie the fund's health to the token's performance. If WLFI weakens, so does the liquidity backstop behind the new markets.
The signal: By making USD1 the exclusive settlement asset for its RWA vertical, Aster is betting that a stablecoin can win by embedding itself in trading infrastructure rather than competing for generic market share.
Read more: Crypto Briefing
Image credit: Generated with Gemini
