If you have been watching the charts lately, you likely noticed Aster (ASTER) making a serious move. The token jumped by more than 7% in just 24 hours, trading around $0.6993, as excitement builds ahead of its major transition to the Aster Chain next month. But as we often remind our readers, crypto markets are rarely a straight line up.
But a massive token unlock is scheduled for February 17, creating a classic trader’s dilemma. This begs the question: Will the hype surrounding the March 2026 mainnet launch be enough to absorb the selling pressure from millions of new tokens hitting the market?
A few days ago it was around $0.40, now it has wicked up to $0.70 $ASTER
While the market is weak overall, ASTER has once again proven its relative strength.
The real strength of ASTER doesn’t come from short-term price action, but from infrastructure and product development.… pic.twitter.com/o827t1glg9— Ali Umut (@aliumutcrypto) February 11, 2026
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Feb 17 Token Unlock: 123M-183M ASTER Tokens To Be Released
A token unlock is a bit like a company issuing new shares of stock. When supply increases abruptly, the price often dips unless there is a massive wave of new buyers to scoop it up.
On February 17, between 123 million and 183 million ASTER tokens are set to be released. This is part of how projects manage their long-term supply, but for short-term traders, it can be nerve-wracking.
Aster Chain mainnet in March.
Privacy is good. Aster is good. 🥷
— Aster (@Aster_DEX) February 12, 2026
So, why are people buying right now despite the incoming supply shock? The answer lies in the roadmap. The project is transitioning from being an application on other networks to running its own dedicated Layer 1 blockchain, the Aster Chain, in March. This upgrade is designed to support its privacy-focused perpetual DEX, which has already seen trading volumes top $3 billion.
Mainnet launches are historically powerful catalysts. Just as we saw with the hype surrounding the MegaETH mainnet launch, moving to an independent chain signals maturity and technical capability. Analysts are currently bullish, with some ASTER price prediction models targeting a fair value of $2.00 to $2.50 once the network is fully operational.
The new chain promises sub-second transaction speeds and “Zero-Knowledge” privacy proofs. BanklessTimes thinks this technical edge is a major driver behind the recent 9% rally.
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If Feb Unlock Causes Price Dip, Seasoned Traders Might See It As Discount Opportunity
So, we are looking at a battle between short-term supply and long-term tech.
If the Feb 17 unlock causes a price dip, seasoned traders might view it as a discount opportunity ahead of the March launch.
However, if the broader market is weak, that extra supply could drag the price down further. It is similar to how we analyze major caps; sometimes, when Ethereum drops significantly, it signals a breakdown, but other times it presents a strategic entry point.
If $ASTER can hold the $0.70 support through the unlock, the path to the March mainnet looks incredibly strong. However, always invest only what you can afford to lose—volatility is guaranteed.
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Meanwhile, Whales Rush to Back Bitcoin Hyper ($HYPER) ICO Before the 2026 Launch
Bitcoin Hyper (HYPER) is attracting heavy inflows even as BTC tumbles into the $60,000-$70,000 range. Smart money investors are flooding into the HYPER ICO, which now stands at a jaw-dropping $31.38M raised ahead of the next funding round in just 6 hours, which will see presale prices increase from the current steal at $0.0136755 per HYPER.
Designed as a high-performance Layer-2 chain built on the Solana Virtual Machine (SVM), Bitcoin Hyper is being viewed by early buyers as the high-upside extension of Bitcoin’s next growth phase. in 2026.
Ideated from a seasoned group of long-standing Bitcoin developers, HYPER is setting out to make building on Bitcoin as competitive as building on Solana.
A key part of this architecture is the bridge that moves BTC onto the Layer-2, allowing it to be used and transacted with near-instant finality. This mechanism not only unlocks high-speed Bitcoin applications but also ties HYPER directly to BTC activity across the network. Think Solana speed, with Bitcoin security.
With all transactions across the Bitcoin Hyper Layer-2 requiring HYPER coin for gas, including those that ultimately settle back to BTC, growing app usage directly drives tokenomics. with consumption underpinning demand pressure.
While HYPER remains in this stage, investors can join by visiting the Bitcoin Hyper website and buying tokens using SOL, ETH, USDT, USDC, BNB, or even a credit card.
Join the Bitcoin Hyper community on Telegram and X for the latest news.
Stay tuned to 99Bitcoins for updates on Aster. Follow us on X and YouTube for the latest breakdowns.
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