In the Web3 field, it is common to see cases where core team members of a well-known project leave with key technologies to create new projects that quickly gain market recognition. This phenomenon of "splitting" has almost become the norm. However, cases of two major project teams choosing to merge and form a new team are rare. This is because it is difficult to balance the maximization of each team's interests in the short term. However, from a long-term development perspective, project mergers are an important strategic move that can expand product scale, optimize user experience, and promote long-term ecological prosperity.
The merger of Astherus and APX is undoubtedly a successful example of 1+1>2, providing a template worth learning from in the market.
The merger of Astherus and APX brings new gameplay
On December 4, 2024, amidst the crypto market boom, BTC broke the historical high of $100,000. Astherus and APX officially announced their merger, focusing on the following core directions:
On-chain asset yield aggregation: By integrating resources, providing users with a more comprehensive asset management solution to maximize yields.
Liquidity deployment optimization: Enhancing capital utilization efficiency to provide users with deeper market liquidity support.
On-chain perpetual contract trading: Continuously optimizing the trading engine to improve trading speed and stability, offering users a smoother trading experience.
Innovation at the token level: After the merger, the original APX Token will be mapped to a new Astherus Token, along with the introduction of a new token model. Meanwhile, the existing APX DAO will undergo a comprehensive update to better serve the community ecosystem. The initial public offering (TGE) of the new Astherus Token is expected to begin in 2025.
User experience improvements brought by the merger
A richer product matrix: Users will enjoy a more diverse range of DeFi products and services to meet different investment needs.
Higher yield potential: By integrating resources from both sides, users will gain more opportunities for returns.
A safer trading environment: The merged platform will further enhance security to protect user assets.
Complementary backgrounds and advantages of both parties
Astherus's narrative: A new ecosystem from liquidity to innovation
Astherus represents a profound transformation in the DeFi space. As a multi-asset liquidity platform, Astherus is committed to providing users with more efficient and flexible asset management solutions, breaking the limitations of traditional DeFi products. Its core highlights are the liquidity staking (LST) and re-staking (LRT) mechanisms, which allow Astherus to help investors achieve high yields while enhancing market liquidity and capital utilization efficiency.
Astherus is not just a simple liquidity platform; it addresses the challenges of liquidity management and risk hedging in traditional financial markets through smart contracts and an innovative stablecoin system (such as USDF). With the design of the USDF stablecoin, users can participate in the market in a cost-effective and efficient manner, earning returns through funding rates, all of which are automatically completed through Astherus's smart contract system, greatly enhancing the convenience and transparency of market operations.
Additionally, Astherus has become part of Binance's incubation program through collaboration with Binance Labs, attracting more capital attention and further validating the market potential of its innovative model. With this background, Astherus's popularity continues to rise, with TVL exceeding $136 million, becoming an important force in the DeFi ecosystem.
APX: A leader in the on-chain derivatives space
Users familiar with the BSC ecosystem are no strangers to APX. APX is known for its decentralized on-chain derivatives trading, focusing on the innovative direction of the future of DeFi—on-chain derivatives markets. With support from Binance and outstanding trading performance, APX's trading volume has approached $1 billion in the past week, boasting over 160,000 users, and has become a leading decentralized derivatives market on the BNB chain, with its token recently listed on the BingX exchange.
The merger of Astherus and APX will accelerate the prosperity of decentralized DeFi applications on the BNB Chain, solidifying the market positions of Astherus and APX on that chain. More importantly, this merger brings more premium effects to both projects, enhancing their dominance on the BNB Chain.
Extension and optimization of the Hyperliquid + Ethena model
The merger of Astherus and APX is a strategically significant move in the DeFi space. If HyperLiquid and Ethena represent the combination of liquidity and derivatives markets, then the merger of Astherus and APX can be seen as an extension and evolution of this model.
HyperLiquid + Ethena model: The perfect combination of liquidity and derivatives
The collaboration between HyperLiquid and Ethena marks the integration of liquidity and derivatives trading functions within the DeFi ecosystem. Ethena focuses on providing efficient market liquidity, while HyperLiquid has a leading advantage in derivatives trading. The combination of the two makes the entire DeFi ecosystem more efficient and interconnected. By combining liquidity with futures trading, HyperLiquid can ensure market depth, while Ethena optimizes capital utilization efficiency through derivatives trading, providing users with more flexible trading strategies.
The merger of Astherus and APX: A collision of innovative liquidity and derivatives markets
Similar to the combination of HyperLiquid and Ethena, the merger of Astherus and APX deeply integrates the advantages of liquidity platforms and derivatives trading. Astherus's core lies in liquidity management and asset appreciation, while APX focuses on the decentralized derivatives market, particularly having a clear first-mover advantage in derivatives contract trading. APX not only has the support of Binance, but its past trading volume and market performance also prove its leading position in the DeFi derivatives market.
Through the merger with APX, Astherus can bring its rich liquidity resources into APX's derivatives market, forming a mutually dependent and mutually beneficial ecosystem. The advantages of Astherus in liquidity, combined with APX's expertise in derivatives trading, can greatly enhance the trading depth and efficiency of the entire platform.
Specifically, Astherus, through its innovative USDF stablecoin and liquidity staking mechanism, can provide more adequate funding support for APX's derivatives trading, while APX, with its strong derivatives market and decentralized trading advantages, can bring more active trading volume and market depth to Astherus's liquidity pool. The combination of the two will provide users with a more diversified DeFi ecosystem while enhancing the value of each platform.
Symbiotic effect: The market pattern of 1+1>2
The merger of Astherus and APX is not just a simple integration of resources from two platforms; it is a cross-domain collision of innovation. Just as HyperLiquid and Ethena achieved a win-win situation for market liquidity and derivatives trading through cooperation, Astherus and APX will also deeply integrate the advantages of liquidity and derivatives markets, enhancing the overall value of the DeFi ecosystem through more efficient capital utilization and risk management.
Astherus expands its product matrix through APX's derivatives market, providing more yield opportunities and innovative gameplay, while APX, through Astherus's liquidity support, further enhances the platform's capital depth and market competitiveness. The merger of the two not only brings higher market valuations to each platform but also effectively attracts more user and capital participation, thus promoting the entire DeFi industry to develop to a higher level.
The merger will become a new opportunity
In traditional capital markets, corporate mergers have become a common phenomenon. However, the merger of Astherus and APX is not just a routine business restructuring; it is a forward-looking strategic move. This merger provides broad space for future development, capable of promoting widespread application of the project, optimizing user experience, and introducing more innovative gameplay. More importantly, this merger will bring potential premium effects to the tokens, enhancing market valuations and expanding their growth potential.
The ecological merger of Astherus and APX marks a significant step forward for the DeFi industry towards a higher level. This collaboration will not only bring breakthroughs in product and service innovation but also lead a new development trend at the industry level. With the synergistic development of the two projects, users will experience more unprecedented DeFi innovations. We have reason to believe that the merger of Astherus and APX will become a powerful driving force for the continuous prosperity of the DeFi industry, bringing more surprises and opportunities to the market.