In the Web3 domain, it is common to see cases where core team members of well-known projects leave with key technologies and create new projects that quickly gain market recognition. This "splitting" phenomenon has almost become the norm. However, cases where two major project teams choose to merge and form a new team are not as common. 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 the product scale, optimize the user experience, and promote the long-term prosperity of the ecosystem.
The merger of Astherus and APX is undoubtedly a successful 1+1>2 model, providing the market with a template worth learning from.
The merger of Astherus and APX brings a new gameplay
On December 4, 2024, at the height of the crypto market boom, BTC broke through the historical high of $100,000. Astherus and APX officially announced their merger, focusing on the following core directions:
- On-chain asset yield aggregation: Through resource integration, provide users with more comprehensive asset management solutions to maximize returns.
- Liquidity deployment optimization: Improve capital utilization efficiency and provide users with deeper market liquidity support.
- On-chain perpetual contract trading: Continuously optimize the trading engine, improve trading speed and stability, and bring users a smoother trading experience.
- Token-level innovation: After this merger, the original APX Token will be mapped to the new Astherus Token, and a new token model will be launched. At the same time, the existing APX DAO will also be comprehensively updated to better serve the community ecosystem. The initial public offering (TGE) of the new Astherus Token is expected to be launched in 2025.
Improved user experience brought by the merger
- More diverse product matrix: Users will enjoy a more diverse range of DeFi products and services to meet different investment needs.
- Higher yield potential: By integrating the resources of both parties, users will have more opportunities to earn returns.
- Safer trading environment: The merged platform will further enhance security to protect user assets.
Complementary backgrounds and advantages of both parties
- Astherus' narrative: From liquidity to a new innovative ecosystem
Astherus is a profound transformation in the DeFi field. 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, through which Astherus can help investors achieve high yields, while also improving market liquidity and capital utilization efficiency.
Astherus is not just a simple liquidity platform, it solves the problems of liquidity management and risk hedging in the traditional financial market through smart contracts and an innovative stablecoin (such as USDF) system. Through the design of the USDF stablecoin, users can participate in the market in a low-cost and high-efficiency manner, and earn income through funding rates, all of which are automatically completed through Astherus' smart contract system, greatly improving the convenience and transparency of market operations.
In addition, through its cooperation with Binance Labs, Astherus has become part of the Binance incubation program, attracting more capital attention and further validating the market potential of its innovative model. With this background, Astherus' popularity has continued to rise, with its TVL exceeding $136 million, making it an important force in the DeFi ecosystem.
- APX: The leader in on-chain derivative products
As a familiar user of the BNB Chain ecosystem, APX is no stranger. APX is known for its decentralized on-chain derivative trading, focusing on the innovative direction of the DeFi future - the on-chain derivative market. With the support of Binance and its excellent trading performance, APX's trading volume in the past 7 days has reached nearly $1 billion, with over 160,000 users, and it has become the leading decentralized derivative market on the BNB Chain, with its token also recently listed on the BingX exchange.
The merger of Astherus and APX will accelerate the prosperity of decentralized DeFi applications on the BNB Chain and consolidate the market position of Astherus and APX on this chain. More importantly, this merger will bring more premium effects to the two 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 field. 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 in 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 and futures trading, HyperLiquid can ensure the depth of the market, while Ethena optimizes the utilization of capital through derivatives trading, providing users with more flexible trading strategies.
- The merger of Astherus and APX: The collision of innovative liquidity and derivatives markets
Similar to the combination of HyperLiquid and Ethena, the merger of Astherus and APX will deeply integrate the advantages of the liquidity platform and the derivatives market. Astherus' core lies in liquidity management and asset appreciation, while APX focuses on the decentralized derivatives market, with a clear first-mover advantage, especially in the field of derivatives contract trading. APX not only has the support of Binance, but its past trading volume and market performance have also proven its leading position in the DeFi derivatives market.
Through the merger with APX, Astherus can introduce its rich liquidity resources into APX's derivatives market, forming an interdependent and mutually promoting ecosystem. Astherus' advantages 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 abundant capital support for APX's derivatives trading, while APX, through its powerful derivatives market and decentralized trading advantages, can bring more active trading volume and market depth to Astherus' liquidity pool. The combination of the two will bring users a more diversified DeFi ecosystem, while also enhancing the value of their respective platforms.
Symbiotic effect: A market pattern of 1+1>2
The merger of Astherus and APX is not just a simple integration of the resources of the two platforms, but a cross-domain innovative collision. Just as HyperLiquid and Ethena achieved a win-win situation in market liquidity and derivatives trading through cooperation, Astherus and APX will also deeply integrate the advantages of liquidity and derivatives markets, and through more efficient capital utilization and risk management, enhance the value of the entire DeFi ecosystem.
Astherus has expanded its product matrix through APX's derivatives market, providing more earning opportunities and innovative gameplay, while APX has further enhanced its capital depth and market competitiveness through the liquidity support of Astherus. The merger of the two not only brings higher market valuations to their respective platforms, but can also effectively attract more user and capital participation, thereby driving the entire DeFi industry to a higher level of development.
Mergers will become a new opportunity
In the traditional capital market, corporate mergers have become a common phenomenon. However, the merger of Astherus and APX is not just a routine business restructuring, but a forward-looking strategic move. This merger provides ample space for future development, can promote the widespread application of the project, optimize the user experience, and introduce more innovative gameplay. More importantly, this merger will bring a potential premium effect to the token, enhance the market valuation, and expand its growth potential.
The ecological merger of Astherus and APX marks a major step forward for the DeFi industry. This collaboration will not only bring breakthroughs in product and service innovation, but also lead a new development trend in the industry. With the synergistic development of the two major projects, users will enjoy more unprecedented DeFi innovative experiences. We have reason to believe that the merger of Astherus and APX will become a powerful driving force to promote the sustained prosperity of the DeFi industry, and will bring more surprises and opportunities to the market.
