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According to The Block, Mizuho analysts Dan Dolev and Alexander Jenkins stated that after Mastercard's acquisition of the stablecoin startup BVNK, it is expected to become a "network connector" between fiat and cryptocurrency. The analysts pointed out that stablecoins will serve as accelerators for existing networks rather than threats, especially in areas such as B2B cross-border payments, remittances, the creator economy, and the gig economy, where card penetration is limited, and stablecoins can unleash faster, cheaper, and round-the-clock payment capabilities.The analysts maintained Mastercard's "outperform" rating, with a target stock price of $666. Mastercard previously announced plans to acquire BVNK for $1.8 billion, which provides fiat and cryptocurrency deposit and withdrawal channels, stablecoin and tokenized deposit conversions, cross-chain functionality, and wallet infrastructure. Mizuho noted that BVNK's licensing framework allows clients to quickly launch their businesses and supports a long-term transition to self-managed banking infrastructure; meanwhile, Mastercard has joined a global crypto partnership program consisting of over 85 crypto-native companies.

Investment bank Mizuho stated that after acquiring the stablecoin infrastructure company BVNK, Mastercard is expected to become a "network connector" linking crypto assets with fiat currency systems, further expanding its payment ecosystem.Analysis indicates that stablecoins will not undermine Mastercard's core card payment business; instead, they will serve as an "accelerator" for its network, particularly in areas such as B2B cross-border payments, remittances, and the creator and gig economy, facilitating faster, lower-cost, 24/7 capital flow. Mizuho maintains an "outperform" rating on Mastercard and sets a target price of $666.Analysts believe that in the aforementioned emerging scenarios, the penetration rate of traditional bank cards remains relatively low, and stablecoins are expected to fill this gap, while card payments will continue to serve as the core entry point for consumers. It is reported that Mastercard has agreed to acquire BVNK for up to $1.8 billion. This transaction is seen as an important step in continuing its role as a "network connector," expanding its business into the conversion and settlement between stablecoins and fiat currencies.Against the backdrop of a gradually loosening regulatory environment and traditional payment giants like Visa and Stripe accelerating their layout in stablecoins, stablecoins are becoming an important growth direction for the global payment system.

CZ mentioned on social media when asked by users if they would stake ASTER that they might try staking ASTER.

Aster today announced that the staking feature of Aster Chain is officially launched, marking a core empowerment upgrade for the $ASTER token following the airdrop and buyback plans, and is gradually building a closed-loop ecosystem that allows long-term holders to benefit from the protocol's growth.Starting today, users can delegate $ASTER to validators and flexibly choose the lock-up period, earning weekly rewards through a dual mechanism of Base Rewards and Loyalty Rewards.To ensure network security, Aster Chain has initially partnered with Trust Wallet, BNB Chain, World Liberty Financial, Lista DAO, and PancakeSwap as validators, working together with the Aster Foundation to safeguard node security.Users only need to log in to the staking page, select a validator, and enter the staking amount. After confirming the lock-up period, the operation can be completed. The staking cycle runs from Monday to Sunday according to UTC time, and users must complete their staking before 00:00 UTC on Monday to ensure eligibility for reward settlement in the next cycle. For detailed staking guides and technical documentation, please refer to the official documentation.

In the past 4 hours, the total liquidation across the network has risen to 291 million USD, with long positions liquidated at 274 million USD and short positions liquidated at 17.05 million USD. Additionally, in the last 24 hours, a total of 127,712 people have been liquidated globally, with a total liquidation amount of 389 million USD. The largest single liquidation occurred in Aster - ETHUSDT, valued at 17.979 million USD.

According to Lookonchain monitoring, address 0xf4b0 opened a long position in ASTER after the Aster mainnet launch. Subsequently, due to the decline in ASTER's price, the address closed the position, incurring a loss of approximately $183,000.After closing the position, the address immediately switched to a long position in HYPE, purchasing 33,367 HYPE, worth about $1.4 million.

According to Arkham data, at 12:00, 4.5 million ASTER (worth approximately 3.4 million USD) was transferred from Aster to Bybit.

According to Lookonchain monitoring, Aster has officially launched its mainnet, and its official website has now launched a block explorer.At the same time, the largest long position of ASTER on the decentralized derivatives trading platform Hyperliquid currently holds 25.93 million ASTER (approximately 20.4 million USD), with current floating profits of about 3.9 million USD.

According to Bloomberg, Mastercard plans to acquire the stablecoin infrastructure startup BVNK for up to $1.8 billion, which includes $300 million in contingent consideration. This acquisition news comes just four months after the failed merger talks between BVNK and Coinbase, which were valued at about $2 billion. Both parties jointly issued a statement on Tuesday confirming the transaction.

According to The Block, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit voted 7 to 3 to deny Custodia Bank's request for an en banc review, upholding the October 2025 panel's ruling that the Federal Reserve has the authority to approve or deny master account applications from eligible institutions.Notably, just days ago, the Kansas City Fed granted Kraken its first limited cryptocurrency master account, while the Federal Reserve is also developing a broader "streamlined master account" framework.Custodia is a Wyoming-chartered special purpose depository institution founded by Wall Street veteran Caitlin Long. The company first applied for a master account in October 2020. The Kansas City Federal Reserve Bank confirmed in early 2021 that there were "no significant issues" with the application, but ultimately denied it in January 2023 due to concerns about the bank's focus on a cryptocurrency business model.Custodia filed a lawsuit in June 2022, initially regarding a 19-month delay in approval, and later argued that the Currency Control Act grants any eligible depository institution the right to obtain a master account by law. Courts at all levels dismissed the lawsuit.

The trading platform Aster has announced the launch of a 30-day Zero-Fee Epoch Trading Challenge. This event starts at 00:00 UTC on March 13, 2026, and lasts until 23:59 on April 11, primarily targeting eligible new wallet users.According to the event rules, participating users must complete and maintain a net deposit of at least 50,000 USDT and achieve a cumulative taker trading volume of 10 million dollars in the spot and perpetual contract markets during the event period. Users who meet the criteria will receive a 100% rebate on taker fees in USDT within 5 working days after the event ends, and will instantly unlock a 14-day VIP level 3 to 5 qualification.

According to Bloomberg, Mastercard is recruiting over 85 digital asset companies, payment providers, and financial institutions to join a new global partnership program, which includes Circle, Binance, and Gemini.The program aims to maintain the connection between crypto payments and the Mastercard network, while positioning stablecoins as an alternative to traditional payment rails.

According to market news, Binance, PayPal, and Ripple have joined Mastercard's new initiative in the blockchain payment sector.

According to DefiLlama data, the current top Perp DEX trading volume and TVL rankings are as follows:Hyperliquid, with a 24-hour trading volume of approximately $10.08 billion, TVL of about $4.47 billion, and an open interest of approximately $6.08 billion;Aster, with a 24-hour trading volume of approximately $2.73 billion, TVL of about $983 million, and an open interest of approximately $2.17 billion;EdgeX, with a 24-hour trading volume of approximately $2.54 billion, TVL of about $178 million, and an open interest of approximately $1.06 billion;Lighter, with a 24-hour trading volume of approximately $2.23 billion, TVL of about $628 million, and an open interest of approximately $642 million;

Mastercard and Google jointly released the open standard framework Verifiable Intent, designed specifically for the "agent commerce" scenario where AI agents autonomously complete shopping transactions. This framework utilizes cryptographic technology to create tamper-proof authorization records when AI agents execute transactions on behalf of users, integrating identity, intent, and actions into a single privacy-protecting audit trail, addressing the issue where merchants and issuing institutions cannot confirm whether consumers truly authorized a transaction when AI agents place orders autonomously.The framework employs selective disclosure technology to ensure that parties only receive necessary information and integrates widely adopted industry standards such as those from the FIDO Alliance and EMVCo. Mastercard stated that Verifiable Intent will be integrated into its Agent Pay API in the coming months.Meanwhile, the cryptocurrency camp is also actively positioning itself. Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong pointed out that while AI agents cannot open bank accounts, they can hold cryptocurrency wallets, indicating that blockchain infrastructure may be more suited to the future of the AI agent economy.

According to token unlock data from the crypto asset data platform RootData, Aster (ASTER) will unlock approximately 16.467 million tokens at 00:00 Beijing time on March 17, worth about 117 million USD.