Aster DEX Launches ‘Machi Mode’ Rewarding Crypto Liquidations

Aster’s upcoming ‘Machi mode’ represents a radical departure from traditional trading incentives by rewarding users for experiencing liquidations rather than successful trades. The feature, scheduled to launch next week, converts trading losses into reward points, creating what the decentralized exchange describes as a nod to ‘crypto’s degen culture.’ In a Wednesday announcement on social media platform X, Aster explicitly stated ‘You get liquidation points for getting rekt,’ framing the feature as a celebration of high-risk trading behavior rather than conventional success metrics.

The timing of this unconventional feature coincides with Machi Big Brother’s dominant position on liquidation leaderboards, where he has accumulated 71 liquidations so far this month. This figure places him significantly ahead of other notable traders James Wynn and Andrew Tate, highlighting his reputation as one of the cryptocurrency space’s most prominent high-risk investors. By creating a system that rewards this specific trading behavior, Aster is effectively monetizing and gamifying what traditional finance would consider trading failures.

Jeffrey Huang, known professionally as Machi Big Brother, has become something of a legend in crypto trading circles for his frequent liquidations. The Taiwanese-American entrepreneur and former musician has transitioned from his music career to become a prominent figure in high-risk cryptocurrency investing. His 71 liquidations this month represent an extraordinary frequency of trading positions being automatically closed due to insufficient collateral, indicating an aggressive, high-leverage trading strategy that has become his trademark.

Aster’s direct acknowledgment of Huang in their announcement—’this one’s for you, king @machibigbrother’—positions him as the spiritual inspiration for the new feature. This public endorsement from a decentralized exchange platform underscores how Huang’s trading style has become emblematic of a broader cultural shift within cryptocurrency markets, where traditional risk management principles are sometimes eschewed in favor of high-reward, high-risk strategies that frequently result in liquidation events.

Aster’s move to embrace what it terms ‘crypto’s degen culture’ represents a strategic positioning within the competitive decentralized exchange landscape. By creating features that specifically cater to high-risk traders, the platform is targeting a demographic that traditional financial institutions typically avoid. The ‘Machi mode’ feature effectively creates a loyalty program for traders who frequently experience liquidations, potentially increasing platform engagement and transaction volume even during market downturns or periods of high volatility.

The feature’s design acknowledges that liquidation events, while representing individual trading losses, generate fees and activity for the platform itself. By rewarding users for these events, Aster creates a psychological buffer against the negative experience of being liquidated while simultaneously encouraging the type of high-leverage trading that generates more frequent liquidations. This creates a symbiotic relationship where both the platform and certain types of traders benefit from the same market behaviors, albeit for different reasons.

As decentralized exchanges continue to compete for market share, features like ‘Machi mode’ represent an increasingly common strategy of platform differentiation through cultural alignment rather than purely technical innovation. By explicitly celebrating a trader known for frequent liquidations, Aster is signaling its understanding of and commitment to the specific subculture that has developed around high-risk crypto trading, potentially creating stronger brand loyalty among its target demographic.