CZ Debunks Hoax: No, BlackRock Didn’t File a Staked Aster ETF

Rumors of a BlackRock staked Ethereum ETF filing spread like wildfire across crypto Twitter—only to get doused by Binance's founder.

The Fake Filing That Fooled Everyone

A document, supposedly from the SEC's EDGAR database, claimed the asset management giant had submitted paperwork for a novel staked Ether exchange-traded fund. The ticker? $ASTER. The news triggered instant buzz, with speculators scrambling to decode the implications for Ethereum's staking ecosystem and regulatory acceptance.

CZ's Swift Reality Check

The euphoria was short-lived. Changpeng Zhao, known as CZ, quickly took to social media to label the filing an outright 'hoax.' His intervention cut through the noise, reminding the market that in the wild west of crypto news, verification beats virality every time. It's a classic pump-by-rumor scheme—just with a more sophisticated veneer.

Why This Hoax Mattered

It worked because it tapped into a real, burning narrative. The market is ravenous for signs of institutional adoption, especially through the regulated gateway of an ETF. A staked ETH product represents the holy grail for many: yielding digital gold. Faking that hope is a low-effort, high-impact way to move markets—at least until someone with actual credibility speaks up.

The Aftermath: Trust, but Verify

The episode exposes the ecosystem's persistent vulnerability to misinformation. For every legitimate breakthrough, there are a dozen fabrications waiting to exploit the hype cycle. It's a reminder that due diligence can't be outsourced to your timeline. The real ETF filings will come, laden with legalese and actual SEC correspondence—not just a slick PDF. Until then, consider every too-good-to-be-true headline as likely as a Wall Street banker turning down a bonus.

A fake screenshot claiming BlackRock had filed for a Staked Aster ETF spread across crypto Twitter today, picking up so much traction that multiple websites covered it.

For a moment, it looked like Aster had landed a breakthrough moment on Wall Street until it didn’t. The filing was never real, and Binance founder CZ stepped in to make sure everyone knew it.

Fake BlackRock Filing Sparks Confusion

The image showed what looked like an official SEC FORM S-1 for an “iShares Staked Aster Trust ETF.”

However, BlackRock has never filed anything related to Aster. The document doesn’t appear in the SEC’s EDGAR database, and several formatting mistakes made it clear the screenshot was photoshopped.

It was also posted about by influencer @ThatMartiniGuy, who shared it thinking it was legitimate. Once the truth came out, he admitted the mistake, writing: “This unfortunately was not real… however it WOULD have been cool.”

This unfortunately was not real as confirmed by @cz_binance however it would have been cool

I hope it happens, i like $ASTER

GOOD TIMES ARE COMING.

CZ Clears the Air

CZ responded directly on X.

“Fake. Even big KOLs get fooled once in a while. Aster doesn’t need these fake photoshopped pics to grow.”

CZ has a known connection to Aster. In November 2025, he revealed he personally bought 2.09 million ASTER tokens, worth over $2 million, using his own funds on Binance. The announcement sent ASTER up more than 30% before heavy shorting pushed the price back down, prompting CZ to joke about his timing.

What BlackRock Actually Filed

Part of why the fake spread so fast is timing.

BlackRock did submit a real filing this week – the, a regulated fund designed to give investors exposure to ETH’s price and staking rewards. That legitimate news likely made the Aster hoax feel more believable.

Aster Moves On Despite the Noise

Aster itself is a multi-chain DEX offering spot and perpetual trading across BNB Chain, Ethereum, Solana, and Arbitrum. The project is backed by YZi Labs (formerly Binance Labs), which added another LAYER of attention during the fake ETF frenzy.