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Airdrop

An Airdrop is a distribution of free tokens to a community, typically used as a marketing tool or a reward for early protocol adopters and testers. In 2026, the "points-to-airdrop" model has matured into merit-based incentive programs that utilize Sybil-resistance and Proof-of-Humanity to filter out bots. Airdrops remain a primary method for decentralized governance (DAO) bootstrapping. Follow this tag for the latest on retroactive rewards, eligibility criteria, and how to participate in the most anticipated token distributions in the ecosystem.

5417 Articles
Created: 2026/02/02 18:52
Updated: 2026/02/02 18:52
Rainbow Prepares RNBW Token Launch With Overhauled Crypto App Experience

Rainbow Prepares RNBW Token Launch With Overhauled Crypto App Experience

TLDR: Rainbow will launch RNBW token in Q4 2025, rewarding users who have been collecting points on its app. The app now includes real-time pricing, instant balance updates, and live candlestick charts for crypto traders. Users can connect to any EVM dapp directly inside Rainbow’s in-app browser for smoother transactions. Perps trading powered by Hyperliquid [...] The post Rainbow Prepares RNBW Token Launch With Overhauled Crypto App Experience appeared first on Blockonomi.

Author: Blockonomi

2025/09/23

Smarter Futures Trading Begins: OneBullEx Launches Beta with Bots, Rewards, and Community at the Core

Smarter Futures Trading Begins: OneBullEx Launches Beta with Bots, Rewards, and Community at the Core

The post Smarter Futures Trading Begins: OneBullEx Launches Beta with Bots, Rewards, and Community at the Core appeared first on Coinpedia Fintech News In a crowded crypto exchange market where many platforms rush to launch with unfinished products, OneBullEx is choosing a different path. Instead of chasing hype, the exchange has built carefully, tested with real traders, and prioritized quality above all. With its Beta launch now live, OneBullEx is opening its doors to the global trading community. …

Author: CoinPedia

2025/09/23

88% of airdropped tokens last no more than 3 months

88% of airdropped tokens last no more than 3 months

By Sara Gherghelas Compiled and compiled by: BitpushNews While the impact of airdrops on user growth and awareness has transformed the Web3 ecosystem, whether they can create lasting ecosystems or simply spark short-lived speculative activity remains a focus of attention. Airdrops have become one of the most powerful growth tools in Web3, capable of generating massive buzz and onboarding millions of users in just a few days. Over the past two years, projects in areas like decentralized finance (DeFi), non-fungible tokens (NFTs), and blockchain gaming have distributed billions of dollars worth of tokens to reward early adopters and attract new participants. However, the real question is: do these distributions create lasting ecosystems, or are they merely short-lived speculative ventures? While airdrops continue to drive impressive spikes in user growth and transaction volume, their long-term impact on retention, engagement, and token value is far less certain. This report analyzes the outcomes of high-value airdrops in DeFi, NFTs, and gaming, focusing on how they impacted user behavior, token performance, and on-chain activity. Key Takeaways Since 2017, projects have distributed over $20 billion in airdropped tokens, with $4.5 billion in 2023 alone, making airdrops one of Web3’s most powerful, yet most expensive, growth strategies. 88% of airdropped tokens lose value within three months, highlighting the gap between short-term hype and long-term sustainability. Airdrops reliably generate massive spikes in activity: Arbitrum saw 2.5 million daily transactions at launch, and Blur captured over 70% of NFT trading volume overnight. Retention remains a weak link: on average, activity falls back to around 20% to 40% of its pre-airdrop level within a few weeks, with most recipients cashing out. 1. What are airdrops? How do they shape Web3 growth? In the Web3 ecosystem, an airdrop refers to the distribution of free tokens to a group of wallets, typically to reward past activity or incentivize future participation. Unlike ICOs (initial coin offerings), which require users to purchase tokens, airdrops place tokens directly into users' hands. The underlying logic is simple: by giving away ownership, projects can guide their communities, decentralize governance, and create immediate liquidity for their tokens. Airdrops come in different forms: Retroactive Airdrops: Reward users who have interacted with the protocol in the past (e.g. Uniswap in 2020, Arbitrum in 2023). Incentive Airdrops: Encourage ongoing behavior such as trading, staking, or referrals (e.g. Blur’s points system). Community Airdrops: Reward NFT holders, developers, or social community members (such as BONK on Solana). Since 2017, airdrops have evolved from a quirky way to spread news into one of the most effective marketing strategies in Web3. Instead of paying for advertising, projects are distributing ownership. The thinking is: users who feel like stakeholders are more likely to try a product, spread the word, and remain loyal. Key milestones in airdrop history: 2017–2018, the first wave: This first emerged during the ICO era. Many projects used airdrops to cheaply expand Telegram groups and wallet addresses. The impact was mostly speculative, with few users continuing to participate after receiving the airdrops. In 2020, Uniswap set the gold standard with its $UNI airdrop. By distributing 400 UNI (valued at approximately $1,200 at the time, peaking at over $12,000) to every historical user, Uniswap turned early adopters into evangelists. It also established that retroactive airdrops are a fair way to reward "true believers." 2021–2022: The Airdrop Playbook Era: Airdrops became part of the playbook: dYdX, ENS, LooksRare, and others used them to attract traders, domain name service users, or NFT collectors. Some projects succeeded, while others were overwhelmed by "farmers." 2023–2025, the era of super airdrops: Arbitrum ($1.97 billion), Blur ($818 million), and Worldcoin (which continues to airdrop to over 10 million users) demonstrate how large-scale distribution can change the entire ecosystem overnight. While precise tracking is difficult, estimates suggest that: Since 2017, hundreds of airdrops have occurred across DeFi, NFTs, gaming, and infrastructure. The total value distributed via airdrops exceeds $20 billion, with $4.5 billion in 2023 alone (including Arbitrum, Blur, Celestia, etc.). Major airdrops typically target between 100,000 and 1 million addresses, while global campaigns like Worldcoin target tens of millions of users. Research shows that approximately 88% of airdropped tokens lose value within 3 months of launch, highlighting that airdrops, while successful as marketing campaigns, rarely ensure the long-term strength of a token. Why do airdrops work as a marketing tool? Low barrier to entry: Users receive free tokens → try the product. Word-of-mouth effect: Large airdrops make headlines (“free money”) and generate virality. Decentralization: Tokens spread ownership, empower users with governance, and (at least in theory) align them with the future of the project. Competitive pressure: Airdrops can quickly shift market share (e.g. Blur versus OpenSea). However, they also come with challenges: airdrop farming, immediate sell-offs, and retention struggles. However, as of 2025, airdrops remain one of the most effective, albeit imperfect, marketing weapons in the dapp industry. 2. DeFi and Layer-2 airdrops: Is it promoting user growth or feeding the "wool party"? The DeFi sector has long been at the heart of the airdrop phenomenon. From decentralized exchanges to Layer-2 scaling networks, protocols are using token distribution to reward early adopters, decentralize governance, and, most importantly, attract new users. In fact, many of the largest and most discussed airdrops in Web3 history have stemmed from DeFi and network scaling solutions. L2 Network Airdrop The most notable example is Arbitrum's airdrop in March 2023. By distributing 1.16 billion ARB tokens (approximately 11.6% of the total supply) to over 600,000 addresses, Arbitrum created the industry's largest airdrop at the time. At its peak, these tokens were valued at nearly $2 billion. The impact on the chain was immediate: on the day of the redemption, daily transaction volume soared to over 2.5 million, briefly surpassing Ethereum itself. Despite the inevitable cooling of the hype, Arbitrum has retained a higher baseline of activity than before the airdrop. Two months later, the network is still processing approximately one million daily transactions, and unique active wallets (UAWs) have increased by 531%. However, the retention story is more complicated. Our data shows that only approximately 5% of transactions during this period came from wallets that actually received ARB. Many recipients simply sold their tokens and left, while real usage was driven by new or existing DeFi users attracted to Arbitrum's growing ecosystem. Unsurprisingly, the ARB token itself followed a familiar pattern: after launching at around $1.30–$1.40, it fell by over 75% in two years. Optimism offers a helpful comparison. Rather than opting for a single, large-scale event, it has been conducting airdrops in phases since 2022. A second wave of airdrops in 2023 distributed 11 million OP tokens, targeting governance participants such as DAO voters and delegates. While this approach produced smaller spikes in activity than Arbitrum, it more purposefully aligned incentives and strengthened Optimism's governance structure. Our data confirms that Optimism also experienced a sharp jump in UAWs and trading volume during its claiming period, though activity faded more quickly. The OP token has lost 42% of its value since its launch three years ago. DeFi Airdrop DeFi protocols have followed a similar pattern to L2 networks. dYdX's early airdrops to active traders created a surge in trading volume, but once incentives were reduced, activity declined, and its token has since lost approximately 70% of its value. 1inch distributed multiple waves of tokens, driving short-term wallet growth, but governance participation remained low; the token fell 52% shortly after the airdrop and over 90% five years later. ENS's retroactive airdrop in late 2021 was smaller, but its token has performed better, losing only about 40% in four years, while cultivating a relatively loyal governance community among Ethereum nameholders. Across the industry, the data shows a consistent pattern. Airdrops drive immediate user growth, often doubling or tripling daily activity, accompanied by a surge in TVL as users move assets to qualify or claim tokens. However, within a few weeks, activity typically falls back to a baseline level that's only slightly higher than before. Token prices bear this out: most DeFi airdrop tokens lose 60% to 90% of their issuance value within a few months as investors exit their positions. Airdrops are unmatched for accelerating user acquisition, but long-term retention depends on product-market fit. Arbitrum has been able to maintain high usage levels because its network already offers strong DeFi utility and lower costs. Optimism, by designing its airdrops around governance, demonstrates how mechanisms can shape user behavior beyond speculation. However, for protocols lacking a compelling ecosystem or thoughtful design, airdrops are, at best, expensive marketing campaigns that enrich opportunistic takers while failing to ensure lasting adoption. 3. NFT Airdrops: Trading Liquidity vs. Community Loyalty If DeFi and Layer-2 networks use airdrops to expand infrastructure, the NFT space uses them as a weapon to fight for market share. Blur is a prime example of this, as the exchange disrupted OpenSea’s long-held dominance through one of the most aggressive airdrop strategies in Web3 history. Blur ran a “quarterly” rewards program for months before its February 2023 token launch, with traders accumulating points by listing NFTs, providing liquidity, and demonstrating platform loyalty. When the BLUR token finally launched, 51% of its total supply was allocated to the community, and at its peak, the airdrop was worth over $800 million. The results were immediate and dramatic. Blur captured over 70% of Ethereum’s NFT trading volume within days, forcing OpenSea to cut fees and reconsider creator royalties. Our data shows the speed of the liquidity transfer; despite serving fewer active wallets, Blur sometimes saw over five times the volume of OpenSea. However, the nature of this activity tells a cautionary tale. The majority of Blur's volume was driven by a small number of high-frequency traders scalping points for future rewards. Analysis at the time showed that a few hundred wallets accounted for the majority of transactions. While this created unprecedented liquidity, tight spreads, and faster execution for NFTs, it didn't necessarily translate into broader community participation. OpenSea continued to dominate in terms of independent active wallets, favoring casual collectors and creators. The BLUR token itself followed a familiar trajectory. It debuted at around $1.20 but quickly fell as recipients sold off, dropping below $0.10 by 2025. Even consistent quarterly rewards failed to prevent the gradual erosion of value. By the end of 2023, Blur's market share had also begun to decline, stabilizing in the 20% to 40% range after an initial surge. Other NFT airdrops tell a similar story. LooksRare and X2Y2 also engaged in a “vampire attack” model in 2022, distributing tokens to OpenSea traders. Both briefly saw significant trading volume, but much of it was wash trading. Activity quickly plummeted after the rewards dried up. Their tokens, once worth hundreds of millions of dollars, now trade at a fraction of their peak value. More recently, memecoin-style NFT airdrops like Memecoin ($MEME) briefly sparked collector enthusiasm but failed to sustain any lasting ecosystem. The key lesson from NFT airdrops is that while they are highly effective at moving liquidity, they face challenges in creating sticky communities. Traders follow rewards, but collectors and creators seek trust, usability, and cultural relevance—factors that tokens alone cannot achieve. As of 2025, the NFT trading landscape is more competitive than ever, fueled by these airdrops. OpenSea has adopted new professional trading tools, Blur continues to cater to professional traders, and other platforms are experimenting with new models. But the fundamental question remains: Can token incentives in NFT markets truly foster sustainable communities, or simply fuel a temporary liquidity war? 4. Game Airdrops: Limited Impact in a Play-to-Earn World While DeFi and NFT platforms have turned airdrops into multi-billion dollar marketing campaigns, the gaming sector has been more cautious. Blockchain games typically focus on in-game economies and NFTs rather than large-scale token giveaways. As a result, high-value gaming airdrops have been relatively rare over the past two years, and their impact has been more short-lived compared to DeFi or NFT trading markets. Most other blockchain gaming projects have completely avoided major retroactive airdrops. Instead, they rely on launchpads, NFT minting, or in-game earning rewards to distribute tokens. This strategy reflects the lessons of the 2021 Play-to-Earn wave, when the inflationary token economy collapsed under speculative pressure. By 2023–2025, developers appear wary of repeating the same mistake by distributing large amounts of tokens without a sustainable mechanism. Some exceptions occur at the infrastructure level. Immutable, Polygon, and Ronin have experimented with incentives and token rewards for game developers and players, but these structures have been ongoing bounty programs rather than one-time airdrops. Similarly, smaller game studios have distributed NFTs or modest token airdrops to closed beta users, rewarding early participation without disrupting their economies. For games, the real challenge is not onboarding users with tokens, but keeping them entertained long enough to form a lasting ecosystem. Conclusion While 88% of airdropped tokens lost value within months, each airdrop reinforces the same truth: in the Web3 world, attention is the most valuable currency. Previous large-scale token distributions have proven that the true value lies not in the token itself, but in the user behavior it can influence. The challenge facing projects today is no longer about attracting attention, but rather how to convert that traffic into sustainable ecosystems and communities.

Author: PANews

2025/09/23

Uptick Network Equips Upward Wallet to Unlock Web3 with ERC-20 Token Creation

Uptick Network Equips Upward Wallet to Unlock Web3 with ERC-20 Token Creation

Uptick Network upgrades Upward Wallet with ERC-20 token creation and gifting tools in order to make Web3 simpler, engaging, and community-driven.

Author: Blockchainreporter

2025/09/23

LayerZero Foundation initiates buyback of 50 million ZRO from early backers

LayerZero Foundation initiates buyback of 50 million ZRO from early backers

The post LayerZero Foundation initiates buyback of 50 million ZRO from early backers appeared on BitcoinEthereumNews.com. Key Takeaways LayerZero Foundation has initiated a buyback for 50 million ZRO tokens. The buyback targets early investors who supported LayerZero during its early development stages. LayerZero Foundation, the non-profit entity overseeing the development of the LayerZero blockchain interoperability protocol, today initiated a buyback of 50 million ZRO tokens from early backers. The buyback targets tokens held by initial investors who provided funding during the project’s early development phases. Token buybacks in crypto are typically used to reduce circulating supply and signal long-term confidence in the protocol. ZRO launched in June 2024 with an initial fully diluted valuation of around $3.0 billion. The foundation distributed 8.5% of the token supply through an airdrop on launch day to bootstrap community participation. LayerZero’s protocol connects over 50 blockchains and has facilitated more than 100 million cross-chain messages since launch, enhancing liquidity across decentralized applications. Source: https://cryptobriefing.com/layerzero-zro-token-buyback-early-backers-2025/

Author: BitcoinEthereumNews

2025/09/23

Rainbow proposes to acquire Clanker Protocol and announces token distribution plan

Rainbow proposes to acquire Clanker Protocol and announces token distribution plan

PANews reported on September 23rd that the Rainbow Foundation proposed acquiring the Clanker protocol and announced a token distribution plan: SCLANKER holders will receive 4% of the total supply of Rainbow's new token, SRNBW (approximately 20% of the circulating supply of TGE); all Clanker treasury assets will be airdropped to SCLANKER holders; and LP fees generated by the Clanker protocol will be permanently distributed to SCLANKER holders. Rainbow has pledged to integrate Clanker into its product ecosystem and provide SRNBW rewards for related transactions. Clanker responded that he had informed Rainbow last week that he would not accept the acquisition and that there was a disagreement in the communication between the two sides.

Author: PANews

2025/09/23

Will stablecoins break the token flywheel?

Will stablecoins break the token flywheel?

The post Will stablecoins break the token flywheel? appeared on BitcoinEthereumNews.com. This is a segment from the Empire newsletter. To read full editions, subscribe. Crypto has grown into a Kafkaesque maze of meta-bets: Bitcoin is the reserve asset of the internet, and if it can do that, then Ethereum must be the World Computer.  But if Ethereum can’t scale to be the World Computer all by itself, then perhaps Solana, Avalanche or some other layer-1 will be the global settlement layer for computation instead. That settlement layer will need apps. Lots of them. Great for the fat app thesis — the investment logic that suggests “most of the value to be found in crypto today is to be found in apps.”  And if those fat apps have tokens, then hoo boy! — Imagine the value accrual. Especially for those apps that thrive in crypto’s hyperactive attention economy. What if the apps are so successful that they overload their settlement layers, thereby proving that those blockchains can’t scale, either? Or maybe their devs, validators or other ecosystem participants are not aligned with the apps themselves. What then? Fun with flywheels Odds are you’ll then love the appchain thesis. It has everything good about the fat app thesis, with the added benefit of a very special property: ongoing utility for network participants. Tokens can be dished out as rewards (read: payment) to the people and companies keeping the network online.  And those people need to stake their tokens (and not sell them) to receive more of those rewards — reducing downward pressure on the token’s price and maybe attracting new users (and holders) along the way. The token is an integral part of that flywheel. Something that Empire host Santiago Roel Santos said on today’s podcast got me thinking about all of this. The topic of Polymarket’s trajectory had come up, and Santi…

Author: BitcoinEthereumNews

2025/09/23

Best Meme Coins to Invest in Early Before Upcoming Launches

Best Meme Coins to Invest in Early Before Upcoming Launches

The crypto market has been under pressure in recent weeks, with many assets trading in the red. This kind of environment often tests investor conviction, as sharp price fluctuations can shake confidence in long-term strategies. Yet history shows that downturns frequently serve as the backdrop for the best opportunities. Bitcoin’s early days are a prime […]

Author: The Cryptonomist

2025/09/23

Interesting Crypto Airdrops Worth Farming in September

Interesting Crypto Airdrops Worth Farming in September

The post Interesting Crypto Airdrops Worth Farming in September appeared on BitcoinEthereumNews.com. With Bitcoin (BTC) and altcoins in the broader market bleeding, crypto airdrops offer investors a chance to diversify their portfolios and potentially escape the bloodbath as liquidations escalate to nearly $2 billion. Airdrops aim to distribute free tokens while attracting new followers and expanding user bases. The following airdrops offer investors and crypto enthusiasts the chance to acquire new tokens and join the active crypto communities.  Allora Sponsored Sponsored Allora features among the top four crypto airdrops to watch this week, with the blockchain service boasting up to $33.75 million. Polychain Capital and Blockchain Capital co-led the first-tier fundraiser and are among the funds and backers. Delphi Ventures and Stani Kulechov, founder and CEO of Aave Labs, also participate in this investment stage. With a confirmed status for its airdrop, Allora is running the node, the second phase of the points program, and the testnet, all of which remain open. Participants can earn Allora Points through various on-chain and off-chain activities with the points program. These include creating topics, bringing ML models, using Allora-powered applications, and participating in community discussions and events. Round 4. Prophecy time. Reply with your boldest prediction for AI + crypto in 2030. Most crazy but believable one takes the box, you have 48 hours. — Allora (@AlloraNetwork) September 22, 2025 Tea-Fi Sponsored Sponsored Another crypto airdrop to watch is Tea-Fi, a decentralized finance (DeFi) project that has raised $35 million. It is backed by renowned investors, such as Castrum Capital, and has an open TeaParty airdrop campaign. Tea-Fi has confirmed its airdrop along with the campaign, with 6 million TEA tokens allocated for this activity. As tge gets closer, you may be wondering what we have under our sleeves? Well, wonder no more! We have got so many plans, but here is one:☕️🫖👇https://t.co/nnsVz1VkGY — Tea-Fi |…

Author: BitcoinEthereumNews

2025/09/22

8 Best High-Risk High-Reward Cryptos to Buy Now

8 Best High-Risk High-Reward Cryptos to Buy Now

The crypto market in late 2025 is full of chances to make big gains, but also big risks. Meme coins, presale tokens, and other speculative projects can shoot up fast when hype builds, sometimes giving early buyers huge returns.  At the same time, these tokens can drop just as quickly, and many new projects fail […]

Author: The Cryptonomist

2025/09/22

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