Airdrops are one of the most successful and tested strategies used by the blockchain networks to reach a wider audience. Airdrops are crypto rewards given to early participants of an ecosystem to nudge them to use the network more and spread the word to other potential investors. Some of the valuable airdrops in the past include Ethereum Naming System (ENS), Uniswap (UNI), Stellar (XLM), dYdX (DYDX) etc. All the early users of these ecosystems were rewarded handsomely ($1,000 on average in case of ENS) just for utilizing their products or services. In general, explorers of blockchains are always rewarded in some way via Airdrops. In today’s article, let’s look at the 5 potential airdrops in the crypto ecosystem aggregated from crypto expert Miles Deutscher.
Layer Zero
Layer Zero is an omnichain interoperability protocol that enables the realization of cross-chain applications with a low level communication primitive. In simple words, it is a new dimension of crypto bridging with the goal to connect all EVM chains and unify liquidity pools. You can check out detailed steps on how to qualify for the airdrop here.
zkSync
zkSync is a ZK rollup, a trustless protocol that uses cryptographic proofs to provide scalable and cheap transactions on Ethereum. In zkSync, computation is performed off-chain and most data is stored off-chain as well. As all transactions are proven on the Ethereum mainchain, users enjoy the same security level as in Ethereum. zkSync 2.0 is made to look and feel like Ethereum, but with lower fees.
The best chance to get the zkSync airdrop is to interact with their testnet. Before testing, one needs to add RPC configuration. The best way to do this is to go chainlist.org, connect a non-custodial wallet, search for zkSync and manually add it. Post which there are a lot of protocols to try out. One can go to wallet.zksync.io and bridge funds. Or, there’s an order book DEX called zigzag exchange with which trades can be executed. There’s also a NFT platform called Pinata through which you can mint NFTs and a wallet service ArgentHQ to invest funds.
Starknet ecosystem
StarkNet is a type of Ethereum scaling solution known as a ZK rollup. ZK-rollups can scale to millions, even billions of people. Argent X is the most popular and only open-source wallet for StarkNet.
- • 10kSwap: An AMM that advances with Ethereum, deployed on StarkNet Mainnet with open source contracts written in Cairo. One can connect and do swaps/add liquidity similar to Uniswap. There’s a possibility for airdrop in the future.
- • Astraly: A token distribution platform which allows project launching on the platform to find the most relevant users for their use, also users can monetize their reputation. The protocol is still on Testnet so one can go ahead and mint ASTR Token. Post which, liquidity can be added to protocols like alpharoad finance and stake ASTR tokens.
- • Argent: A decentralized self-custody wallet on Starknet, it is on zkSync & Starknet. The strategy is to be an active user & use the swap feature. Possible airdrop.
- • RabbitX: An Order book Perp DEX which charges 0 fees for trades. There is no token yet and the protocol testnet will be live soon. Airdrop has been confirmed.
While there are no promises made by most protocols, the best way to look at the airdrops is from a learning perspective. For example, many Ethereum Naming Service (ENS) users received thousands of dollars worth airdrop just because they found it fun and useful. So, the idea is to explore the web3 ecosystem, find projects that you think are interesting and start interacting with them.
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Disclaimer: This article was authored by Giottus Crypto Exchange as a part of a paid partnership with The News Minute. Crypto-asset or cryptocurrency investments are subject to market risks such as volatility and have no guaranteed returns. Please do your own research before investing and seek independent legal/financial advice if you are unsure about the investments.
