Midnight Airdrop Update Announced by Cardano's Creator
The Midnight airdrop, a major distribution of 24 billion NIGHT tokens by the Midnight Network, a privacy-centric sidechain within the Cardano ecosystem, has been launched as of August 2025. This event, known as the "Glacier Drop," targets holders of at least $100 in supported blockchains, including Cardano (ADA), Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), Ripple (XRP), Solana (SOL), Avalanche (AVAX), BNB Chain (BNB), and Brave (BAT) [1][4][5].
Key details of the airdrop include:
- 50% (12 billion) of NIGHT tokens are allocated to ADA holders, with the other 50% split between BTC holders (20%) and the remaining chains (30%) [1][2].
- The snapshot for eligibility was taken on June 11, 2025, and eligible users have a 60-day window from July through August 2025 to claim their NIGHT tokens [1][4].
- The tokens are vested and locked initially, with 25% unlocking every 90 days over a 360-day period to prevent immediate sell-offs and encourage long-term engagement [1][2][4].
- Unclaimed tokens after the claim period enter a Scavenger Mine phase, where users can earn them through computational mining [1][4].
- Claiming involves using a portal to enter your original wallet and a fresh Cardano wallet to receive NIGHT tokens gradually over the vesting schedule [2].
This airdrop, one of the largest in 2025, includes over 37 million wallets and has significant visibility and promotion across multiple blockchains. It could potentially increase user engagement and adoption of both Midnight and Cardano ecosystems [2][4].
Midnight’s unique privacy-centered approach and cross-chain strategy might strengthen Cardano's position as a multi-chain platform with enhanced privacy features, attracting more developers and users [3][4]. Analysts and Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson have expressed optimism that NIGHT’s launch could elevate the token’s market cap into the top 20 cryptocurrencies, potentially boosting Cardano’s ecosystem value and demand for ADA indirectly [3].
However, since NIGHT tokens unlock gradually over a year, this structured release could mitigate sharp price volatility or immediate selling pressure on ADA, although increased attention and ecosystem activity may have bullish effects [1][4].
The growing popularity of privacy-focused applications could boost interest in Midnight and Cardano network usage. Midnight uses the zero-knowledge certificate method to secure transactional data, and its application focuses on privacy protection [4]. Yet, Midnight could be impacted by regulatory changes, as with any blockchain technology [4].
In summary, the Midnight airdrop is a significant, multi-chain event distributing NIGHT tokens primarily to ADA holders. It is likely to increase interest and utility in Cardano’s ecosystem, with potential positive effects on ADA’s price driven by ecosystem growth and enhanced privacy functionality, though the vesting schedule limits immediate market impact [1][2][3][4][5].
The crypt technology, as employed by Midnight Network in their privacy-centric sidechain, is anticipated to boost user engagement and adoption of not only Midnight but also the Cardano ecosystem. As a result, the technology could potentially boost Cardano’s ecosystem value and demand for ADA indirectly.
Furthermore, the Midnight Network's privacy-centered approach and cross-chain strategy could strengthen Cardano's position as a multi-chain platform with enhanced privacy features, thereby attracting more developers and users, thereby making use of advanced crypt technology.
