TLDR
- ZKsync (previously called zkSync) is airdropping 3.675 billion ZK tokens, which is 17.5% of the total supply of 21 billion tokens, to eligible wallets starting next week.
- The airdrop is designed to reward early users and contributors, with 89% going to active users and 11% to contributors like developers and projects.
- Eligibility is based on activity on ZKsync Era and ZKsync Lite before March 24, 2024, with criteria like interacting with smart contracts, trading ERC-20 tokens, and providing liquidity to DeFi protocols.
- The airdrop is capped at 100,000 ZK tokens per wallet to prioritize the community over whales.
- Matter Labs, the development team behind ZKsync, and investors will receive 16.1% and 17.2% of the tokens respectively, vested over 4 years.
ZKsync, the Ethereum Layer 2 scaling network, is set to airdrop its long-awaited ZK token next week.
The airdrop will distribute 3.675 billion ZK tokens, which represent 17.5% of the total supply of 21 billion tokens, to eligible wallets that have been active on the ZKsync network.
The airdrop is designed to reward early users and contributors to the ZKsync ecosystem.
Of the 17.5% allocated for the airdrop, 89% will go to active users who have transacted on ZKsync Era and ZKsync Lite, while the remaining 11% will be distributed to various contributors, including developers, researchers, communities, and projects that have contributed to the development and growth of the ZKsync protocol.
Eligibility for the airdrop is based on a snapshot taken on March 24, 2024, at 0:00 UTC, marking the one-year anniversary of the ZKsync Era mainnet launch.
Wallets were allocated points based on various criteria, such as interacting with at least 10 smart contracts, trading at least 10 ERC-20 tokens, providing liquidity to DeFi protocols on ZKsync, or participating in Gitcoin rounds or transactions on ZKsync Lite before the launch of ZKsync Era.
In an effort to prioritize the community over whales (large holders), the airdrop will be capped at 100,000 ZK tokens per wallet.
Alex Gluchowski, the founder and CEO of Matter Labs, the development team behind ZKsync, stated that this is a “community-first airdrop” designed to reward real people rather than favoring large token holders.
The remaining token distribution includes 16.1% allocated to the Matter Labs team, which will be vested over four years starting from June 2025.
Investors in Matter Labs will receive 17.2% of the tokens, also vested over the same four-year period.
The largest chunk, 49.1%, will be distributed through various ecosystem initiatives managed by the ZKsync Foundation and the upcoming ZK Nation governance process to support the growing ecosystem.
According to Gluchowski, awarding more tokens to the community through the airdrop than to the Matter Labs team and investors is “more than a symbolic decision.”
It aims to give the community the largest supply of liquid tokens when the ZKsync governance system launches in the coming weeks, allowing them to direct protocol governance upgrades.
The airdrop announcement also introduces a change in branding from zkSync to ZKsync. The ZK tokens will be claimable starting next week until January 3, 2025, and contributors will be able to claim their tokens starting from June 24.
