Midnight Network, Cardano’s privacy-centric sidechain, has kicked off its highly anticipated NIGHT token airdrop, spanning eight major blockchain ecosystems in a strategic move to drive cross-chain adoption. Dubbed the “Glacier Drop,” the distribution went live on Wednesday, rewarding eligible wallets that held at least $100 in native tokens on Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, BNB Chain, Cardano, Avalanche, XRP Ledger, or Brave as of a June 11 snapshot.

Airdrop Allocation: Cardano Takes the Lead

The distribution heavily favors Cardano (ADA) holders, who will receive 50% of the total NIGHT supply. Bitcoin (BTC) holders follow with 20%, while the remaining 30% is proportionally split among Ethereum (ETH), XRP (XRP), Solana (SOL), BNB (BNB), Avalanche (AVAX), and Basic Attention Token (BAT) holders based on their holdings’ USD value at the snapshot.

Anti-Dumping Mechanism: Gradual Unlocks Over 360 Days

Unlike standard airdrops, NIGHT tokens won’t be immediately tradable. Instead, they will unlock in four randomized phases over a 360-day period after Midnight’s mainnet launch. This unique approach aims to prevent market dumping and encourage sustained participation.

Three-Phase Distribution Model

1. Claim Phase (60 days) – Eligible users can secure their NIGHT allocation.
2. Scavenger Mine (30 days post-claim) – Unclaimed tokens will be redistributed to users who actively engage with Midnight’s ecosystem.
3. Lost-and-Found (4-year window post-launch) – A final opportunity for latecomers to claim remaining tokens.

Midnight’s Vision: Privacy Meets Compliance

Positioned as a zero-knowledge smart contract platform, Midnight enables selective disclosure, allowing users to balance privacy with regulatory compliance. The NIGHT airdrop represents one of the first non-EVM, multi-chain token distributions, potentially setting a precedent for future privacy-focused blockchain incentives.

As the crypto community watches closely, the Glacier Drop could redefine how privacy networks bootstrap adoption across fragmented blockchain ecosystems.