Cardano’s Midnight Network has kicked off its Glacier Drop, distributing NIGHT tokens to over 30 million wallets across eight major blockchains.
Key Takeaways
- 1Midnight Network launched the NIGHT token airdrop, targeting wallets on 8 major blockchains
- 250% of tokens were allocated to Cardano holders, with over 470 million already claimed
- 3A phased distribution approach aims to prevent token dumping and promote adoption
- 4Cardano’s ADA price is gaining momentum, with current price at $0.7614 after a 3.1% daily increase
What Happened?
Cardano’s privacy-focused sidechain, Midnight Network, has officially launched its highly anticipated NIGHT token airdrop. Called the “Glacier Drop”, this initiative is distributing tokens to over 30 million wallets across eight top blockchain ecosystems including Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, and Cardano itself.
This strategic rollout not only highlights Cardano’s growing ecosystem but also represents one of the largest and most complex token airdrops in crypto history.
NIGHT Airdrop Targets 30 Million Wallets
The NIGHT airdrop became live on August 5, offering a 60-day claim window that ends on October 4. Wallets qualified based on a snapshot taken on July 11, requiring a minimum $100 in native tokens on any of the following chains:
The allocation breakdown is as follows:
- 50% of NIGHT tokens go to Cardano (ADA) holders
- 20% to Bitcoin (BTC) holders
- The remaining 30% is split among holders of ETH, SOL, BNB, AVAX, XRP, and BAT
Midnight’s founder Charles Hoskinson called the airdrop the result of six years of hard work and confirmed that over 470 million NIGHT tokens have already been redeemed by more than 23,000 wallets.
Midnight 🤝 @blockchain
,Midnight (@MidnightNtwrk) August 6, 2025
We’re excited to announce https://t.co/EB1EF00bsH as an official ecosystem partner for Midnight.
As part of the Glacier Drop, https://t.co/EB1EF00bsH is offering native support in their wallet, making it easier than ever for eligible users to claim their… pic.twitter.com/kxXyX4Ezj7
Phased Rollout to Prevent Dumping
To maintain token value and encourage responsible participation, the airdrop is designed with a three-phase model:
- Claim Phase (Aug 5 – Oct 4): Users verify wallet ownership and register destination addresses.
- Scavenger Mine: A 30-day post-claim challenge phase for redistributing unclaimed tokens through on-chain engagement.
- Lost and Found: A four-year window for late redemptions.
Tokens are initially frozen, then unlock gradually in four installments over 360 days after the Midnight mainnet goes live. A 90-day grace period follows each unlock.
Technical Issues and Fixes
Despite a mostly smooth rollout, some users reported technical difficulties during the claim process, especially those using Ledger wallets. A key issue involved an “invalid signature” error caused by message size limits. Midnight’s team, in partnership with Shielded Technologies, developed a zero-value transaction workaround, which is currently under audit and expected by August 25.
Airdrop Spurs Cardano Ecosystem Momentum
The NIGHT airdrop has added fuel to Cardano’s growing ecosystem:
- Cardano’s community recently approved its first treasury vote, backing core upgrades by Input Output Engineering.
- The network also launched its CBCA blockchain certification course in Portuguese on August 6, targeting the booming Brazilian crypto market.
- Future educational rollouts in Hindi and Swahili are planned to expand global adoption.
ADA Price Eyes Breakout
Amid this activity, Cardano’s ADA is showing strong technical signals. The token recently broke out of a descending triangle, retested support at $0.72, and is now trading at $0.7614, up 3.1% in the last 24 hours.
Analysts see resistance between $0.74 and $0.76, with a successful breakout potentially pushing ADA toward $0.84, $1.00, and possibly $1.30 to $1.60 in a longer-term bullish scenario.
CoinLaw’s Takeaway
This isn’t just another airdrop. Midnight’s NIGHT token launch is a bold experiment in cross-chain engagement and decentralized growth. I love how it rewards actual users, not just traders chasing quick profits. With over 470 million tokens already claimed and ADA showing signs of a breakout, this might be the most meaningful airdrop of 2025. I’m especially impressed by the phased release. It’s smart, it’s fair, and it could set a new standard for future token launches. If Cardano keeps executing like this, its ecosystem might finally get the recognition it’s been working toward for years.
