Airdrops always attract a lot of attention, especially when major and trusted Web3 projects announce upcoming token distributions. Many different airdrops are planned for 2024, but some of them deserve special attention from the community.
The CP Media team went through the plans of blockchain companies, compared them with the interests of the crypto community, and made a list of the most anticipated airdrops in 2024.
Note: The information below is not a call to action! We strongly encourage you to do your own research before participating in token giveaways.
Important: Scammers often take advantage of the hype surrounding airdrops held by large projects, so you should carefully check the sources of information and links and rely on official resources only.
All statistics are provided in accordance with on-chain analytics services as of February 7, 2024.
LayerZero
Website: https://layerzero.network/
LayerZero is a Web3 protocol that solves the problem of blockchain interoperability. The protocol enables decentralized apps running on different blockchain networks to exchange information by using the Oracle technology.
It’s very popular among developers who base their cross-chain projects and tokens on it. More than 41,500 apps were built on LayerZero, with the total number of cross-chain interactions exceeding 105 million.
Among LayerZero investors are such well-known VCs as LayerZero Sequoia Capital, Andreessen Horowitz, FTX Ventures, Coinbase Ventures, and Circle. The project raised $263.3 million since 2021. LayerZero has a market value of $3 billion.
At first, the developers skipped the option of issuing a native token when creating the protocol code. Then, in late 2023, the team officially announced the release of the token and promised to define plans for its launch in H1 2024. That’s why, according to airdrops.io, LayerZero’s giveaway is the most anticipated event this year.
zkSync
Website: https://zksync.io/
zkSync is a Layer 2 protocol deployed on Ethereum and based on zero-knowledge proof (ZKP). According to the roadmap, its main goal is to improve the scalability of the mainnet and enable Ethereum devs to create more efficient decentralized apps.
The zkSync team intends to reduce transaction fees and increase the speed of operations, while maintaining a high level of network security. To accomplish these goals, the zkSync developers are working on modifying zk-Rollups.
The Matter Labs team is developing the project. They received seed funding from the Ethereum Foundation back in 2020 and then attracted $458 million from major investors such as Blockchain Capital and Dragonfly Capital. The project is among the top 10 largest L2 solutions for Ethereum. The zkSync ecosystem consists of 170 dApps with a $102.77 million total value locked (TVL).
The developers said more than once that the project’s ecosystem will utilize its own native token. Even though the exact release date of the zkSync token is currently unknown, the community speculates that it could be in Q2 2024.
Community members encourage everyone to participate in other zkSync-related airdrops, as active engagement in the ecosystem and test environments potentially increases the chances of users receiving zkSync’s native tokens in a future giveaway.
One of the airdrops in the zkSync ecosystem is the distribution of 25 million ZKID, tokens of the zkSync id protocol, a decentralized digital identity system.
Scroll
Website: https://scroll.io/
Scroll is a Layer 2 protocol for Ethereum based on zk-Rollups. The project team describes the protocol as a solution for developers, as it enables scaling of the Ethereum network as part of building EVM-compatible applications.
The Scroll mainnet was launched in October 2023, after nearly two years of testing. According to DefiLlama, the network’s TVL exceeds $30 million.
The project attracted the attention of the Ethereum community and several large venture capitalists. Scroll raised $80 million in two funding rounds. The project’s investors include Polychain Capital, IOSG, Variant, HongShan (ex-Sequoia China), and such well-known names as Santiago R. Santos, Anthony Sassano, Ying Tong, and Carlos Aria.
Although the developers didn’t officially announce the upcoming airdrop or the project token, rumors about this possibility in 2024 are all over social media.
Base
Website: https://bridge.base.org/deposit
Base is another L2 protocol for Ethereum that was launched last summer. Even though Coinbase initiated the launch of the network and was its main sponsor, the project is fully decentralized. This was achieved through an agreement on joint management of the protocol with the developers of the L2 solution Optimism.
The basic feature of Base is its functionality, which enables not only the creation of dApps on the network but also the use of the protocol for issuing tokens. DefiLlama reports that the network’s TVL is $421.81 million. L2Beat says that the TVL of the network and all cross-network protocols based on it exceeds $760 million.
All such protocols use a native token to pay network fees, so the crypto community expects the release of the Base token and its airdrop to be a matter of time. Last September, Paul Grewal, General Counsel at Coinbase, hinted that the Base developers were planning to release a native token, sparking interest in the matter.
Other Airdrops to Expect in 2024
The crypto community is actively spreading rumors about possible giveaways of other projects. For example, CoinGecko analysts highlighted several major airdrops that could take place in 2024, namely:
- StarkNet, a ZKP-based Layer 2 protocol for Ethereum. The developers confirmed the release of a native token of the STRK protocol and plans to distribute more than 1.8 billion coins to community members. The exact date of the STRK airdrop is yet to be announced.
- Ambient, an Ethereum-based DEX. The protocol team dropped hints about the upcoming release of a token.
- MetaMask, a multichain crypto wallet. Rumors about the launch of the protocol’s token spread back in 2022, sparking a lot of speculation. However, the team never officially confirmed their plans since then.
The crypto community also believes that some projects lack their own tokens and hopes for their imminent release and distribution. Most actively featured in this context are:
- Aztec, an Ethereum-based protocol that allows users to protect their personal data. The project attracted over $100 million in funding.
- Linea, a Layer 2 solution for Ethereum, the testnet of which was launched last year, and the mainnet is scheduled to be released in 2024.
- Wormhole, a cross-chain protocol that suffered a $323 million exploit in 2022 but managed to raise more than $225 million in funding afterward.
User interest in airdrops remains consistently high. CoinGecko analysts estimate that over the past three years, crypto projects gave away tokens worth $30 billion for free. Airdrops are one of the most popular ways to get cryptocurrencies at no cost, but not the only one.
