XRP News Today: Cardano's Glacier Drop to Distribute Tokens to 37 Million Addresses

Cardano co-founder Charles Hoskinson has announced an ambitious initiative dubbed the “biggest airdrop ever,” aimed at distributing tokens to 37 million blockchain addresses. This airdrop, named the Glacier Drop, is set to mark the launch of Midnight, Cardano’s upcoming privacy-focused sidechain. The initiative is designed to promote privacy, fairness, and cross-chain interoperability, setting it apart from traditional token launches that often prioritize institutional investors.

The Glacier Drop will distribute two distinct native tokens: NIGHT, which will serve as a governance token, and DUST, a token to be used for shielded, private transactions on the Midnight network. Notably, this airdrop excludes venture capitalists and early insiders, focusing solely on retail users. Hoskinson emphasized that recipients can hold, sell, or discard the tokens without any restrictions, highlighting the initiative's commitment to fairness and inclusivity.

Hoskinson reiterated the announcement during his appearance at Consensus 2025 in Toronto and further detailed it at Paris Blockchain Week 2025. He emphasized that the airdrop is a stand against the VC Ponzi dynamics, aiming to allocate tokens solely to retail users. This move is a departure from traditional token launches, which often prioritize institutional investors.

The airdrop will span eight blockchains: Cardano, Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP Ledger, Solana, Avalanche, BNB Chain, and BAT. This cross-chain approach ensures that holders of assets on these networks will be eligible for the airdrop. This move further confirms the evolving relationship between the XRP and Cardano communities, signaling a shift toward blockchain unity.

Midnight introduces a new concept known as chain abstraction, allowing users to interact with the platform using their existing assets, such as BTC, ETH, ADA, or XRP, without the need for token conversion. Developers building on Midnight can pay fees using their chain’s native token, and the project supports multi-chain validator participation, enabling node operators from any supported blockchain to help secure the network and earn rewards.

Hoskinson views this initiative as a crucial step toward ending crypto tribalism and fostering collaboration. He believes that the Glacier Drop will not only mark a significant launch for Cardano’s Midnight but will also encourage broader collaboration across diverse blockchain ecosystems, helping to move the entire crypto industry beyond historical rivalries. The Midnight mainnet is expected to go live by late 2025, with Hoskinson seeing it as the fourth generation of crypto, prioritizing privacy and secure data handling.