CoinGecko’s latest report reveals that the leading 50 crypto airdrops have dispensed tokens valued at $26.6 billion from 2020 to 2023.
According to the Dec. 21 post on X, Uniswap (UNI) holds the record for the largest crypto airdrop, distributing $6.43 billion of UNI on Sept. 16, 2020, at its all-time high (ATH) token price of $42.88.
This was followed by Apecoin (APE), which distributed $3.54 billion worth of APE on Mar. 17, 2022, at its ATH token price of $23.63. Notably, Apecoin’s airdrop specifically rewarded Yuga Labs ecosystem owners with a generous allocation of up to 10,950 tokens, valued at $258,737.
Meanwhile, dYdX (DYDX) secured the third position in the crypto airdrop rankings, distributing $2 billion worth of DYDX on Sept. 8, 2021, at its ATH token price of $26.80. It’s worth noting that the complete value of the DYDX airdrop is subject to a prolonged vesting period spanning five years, with portions released incrementally.
Together, the report concludes that the airdrops from Uniswap, Apecoin, and dYdX contribute significantly to the cumulative value, amounting to $11.99 billion and comprising 45.1% of the top 50 biggest crypto airdrops—the remaining airdrops among the top 50 range to $1.97 billion.
Two weeks earlier, the Solana-based liquid staking protocol Jito initiated a highly anticipated airdrop, dispersing 90 million JTO governance tokens among its user base in what is said to be a model after Uniswap.
This noteworthy airdrop event stands out against a broader trend in the crypto space. A recent report reveals a decline in major crypto airdrops during 2022 and 2023, with only 14 and 13 airdrops securing positions in the top 50 rankings.
