Guide to the NIGHT token launch and Redemption

The Midnight Network’s native utility token has launched. Here is everything you need to know about the Hilo phase of the Midnight Roadmap, the Glacier Drop Redemption thawing schedule, and how to collect your NIGHT.

This blog was originally published on Midnight TGE on December 4th, 2026.

Today marks a major milestone for the Midnight network. NIGHT, the network’s native token, has officially launched on Cardano.

This launch initiates the redemption process for more than 4.5 billion tokens claimed by the community during the Glacier Drop and Scavenger Mine phases of the NIGHT token distribution. It is the culmination of one of the largest token distributions in blockchain history and a critical step toward the full realization of the Midnight ecosystem.

Core network constituents apportionment

In response to the overwhelming community support and engagement in the NIGHT token distribution, the apportionment of tokens has been updated to better serve the growing ecosystem. Below is a recap of the distribution process so far and the resulting updates to the token apportionment.

Token distribution phase 1 (Glacier Drop Claim)

The first phase of distribution targeted the broader blockchain ecosystem, rewarding participants for their existing activity across other chains.

Eligibility: Self-custodying holders of ADA, BTC, ETH, SOL, XRP, BNB, AVAX, and BAT.
Snapshot Date: June 11, 2025.
Participation Window: August 5 – October 20, 2025.
Volume: Over 3.5 Billion NIGHT tokens claimed from individuals.
Participation: 170,000+ eligible wallet addresses.

In addition to individual claims which are reported above, a number of leading exchanges have received a portion of NIGHT tokens, of which they intend to distribute to their customers (including Kraken, OKX, Bitpanda, and NBX). The final NIGHT volume and participation figures from these exchanges will be updated to reflect additional community allocations via exchanges that receive tokens from the TGE.

Token distribution phase 2 (Scavenger Mine)

The second phase of the NIGHT token distribution was designed to be universally accessible, available to anyone with an internet connection and a standard computer.

Eligibility: Open to all (requires CPU/Internet only).
Window: October 30 – November 19, 2025.
Volume: 1 billion NIGHT tokens claimed.
Participation: Over 8 million unique wallet addresses (an industry record for distribution volume).

The NIGHT token apportionment, which was originally planned for an even split between Scavenger Mine and the Lost-and-Found phase was rebalanced to increase the total Scavenger Mine pool from 626 million to 1 billion NIGHT tokens, distributed equally across the 21-day period.

Token distribution phase 3: Lost-and-Found

The final distribution phase is Lost-and-Found. Unclaimed NIGHT tokens (including a fraction of the Scavenger Mine allocation) will be made available to eligible participants who missed initial windows and exchanges claiming on behalf of users.

The rebalancing of Scavenger Mine means the Lost-and-Found apportionment was reduced to approximately 252 million NIGHT.

Glacier Drop overall metrics to date

Volume: Starting from 4.55 billion NIGHT
Participation: Starting from over 8 million addresses
Ongoing Distribution: The total number of claims and volume of NIGHT tokens distributed to the community will continue to rise significantly as a result of exchanges distributing tokens allocated to the community via the TGE.
Exchange Participation: Leading exchanges are currently working to enable claims on behalf of their users. These distributions are based on Glacier Drop eligibility and will be added to the NIGHT token distribution total throughout the Redemption phase.

Core Network Constituents apportionment changes

Reflecting the overwhelming participation in the Scavenger Mine and a reapportionment to maximize community access to the NIGHT token, the final token apportionment has been adjusted from the original whitepaper estimates.

To achieve this, tokens that would have been apportioned to the On-Chain Treasury and Reserve have instead been apportioned to the Midnight TGE. The TGE is the mechanism for distributing NIGHT tokens to the community and it facilitates a broader distribution of Glacier Drop claims to eligible participants.

The adjustment to the apportionment allows for a number of leading exchanges to receive a portion of NIGHT tokens, which they intend to distribute to their customers.

The following breakdown illustrates the changes between the original calculated apportionment and the final launch allocation:

Glacier Drop: 3.547 billion NIGHT → No change
Scavenger Mine: 626 million NIGHT → 1 billion NIGHT
Lost-and-Found: 626 million NIGHT → 252 million NIGHT
Midnight Foundation 8.4 billion NIGHT → No change
TGE: 2.4 billion NIGHT → 3.66 billion NIGHT
Reserve: 7.2 billion NIGHT → 6 billion NIGHT
On-chain treasury: 1.2 billion NIGHT → 1.141 billion NIGHT

What’s coming up on the Midnight roadmap

At the recent Midnight Summit, set against the historic backdrop of the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich, the next phases of the Midnight roadmap were unveiled. This journey officially begins with the Hilo phase which represents the first NIGHT.

In the Hawaiian lunar cycle, Hilo is the first moon, signaling new beginnings and visible growth. For Midnight, this phase represents an important shift toward access to the network and its capabilities. Today’s token launch is designed to enable widespread accessibility by placing NIGHT into the hands of the community and giving builders a dependable environment to prepare real-world applications.

What Comes Next?

While Hilo establishes liquidity, community access and enables future governance, the roadmap continues to unfold over the coming year:

Kūkolu: The launch of the Genesis block, activating the first privacy-enhancing DApps on a stable mainnet.
Mōhalu: Broadening participation via the Scaled Incentivized Testnet and DUST capacity exchange.

Hua: The arrival of Hybrid DApps, embedding Midnight’s privacy technology into applications on other chains.

Building a secure foundation for NIGHT

As outlined in the Hilo phase, launching NIGHT on Cardano first (as a Cardano Native Asset) provides immediate access and liquidity while Midnight’s mainnet development continues toward a targeted launch in the next phase.

This approach supports the phased, community-first strategy. It ensures that as the network moves from federated testnet to a fully decentralized mainnet, the ecosystem has time to build resilience.

Once Midnight mainnet launches, the NIGHT supply will be mirrored onto the Midnight ledger. This will create a single, multi-chain asset where the circulating supply exists across both chains. A protocol-level mechanism will ensure tokens can only be unlocked on one chain at a time, preventing duplication of value while allowing users to move seamlessly between ecosystems.

How the thawing and Redemption works

To ensure a broad distribution of tokens and the long-term sustainability of the ecosystem, the distribution of NIGHT happens over a 360-day thawing period, where tokens gradually unlock according to a fixed schedule, hence the name Glacier Drop.

How the schedule works

Each allocation unlocks in four equal installments (25% each).

Randomized start date: Every Destination address is assigned a random first day between December 10, 2025, and early March 2026 (the first 90-day window).
Quarterly unlocks: After the specific start date is assigned, the remaining three installments unlock every 90 days.
Thawing countdown: There will be a countdown in the Redemption portal showing how many days you have left until your next claim

Examples of thawing schedules:

If you get a Day-1 schedule: You unlock 25% on Day 1, then again on Days 91, 181, and 271.
If you get a Day-90 schedule: You unlock 25% on Day 90, then again on Days 180, 270, and 360.

Key dates for Redemption

Mark these dates in your calendar, and set reminders, to ensure you are ready to manage your NIGHT allocation.

Midnight’s token launch marks the beginning of the NIGHT token moving from minting, initial distribution, and into circulating supply. On December 4th, 2025, NIGHT will be transferred to core network constituents and the redemption smart contracts. Community allocated tokens will enter circulating supply according to the Glacier Drop thawing schedule, which will begin on December 10, 2025.

The Redemption portal will launch shortly beforehand to allow anyone to preview their allocations and thawing schedules ahead of time.

The thawing period will end on November 29, 2026. A final 90-day window (Grace Period) follows the end of thawing for any final claims before the portal closes.

Note: Claim anytime during the 360 day thawing period or 90-day Grace Period

Step-by-step guide to redeem NIGHT

The Redemption portal is the primary interface for most users. It is designed to be simple, allowing you to check your status and claim tokens in minutes.

Prerequisites:

Your Destination address: The address you used during the claim process.
A wallet for fees: A Cardano wallet with enough ADA to cover the transaction fees. Note: This does not have to be the same wallet that holds your NIGHT allocation.

Step 1: Connect to the portal

Visit the official Redemption Portal at: redeem.midnight.gd

You can access your claim in two ways:

Connect Wallet: Use a verified Cardano wallet. The portal will automatically detect any eligible Destination addresses within that wallet.
Manual Entry: Manually paste your Destination address into the search field.

Step 2: Check thawing status

Once connected, the dashboard will display:

Your total allocation.
Your specific thaw schedule.
The number of NIGHT tokens currently Redeemable now.

If your first installment hasn’t thawed yet, the dashboard will show you exactly how much time remains until your next unlock.

Step 3: Initiate Redemption

If you have tokens available under Redeemable now, click the Redeem button.

Step 4: Pay network fees

You must connect a Cardano wallet to cover the transaction cost.

Standard user: If you connected your wallet in Step 1, you can use that same wallet to pay the fee.
"On Behalf Of" feature: The protocol allows any wallet to pay the fee for a redemption. This means if your Destination wallet is cold storage or empty of ADA, you can connect a different wallet just to pay the gas fee. The NIGHT tokens will always be sent to the correct Destination address, regardless of who pays the fee.

Step 5: Confirm and wait

Authorize the transaction in your wallet. Once the transaction moves from "confirming" to "confirmed" on the blockchain, your NIGHT tokens will appear in your Destination wallet.

Note: Wallet interfaces sometimes lag behind the blockchain. If the portal says "Confirmed," your tokens are safe, even if your specific wallet UI takes a moment to update.

For developers and power users: API access

For anyone managing a large number of redemptions, API access will be available to automate workflows. This allows for bulk processing and automated fee sponsorship.

What’s next?

With NIGHT now live, we expect major exchange, custodian, and wallet partners to announce support in the coming days. Keep an eye on official Midnight channels for updates on integrations that will expand accessibility and liquidity in the runup toward mainnet launch in 2026.

The Redemption Portal will open shortly before December 10th here.

Security Reminder

Remember that official news and information related to all phases of the NIGHT token distribution will be posted on midnight.gd/news.

For all support questions, refer to the FAQs.

Also, an important reminder that the only official Midnight social accounts on X are @MidnightNtwrk and @midnightfdn and the only technology partner account is @shieldedtech.

Don’t interact with fake Midnight accounts, and: