XRP Holders Set to Receive 1.2 Billion NIGHT Tokens in Cardano’s Midnight Airdrop

Cardano’s Midnight Network has officially revealed how it will distribute its native NIGHT tokens to XRP holders and other blockchain communities. According to a newly published whitepaper, the airdrop will cover eight blockchains, including XRP Ledger, as the project moves closer to its full mainnet launch.

This massive airdrop follows a snapshot that took place on June 11, 2025, marking eligible wallets for distribution.

Who Is Eligible for the NIGHT Token Airdrop?

The Midnight whitepaper outlines that NIGHT tokens will be distributed across wallets on XRP Ledger, Bitcoin, Cardano, Ethereum, Solana, BNB Chain, Avalanche, and Basic Attention Token (BAT) networks. To qualify, users must have held at least $100 worth of the native token of any of these chains during the June 11 snapshot.

For XRP holders specifically, wallets holding a minimum of $100 in XRP on that date are eligible. This strategic distribution aims to decentralise ownership of the NIGHT token and foster cross-chain engagement.

Charles Hoskinson, Cardano’s founder, previously disclosed that NIGHT tokens will be sent to over 37 million wallets across the supported blockchains.

Midnight has set a fixed total supply of 24 billion NIGHT tokens. Half of that, 12 billion, will be allocated to Cardano (ADA) holders. Bitcoin holders will receive 20%, or 4.8 billion tokens. The remaining 30% (7.2 billion NIGHT) will be evenly split among six other chains: XRP, Ethereum, BNB, Solana, Avalanche, and BAT.

This means XRP holders will collectively receive 1.2 billion NIGHT tokens. However, individual allocations will depend on each wallet’s XRP balance at the time of the snapshot. Holding larger amounts of XRP will result in higher NIGHT distributions.

When and How to Claim NIGHT Tokens

Starting in July 2025, eligible users will be able to claim their NIGHT tokens through a dedicated claiming portal. The distribution will roll out in three distinct phases:

Initial Claim Phase (60 days) – Eligible users can claim their pre-allocated NIGHT tokens.
Scavenger Mine Phase (30 days) – Users who missed the first round or want to earn more NIGHT can complete computational tasks to claim unclaimed tokens.
Lost-and-Found Phase – A final recovery window gives users one last chance to claim any remaining tokens before they’re reallocated to the treasury after four years.

Notably, all claimed tokens will initially be locked in a Cardano-based smart contract. To prevent an immediate market dump, only 25% of the tokens will be unlocked over four equal tranches within a one-year period.

Midnight Mainnet Launch and Ecosystem Role

Currently, Midnight remains in its testnet phase, with its mainnet launch scheduled for 90 days after the “Glacier Drop.” The team has not yet disclosed the exact date for this drop.

Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson has described Midnight as more than just a privacy-focused blockchain. He believes it could become the DeFi hub for the XRP community, offering privacy-preserving smart contracts and selective data sharing.

This interoperability between Cardano and XRP may deepen collaboration between their ecosystems, unlocking new possibilities in decentralised finance.

Final Thoughts

Cardano’s Midnight Network is setting a new precedent for cross-chain airdrops, and XRP holders stand to gain significantly with their share of 1.2 billion NIGHT tokens. With a clear claim schedule, security-focused unlock mechanisms, and future utility in the pipeline, this airdrop could mark a new chapter in XRP’s evolving DeFi narrative.