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Since XRP has a very large community of holders, many projects that are trying to reach a large userbase choose to airdrop some tokens to XRP holders in order to ensure a broad distribution (and generate hype in the process).
In this article, we’ll cover some of the most significant XRP airdrops, and explain how you can become eligible for free tokens simply by holding some XRP in your wallet.
Key highlights:
- Holders of XRP cryptocurrency have benefited from several airdrops in the past, a trend that started with a XRP airdrop conducted by Flare in 2020.
- The reason why XRP holders occasionally get airdrops is because projects building on the XRP Ledger want to ensure a broad distribution of their tokens.
- Currently, there are no active airdrops for XRP holders, although users who are eligible for the Evernode airdrop should be able to claim EVERS tokens relatively soon.
The XRP airdrop trend was started by Flare
Probably the most well-known airdrop for XRP holders was conducted by Flare, a project that’s creating data acquisition protocols for decentralized application developers. In other words, Flare is creating a decentralized system that supplies reliable real-world data to applications built on the blockchain.
The snapshot for the Flare token airdrop was taken on December 12, 2020. However, it took until early January 2023 for the FLR tokens to actually be airdropped to eligible users.
This was an example of an airdrop that was supported by many leading cryptocurrency exchanges. For example, Coinbase and Binance both distributed FLR tokens to users based on the XRP balances they had on their exchange accounts at the time of the snapshot.
XRP airdrops in 2024
One of the perks of being a long-term holder of XRP is that you’ll often be eligible for airdrops. Now, let’s explore the most notable XRP airdrops in 2024.
Evernode
Evernode, a layer 2 project that’s working on introducing smart contract capabilities to the XRP ecosystem, made a snapshot of the XRP blockchain on September 1, 2023. Evernode said that it would use the snapshot to airdrop EVERS tokens to users once the Xahau Network platform was ready to launch.
Uphold and Bitrue, two exchanges who are known to be very XRP-friendly, announced support for the Evernode airdrop. However, most major crypto exchanges did not and most users who held XRP on exchanges at the time of the snapshot were not eligible to receive Evernode’s EVERS tokens.
In December of 2023, the Evernode project notified users that the Evernode airdrop registration process had finished. In total, 38,478 XRP Ledger addresses in total were eligible from the airdrop. This includes both addresses owned by individual users and addresses controlled by Bitrue and Uphold cryptocurrency exchanges.
Airdrop Registration Finished
— Evernode - rEvernodee8dJLaFsujS6q1EiXvZYmHXr8? (@EvernodeXRPL) December 11, 2023
* Addresses: 38,478
* Exchanges: 2 (Bitrue & Uphold)
* Qualifying XRP:
-- Addresses: 432MM
-- Exchanges: 2.039BN
Now we crunch numbers & build Distribution Hook.
Soon, @XummWallet should release its Xahau update soon...
It's important to note that Evernode relied on the Xumm XRP wallet to release functionality allowing users to claim the EVERS airdrop. According to the Evernode project, this was necessary due to the airdrop's technical complexity. The airdrop finally happened in early 2024, with Uphold users sharing news of airdroped EVERS.
Here's the full timeline of the now-concluded EVERS airdrop:
- August 31, 2023 - Uphold announces support for the EVR airdrop.
- January 15, 2024 - Evernode network launched.
- February 20, 2024 - Uphold to process & distribute the airdrop to qualifying customers on February 28th.
- February 28, 2024 - Uphold processed the airdrop for distribution.
Coreum
Enterprise-grade blockchain project Coreum airdropped tokens to XRP holders in 2023. The snapshot for the airdrop was conducted on March 24, 2023, and a total of 25 million xCORE tokens were allocated towards XRP holders. The tokens were distributed on May 15, 2023.
Since the distribution for this airdrop has already occurred, you’re unfortunately too late to benefit from the Coreum airdrop for XRP holders if you haven’t claimed your xCORE tokens yet.
How to get XRP airdrops?
Not all XRP airdrops enjoy widespread support from crypto exchanges. For most airdrops, you will want to hold your XRP coins in your own wallet if you want to be eligible.
In order to provide the highest level of security for your holdings, we recommend that you use a Ledger hardware wallet. However, you can also use a non-custodial wallet for XRP — a popular choice among XRP users is Xumm.
In most cases, project conducting XRP airdrops determine the number of tokens to airdrop based on the amount of XRP the user has in their wallet. However, there is usually an upper limit in place, so that XRP whales don’t get too much of the new token’s supply.
How to check if I'm eligible for an XRP airdrop?
The first step to checking if you’re eligible for an XRP airdrop is to find out the snapshot date and time the project has selected. Typically, you will be able to find this information on the project’s official website, Medium blog or X account.
After you find the exact snapshot time and date, go to the Bithomp XRP explorer and enter your XRP Ledger address. Then, use the explorer’s “time machine” feature to see what the balance of your wallet was at the time of the snapshot.
If you had a sufficient amount of XRP (the required amount varies from project to project) at the time of the snapshot, you should be eligible to receive their airdrop. However, some projects might require additional actions or verification from XRP holders. We recommend that you proceed with caution when it comes to XRP airdrop projects that ask for an unusual amount of information or work from XRP holders.
Does Ripple airdrop tokens to XRP holders?
No, Ripple does not airdrop any tokens to XRP holders. If you ever see a supposed Ripple social media account promoting an airdrop, it is almost certainly an impersonator trying to trick unsuspecting users into falling for a scam.
Social media platforms such as X (formerly known as Twitter) are, unfortunately, full of scammers impersonating prominent companies and running various schemes to steal cryptocurrencies from users.
In fact, Ripple CTO David Schwartz warned users about airdrop scams after a highly-publicized positive legal development in the lawsuit between Ripple and the SEC.
A lot of scammers are taking advantage of the recent good news to try to cheat and steal. There are no airdrops, giveaways, or special offers associated with this ruling.
— David "JoelKatz" Schwartz (@JoelKatz) July 13, 2023
The bottom line
At the time of writing this article (May 2024), there are no significant upcoming airdrop snapshots for XRP holders. However, airdrops for XRP holders are quite frequent, which is certainly a nice perk if you’re a long-term XRP holder.
Still, airdrops usually don’t translate to a significant amount of value, so it’s probably not wise to invest in XRP just because you’d like to occasionally receive airdrops.
It’s important to note that you’ll usually need to hold XRP in your own wallet instead of having it on an exchange if you want to be eligible for airdrops.
In addition, you should be very careful about scams. Since XRP is an extremely popular cryptocurrency, XRP holders are often targeted by scammers and fake projects. For example, a fake project might try to lure users onto a malicious website under the pretense that they’re conducting an XRP airdrop. Before trying to participate in any airdrop campaigns, make sure to conduct very thorough research so you know if you’re dealing with a legitimate project or not.
If you also want to benefit from more cryptocurrency airdrops and not just XRP airdrops, check out our list of the best airdrop sites for free crypto airdrops.