Cardano's Creator Hints at Pending Nighttime Airdrop Announcement
In a significant development for the cryptocurrency market, the announcement of the Midnight airdrop by Charles Hoskinson has triggered a positive impact on the ADA price. The news of the upcoming $NIGHT token distribution has sparked excitement among investors and cryptocurrency enthusiasts, leading to a reported surge of around 15% in the ADA price[1].
The Midnight Network airdrop is a large-scale, privacy-focused distribution of 24 billion $NIGHT tokens, with 50% of the supply allocated to ADA holders[2][4]. The $NIGHT tokens are designed to enhance Cardano’s privacy capabilities via zero-knowledge proofs and support a phased vesting schedule to reduce price volatility, with 25% of tokens unlocked every 90 days over a full year[1][4].
The airdrop snapshot was completed on June 11, 2025, with eligible holders from multiple blockchains (ADA, BTC, ETH, XRP, among others) able to claim tokens over a 60-day window starting in early August 2025[4][5].
Charles Hoskinson has projected a $10 billion market capitalization for $NIGHT, which if realized, would place it among the top 20 cryptocurrencies by market cap. This ambitious valuation and Dr. Hoskinson’s ongoing promotion contribute to bullish sentiment for ADA as the parent platform[2][3].
The airdrop’s phased and cross-chain nature is expected to mitigate excessive price volatility and attract a wider user base to Cardano’s ecosystem, potentially increasing ADA demand and usage over time[1][3][4].
The growth of DeFi and enterprise on Cardano is dependent on the success of privacy-focused applications like Midnight. Midnight utilizes zero-knowledge certificate technology to secure transactional and user data while maintaining verification. This privacy layer could attract more users seeking confidential operations[6].
However, competing blockchains may also publish powerful privacy mechanisms, posing a potential challenge for Cardano. The team behind Cardano will need to strike a balance between compliance and innovation to maintain its competitive edge[7].
The upcoming Midnight airdrop will require locking up of $NIGHT tokens. The potential increase in wallet activity on the Cardano network may be a result of the popularity of privacy-centered applications. Other large projects are also inducing token distributions, potentially increasing user base and blockchain application[8].
In summary, the Midnight airdrop announcement and the forthcoming $NIGHT token claim are driving immediate bullish momentum in ADA’s price and may have lasting positive effects by expanding Cardano’s multi-chain privacy-focused ecosystem and investor interest. However, market dynamics and regulatory factors will continue to influence ADA’s price trajectory beyond the initial surge[1].
References: [1] CoinDesk (2025). ADA Price Surges Following Midnight Airdrop Announcement. [online] Available at: https://www.coindesk.com/ada-price-surges-following-midnight-airdrop-announcement
[2] IOHK (2025). Midnight Airdrop Details Announced. [online] Available at: https://iohk.io/en/blog/posts/2025/05/27/midnight-airdrop-details-announced/
[3] Cointelegraph (2025). Charles Hoskinson Predicts $10 Billion Market Cap for Midnight. [online] Available at: https://cointelegraph.com/news/charles-hoskinson-predicts-10-billion-market-cap-for-midnight
[4] Midnight (2025). Midnight Airdrop Snapshot Completed. [online] Available at: https://midnight.io/airdrop-snapshot-completed/
[5] Midnight (2025). Midnight Airdrop Claiming Window Opens in August. [online] Available at: https://midnight.io/airdrop-claiming-window-opens-in-august/
[6] CoinJournal (2025). Midnight: A Privacy-Focused Application for Cardano. [online] Available at: https://coinjournal.net/news/midnight-a-privacy-focused-application-for-cardano/
[7] CoinGeek (2025). Balancing Compliance and Innovation: The Cardano Approach. [online] Available at: https://coingeek.com/balancing-compliance-and-innovation-the-cardano-approach/
[8] CryptoSlate (2025). Cardano and Midnight: A Growing Ecosystem. [online] Available at: https://cryptoslate.com/cardano-and-midnight-a-growing-ecosystem/
- The Midnight Network airdrop, scheduled for early August 2025, will distribute 24 billion $NIGHT tokens across multiple blockchains, including ADA, BTC, ETH, XRP, and more.
- The $NIGHT tokens are designed to enhance Cardano’s privacy capabilities via zero-knowledge proofs and support a phased vesting schedule to reduce price volatility.
- Charles Hoskinson, the founder of Cardano, has projected a $10 billion market capitalization for $NIGHT, which, if realized, would place it among the top 20 cryptocurrencies by market cap.
- The airdrop's phased and cross-chain nature is expected to attract a wider user base to Cardano’s ecosystem, potentially increasing ADA demand and usage over time, and increasing wallet activity due to the popularity of privacy-centered applications.
