Ink airdrop: how to take part and what counts toward INK

The Ink airdrop has been confirmed, and eligibility is tied to points from trading activity and to using apps on the network, such as Nado and Tydro. The total supply is 1,000,000,000 INK, but the airdrop’s share, a final claim date and the conversion of points into tokens have not been announced. So taking part doesn’t mean a guaranteed reward.

What is Ink

Ink is an Ethereum layer 2 network designed for decentralized finance (DeFi). It uses the OP Stack, an open-source software framework, and is part of the Optimism Superchain family of networks.

Think of it as an extra road for Ethereum apps, with fast transactions and low fees. Its ecosystem includes token swap, lending and derivatives trading services. The goal is to make it easier to move from a regular trading account to using apps through your own wallet.

The airdrop in brief

INK will be distributed based on activity and liquidity provision, with no full allocation table published. Nado users are among the potential recipients, while a dedicated airdrop has been announced for Tydro liquidity providers.

Ink points from eligible trading activity are calculated weekly and added every Monday for the previous week. For existing users, tracking began on April 6, 2026 and the first points were awarded on April 13, 2026. It hasn’t been announced whether trading in the network’s apps earns the same points.

The estimate for the start of token issuance, known as the Token Generation Event (TGE), pointed to July–September 2026. It is not an official claim date and doesn’t define how long participation lasts.

Nado’s technical infrastructure includes a function that displays INK allocations per address and a week parameter in the claim process. These leave open the possibility of weekly unlocks, but not an announced payment schedule.

How to take part, step by step

The process starts with a verified account and continues, optionally, with using apps on Ink. We separate the confirmed criteria from the extra actions, so you know why you’re making each move.

1. Complete account verification. Use the official buttons on the page to go to the participation route and create the required account. The process includes know-your-customer (KYC) checks, i.e. verifying your identity. A self-custody wallet doesn’t replace this requirement for the points route.
2. Check your eligible trading activity. Activity on the official pro trading platform linked to the program earns Ink points. Updates happen every Monday. There is no published conversion rate from points to INK, so don’t count on a specific reward based on your trading volume.
3. Set up a wallet on the Ink network. Select Ink in a compatible wallet and check that your funds are going to the correct network. Transactions on mainnet need ETH for execution fees (gas). A low cost per transaction doesn’t mean a total cost of zero.
4. Consider using Nado. Nado offers perpetual futures (perpetuals), i.e. derivatives with no fixed expiry date. Using it earns Nado points and has been confirmed to count toward INK eligibility. Nado points and Ink points shouldn’t be treated as the same thing. If you don’t understand derivatives, you don’t need to open a position just to tick off a guide.
5. Consider supplying funds to Tydro. Tydro lets you deposit assets to earn yield or borrow against collateral. The clearest announcement of a dedicated INK distribution concerns liquidity providers. We don’t assume that every loan earns the same reward.
6. Explore the other apps. Ink’s home page showcases ecosystem apps. You can try different uses without turning every available app into a mandatory quest. No official points system has been announced for all these interactions.
7. Check the extra community actions. The available options include registering a .ink name through ZNS, sending a GM greeting and deploying a smart contract through OnChainGM. They record activity on your address, but come with no published allocation guarantee.
8. Look into the Guild role and the Ink Pass. On Guild, you complete the listed requirements for the corresponding role. The Ink Pass is a non-fungible token (NFT) that can be minted through Sweep, with announced benefits in the ecosystem. Extra airdrop eligibility remains possible, not guaranteed.

Tips for more points

Temporary multipliers are the specific points-boosting mechanism that has been described. They include deposits earning double points, a reactivation reward with triple points and an extra boost for price alerts. Check whether they apply to your account and for how long.

Using several apps and repeated activity can build a broader history, but there is no published rule that they earn more INK. We prefer useful activity over trades made just to run up the counter.

What to watch out for

The Ink airdrop isn’t free, and the total cost of taking part can be high. You need real capital, there are trading fees and gas, while derivatives, lending and liquidity provision add financial and technical risk.

Use the official buttons on the page, check the address of every website and read what you’re signing in your wallet. Never hand over your secret recovery phrase and never pay anyone who promises to “unlock” an allocation.

Be careful with InkScore too: the wallet checker on its website covers only the first phase. An address not showing up there doesn’t prove it’s excluded from the second phase’s snapshot. InkScore’s profile picture (PFP) collection has 888 NFTs and no announced mint date.

Airdrops carry tax obligations in Greece; keep a record of what you receive and of your transactions and ask an accountant how to handle your own case, without assuming any particular rate.