Crypto Airdrops' Growing Centralization Threatens the Principles of Decentralized Fairness

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Crypto Airdrops' Growing Centralization Threatens the Principles of Decentralized Fairness

Bitget-RWA2025/11/19 12:04

By:Bitget-RWA

- aPriori's crypto airdrop sparked controversy after one entity claimed 60% of tokens, raising transparency and centralization concerns. - Airdrop farming tactics, like Arbitrum's $3. 3M consolidation across 1,496 wallets, undermine decentralized fairness for retail investors. - HTX DAO's 90% growth in token subscriptions ($9B total) highlights deflationary strategies boosting scarcity and market value. - IPO market volatility and regulatory risks have pushed projects toward airdrops for liquidity, despite

The world of crypto airdrops continues to attract significant attention from both investors and developers, as new projects look for ways to reward early supporters and liquidity providers with token distributions. This week, one of the most talked-about airdrops comes from aPriori, a Web3 startup backed by Pantera, where

a single participant is said to have received 60%

of the total allocation. The project has come under fire for issues related to transparency and centralization, with blockchain analysts such as ZachXBT pointing out poor communication and a heavy concentration of tokens among a small group

as highlighted by several sources

The practice of airdrop farming—where individuals use numerous wallets to maximize their rewards—remains a controversial topic in the crypto community. This issue gained prominence in March 2023 when

$3.3 million worth of Arbitrum's ARB tokens

were funneled from 1,496 separate wallets into just two. Many believe these strategies go against the decentralized principles of blockchain, making it harder for everyday investors to compete. In the case of aPriori, the absence of clear information about how the airdrop was distributed has only fueled these criticisms, with some

accusing the project of being "no different from scammers" due to its lack of transparency

The expansion of the airdrop sector also mirrors larger movements in crypto adoption.

HTX DAO announced a 90% year-over-year growth

in subscriptions to its $HTX earning products, with total subscriptions reaching $9 billion. The DAO’s deflationary approach—

burning 36.22 trillion $HTX between Q1 and Q3 2025

—has increased token scarcity and helped solidify its status as an asset with a $1.84 billion market capitalization. While HTX DAO is not strictly an airdrop initiative, its achievements highlight the popularity of token-based value distribution in the Web3 ecosystem.

Crypto Airdrops' Growing Centralization Threatens the Principles of Decentralized Fairness image 0

At the same time, recent fluctuations in the IPO market have had an indirect effect on airdrop strategies.

The U.S. IPO sector experienced a 48% increase

in new offerings through mid-November, largely thanks to tech companies such as CoreWeave and Figma. Nevertheless,

ongoing regulatory ambiguity and global political tensions

—including tariff policies and government shutdowns—have occasionally delayed IPOs. This unpredictability has led some projects to favor airdrops over conventional fundraising, using token distributions to quickly build liquidity and foster community involvement.

As the crypto sector faces regulatory challenges and economic uncertainty, airdrops continue to serve as an essential mechanism for decentralized projects to share value and motivate user participation. Yet, the situation with aPriori demonstrates the importance of openness and fairness in how airdrops are structured. With

growing institutional demand for privacy-compliant solutions

and

increasing interest in deflationary token models

, the evolution of airdrops will likely depend on finding a balance between innovation and fair distribution.

Disclaimer: The content of this article solely reflects the author's opinion and does not represent the platform in any capacity. This article is not intended to serve as a reference for making investment decisions.

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