Written by: BitpushNews

As we approach the end of 2025, the chill in the crypto market is palpable, yet several promising projects are beginning to signal airdrops/TGEs. Most of these opportunities do not require significant capital investment, and the operational thresholds are relatively friendly, providing a low-risk participation window for investors who want to maintain their skills during a bear market while fearing being "educated" by the market. This article will outline the most promising projects to help everyone grasp future possibilities with minimal "growing pains" during a sluggish market.

1. Lighter (LITER)

Lighter is a high-frequency perpetual contract DEX based on Starknet L2, featuring zero fees, ZK proof matching, and instant execution, designed specifically for professional traders, akin to an on-chain version of Citadel. The mainnet launched in October 2025, and it is currently in the second season of points farming, with the TGE expected at the end of December or Q1 2026. Polymarket gives it a 98% probability of being the largest airdrop of 2025.

Funding Situation

It has raised approximately $25 million, with investors including YZi Labs (leading), Binance CZ family office, a16z Crypto, Paradigm, and other Tier-1 VCs. The funds are primarily used for mainnet development and the points reward pool, with founder Vladimir Novakovski coming from the Citadel trading team.

Core Data

• Mainnet TVL: $1.1 billion (up 150% in the last 30 days)
• Daily Active Users: 56,000+
• Daily Trading Volume: Peak of $18.9 billion (often surpassing Hyperliquid)
• Total Points: 250,000 points distributed weekly (Season 2 until December 31)
• Estimated FDV: Approximately $500 million to $1 billion (total supply not disclosed, 50% community allocation)
• Points OTC Price: $5-$11 per point (potential ROI of 25-100x)

How to Participate

• Trade perpetual contracts on the mainnet (ETH/USDC, etc., leverage up to 50x, earn points)
• Provide LLP liquidity (share fees + points bonuses)
• Invite sub-accounts for farming (main account receives a 25% rebate, requires 100 points to unlock code)
• Bridge funds + high-frequency trading (but be cautious of "death zone" risks, official snapshot before December 31)

As a dark horse in the Perps DEX space, Lighter's zero fees and high ZK technology barrier present significant airdrop potential under the 50% community allocation, but the sustainability of trading volume post-TGE is key, making it suitable for well-funded traders to sprint for end-of-season points.

2. Aster (ASTER)

Aster is a next-generation multi-chain decentralized exchange (DEX) focusing on perpetual contracts and spot trading, supporting BNB Chain, Ethereum, Solana, and Arbitrum chains. It offers MEV resistance, one-click execution, hidden orders, and high leverage (up to 1001x), innovatively allowing the use of asBNB (liquid staking tokens) or USDF (yield stablecoins) as collateral for higher capital efficiency. The project originated from the merger of Astherus and APX Finance at the end of 2024, with the TGE completed on September 17, 2025, and trading volume quickly surpassing Hyperliquid after the mainnet launch, becoming a dark horse in the Perp DEX field.

Funding Situation

It has raised approximately $25 million, with major investors including YZi Labs (Binance founder's family office, leading), Binance Labs (incubation support), a16z Crypto, Paradigm, etc. CZ personally invested over $2.5 million and serves as an advisor to promote the development of privacy trading infrastructure.

Core Data

• Mainnet TVL: Approximately $1.5 billion (up 120% in the last 30 days)
• Daily Active Users: 80,000+
• Daily Trading Volume: Peak exceeding $2 billion
• Token Price: Approximately $1.16 (24h range $1.04-$1.08)
• Circulating Market Cap: Approximately $2.07 billion (circulating supply of 1.65 billion tokens)
• FDV: Approximately $8.2 billion (total supply of 8 billion tokens)
• Major Trading Platforms: Bybit, Bitget, Binance, etc., CEX spot trading has launched

Participation Pathways

• Stage 4 points farming (trade Perps, provide liquidity, hold asBNB/USDF to earn Rh points, until December 21)
• Check S3 airdrop eligibility (checker opened on December 1, claiming window from December 15 to January 15, 2026, with 200M ASTER rewards)
• Rocket Launch event (trading volume rewards ASTER+ project tokens, no lock-up period)
• Invite sub-accounts for volume (be cautious of anti-Sybil filtering)

With CZ's endorsement, multi-chain aggregation, and over 53% community allocation in its tokenomics, Aster stands out in the Perp DEX track. The launch of Aster Chain L1 mainnet in Q1 2026 will further amplify its potential, but attention must be paid to unlocking pressure and market volatility.

3. MEXC

As a non-top centralized exchange with 40 million users, MEXC is currently conducting a small airdrop campaign, offering trading rewards and task incentives.

Eligibility Pathways:

• Complete fiat currency deposits and participate in lucky wheel activities
• Execute specified trading pair operations and asset deposits

Core Data:

• Estimated Earnings: $1 – $5,000 trading rewards
• Reward Pool Size: $44,137,574
• Airdrop Status: Ongoing
• Distribution Method: Distributed through MEXC's internal system

As an ideal platform for beginners, its large user base is both an advantage and a challenge—the competition for the reward pool will be fiercer. It is important to note that eligible trading pairs are mostly emerging coins, and related tasks are more suitable for those familiar with market volatility and with a medium to high-risk appetite.

4. Cysic Network (CYSIC)

Cysic Network is a Layer-1 computing network focused on zero-knowledge proof (ZK) hardware acceleration, enhancing ZK proof generation speed by 10-100 times and reducing costs by 91% through self-developed ASIC chips and GPU clusters, primarily targeting real-time ZK applications and ComputeFi models. The project launched its mainnet on September 24, 2025, and is currently in the early production stage.

Funding Situation

It has raised a total of $21.85 million, with major investors including Polychain Capital, HashKey Capital, OKX Ventures, Binance Labs, Multicoin Capital, and 13 other institutions.

The valuation path is clear, and the node sales phase has concluded.

Core Data

• Mainnet TVL: $80 million (up 60% in the last 30 days)
• Active Users: 1.35 million
• Online Nodes: 260,000+ (Prover + Verifier)
• Token Price: $0.04
• Circulating Market Cap: Approximately $40 million
• FDV: Approximately $400-500 million (total supply not fully disclosed)
• Major Trading Platforms: OKX, Binance, Gate.io, etc., spot trading pairs have launched

Current Participation Pathways

• Run Prover/Verifier nodes (consumer-grade RTX 4090 is sufficient to participate)
• Stake $CYS to earn governance points $CGT
• Participate in the official 4-week Onboarding Campaign ongoing in December (daily check-ins + simple tasks, still eligible for later rewards)

Overall, Cysic is one of the most clearly defined ZK infrastructure projects with a launched mainnet and hardware implementation progress, backed by strong institutional support. It combines low circulating market cap with high technical barriers, providing significant elasticity in the year-end capital rotation window. Investment still requires attention to hardware project iteration risks and market volatility.

5. LayerZero Season 2

This cross-chain interoperability protocol has connected over 130 blockchains and established partnerships with institutions like Tether and PayPal, reserving 15.3% of the total token supply for community distribution.

Eligibility Pathways:

• Transfer cross-chain assets via Stargate/Jumper
• Use decentralized applications within the LayerZero ecosystem
• Hold and stake ZRO tokens
• Participate in governance voting

Core Data:

• Estimated Earnings: $2,000 – $15,000 (based on Q1 standards)
• Reward Pool Size: 15.3% of the total supply of 1 billion ZRO
• Airdrop Window: Expected in Q4 2025 (with uncertainties)
• Participation Difficulty: Medium (requires cross-chain operations and multi-chain participation)
• Distribution Method: Expected to be distributed through official interface snapshots

This protocol addresses the key pain points of blockchain interoperability, and its technological prospects are worth noting. However, the team's previous delays in committing to airdrop timing make this participation more speculative, better suited for users with long-term confidence in its technological roadmap.

6. Abstract Chain

As a Layer 2 solution expanding the Pudgy Penguins NFT project, this initiative focuses on driving mainstream adoption through a minimalist user experience and has established partnerships with platforms like Gate.io.

Eligibility Pathways:

• Collect platform badges
• Transfer assets cross-chain to the Abstract network
• Trade on the Vertex platform
• Experience on-chain games like Multiplier and Duper

Core Data:

• Estimated Earnings: $1,000 – $8,000 (including bonuses for PENGU holders)
• Reward Pool Size: To be determined (using a participation points system)
• Airdrop Status: Not yet confirmed
• Distribution Method: Through points conversion and badge verification system

The project has received a warm response in the community due to the marketing of the Pudgy Penguins, but it should be noted that part of the market enthusiasm at the time stemmed from expectations of the PENGU airdrop. As the official airdrop plan has not yet been confirmed, it is currently more suitable as an observation target or a low-threshold attempt for gaming enthusiasts.

7. Stable (STABLE)

Stable is a next-generation Layer-1 chain dedicated to stablecoins, incubated by Bitfinex, focusing on instant payments, low-cost transfers, and global distribution within the USDT ecosystem. In simple terms, it aims to create a public chain that functions like "on-chain PayPal + USDT high-speed channel." The testnet has been running for several months, with the mainnet planned for Q4 2025 (as early as the end of December).

Funding Situation

It has raised a total of $28 million, with a strong lineup of investors: Bitfinex and Hack VC co-led the round, with traditional and crypto top-tier institutions like Franklin Templeton, Susquehanna, Castle Island Ventures, Nascent, and eGirl Capital all on the list. It is a typical "institutional ticket" project.

Core Data

• Testnet TVL: Approximately $120 million (up 40% in the last 30 days)
• Daily Active Addresses: 50,000+
• Daily Trading Volume on Testnet: Around $5 million
• Current Token Pre-sale Price: Approximately $0.15
• Estimated FDV: Around $1.5 billion (total supply of 100 billion tokens, 53% community allocation)
• Will directly list on top exchanges like Binance and OKX after TGE

Participation Methods

• Complete bridging, transfer, and payment scenario tasks on the testnet (the most direct source of points)
• Participate in the official Pre-deposit activity (ConcreteXYZ cooperative channel, deposits count for points)
• Daily trading volume + holding farming (high probability of snapshot in December)
• Pre-bind wallet on the official website and complete KYC pre-registration (can receive additional character bonuses)

Stable is currently one of the most robust projects in the stablecoin space, with a clear implementation rhythm backed by Tether + Bitfinex traffic. There is a high probability of a strong narrative market from the end of this year to early next year. It is suitable for friends looking to catch a relatively certain airdrop or early dividends, but the mainnet launch time still needs to be closely monitored through official announcements.

8. Zama (ZAMA)

Zama is an open-source cryptography company focused on fully homomorphic encryption (FHE) technology, building the Zama Protocol—a confidential blockchain protocol that allows encrypted data to be processed on public chains (like Ethereum) without decryption, supporting privacy applications in DeFi, RWA, and stablecoins. The testnet is live, with the mainnet planned for Q4 2025, coinciding with the TGE (Token Generation Event). On December 1, Zama announced its first public auction for the $ZAMA token: 10% of the supply will be sold through a sealed-bid Dutch auction on Ethereum, using FHE to ensure bid confidentiality and avoid bot sniping and gas wars.

Funding Situation

It has raised a total of $73 million, with a top-tier investor lineup:

• Series B (June 2025): $57 million, led by Pantera Capital and Blockchange, with a valuation exceeding $1 billion (becoming the first unicorn in the FHE field).
• Previous rounds: Seed and Series A raised about $16 million, with investors including Multicoin Capital.
• Funds are primarily used for FHE hardware optimization and mainnet development.

Core Data

• Testnet TVL: Approximately $50 million (up 25% in the last 30 days)
• Daily Active Addresses: 20,000+
• Daily Trading Volume on Testnet: Around $3 million
• Current Token Status: Not listed (TGE at the end of the year)
• Estimated FDV: Approximately $1 billion (total supply not disclosed, auctioning 10% of the supply)
• Auction Details: Conducted from January 12-15, 2026, with claims starting January 20; the platform is on the Ethereum mainnet, using Zama Protocol FHE to encrypt bids

How to Participate

• Testnet FHE computation tasks (encryption/decryption simulations to accumulate points)
• Join the Creator Program Season 5 (launched in September, monthly rewards + referral fees, share $ZAMA sales revenue after mainnet launch)
• Community engagement (active on Discord/Guild, potential airdrop eligibility)
• Prepare for the public auction (details to be announced in early January, requires ETH wallet + KYC pre-registration)

Zama is a leading project in FHE privacy computing, backed by a unicorn valuation and the Ethereum mainnet implementation. The January auction will open up fair distribution and real price discovery, with significant potential under the privacy narrative by the end of the year.

9. MetaMask

As the most widely used Web3 wallet globally, its parent company Consensys has hinted multiple times at a token distribution, and it is currently conducting the first season of LINEA rewards activities.

Eligibility Pathways:

• Download and use the mobile application
• Hold LINEA rewards obtained through activities (affecting future eligibility)
• Execute on-chain operations such as token swaps and cross-chain transfers
• Connect historical wallets to trace accumulated points

Core Data:

• Current Rewards: LINEA valued at $50–10,000 (based on trading volume)
• Reward Pool Size: 30 million LINEA (MASK distribution not disclosed)
• Activity Period: LINEA Season 1 until the end of February
• Participation Difficulty: Medium
• Distribution Method: Through the official claim page

The market has long anticipated its airdrop, but certain designs of the initial LINEA airdrop have sparked community dissatisfaction, casting some uncertainty over the final distribution of MASK. Users are advised to participate naturally through regular use, avoiding unnecessary trades in pursuit of the airdrop.

10. Polymarket

The decentralized prediction market platform has reached a monthly trading volume of $3 billion, and after receiving a $2 billion investment from the ICE Group, it has confirmed that it will conduct a token distribution.

Eligibility Pathways:

• Download the official application
• Participate in the "Daily Rewards" task system
• Trading volume may become a core consideration metric (specific rules to be announced)

The popularity of the prediction market track continues to rise, and Polymarket has successfully obtained key regulatory approval to return to the U.S. market, undoubtedly igniting market interest. Its gameplay design is quite clever: users do not need to actually place bets; they can earn potential rewards by completing tasks, lowering the participation threshold. However, it is important to note that the core of this model remains the prediction market mechanism, and participants involved in providing liquidity must fully understand the market risks and game theory involved.

免责声明：本文章仅代表作者个人观点，不代表本平台的立场和观点。本文章仅供信息分享，不构成对任何人的任何投资建议。用户与作者之间的任何争议，与本平台无关。如网页中刊载的文章或图片涉及侵权，请提供相关的权利证明和身份证明发送邮件到support@aicoin.com，本平台相关工作人员将会进行核查。