- Bonk airdrop was a major incentive boost that helped create a meme coin unicorn.
- BONK recorded massive success owing to the low cost of transactions on Solana.
Bonk, the meme coin inspired by the Shiba Inu dog meme, is centered on the Solana blockchain. Like all other airdrops, Bonk has introduced a reward campaign as a way to engage and reward members of the community. The meme coin often described as Solana’s answer to Dogecoin, promotes a lighthearted and inclusive community around cryptocurrency, a common trait among meme coins.
Solana community users received 50% of the entire token supply in December 2022 following the announcement of the Bonk airdrop. The distribution continued till January 2023 when it was completed. The approach encouraged broader adoption and activity within the Solana ecosystem.
As previously revealed by Crypto News Flash, the success of Bonk in the crypto space is responsible for the popularity of recently launched meme coins. Notably, memecoin embrace is becoming one of the most dynamic sectors in the crypto market throughout 2024.
Miles Deutscher, a crypto analyst and investor, noted on YouTube that meme coins have experienced significant growth in 2024, with some coins achieving 10x, 50x, or even 100x returns. The rise of Solana-based meme coins like Bonk and WIF has played a key role in boosting the market sentiment overall.
Bonk Airdrop Eligibility Requirements
The Bonk airdrop targeted various segments of the Solana community, including Solana NFT Holders, Solana DeFi Users, OpenBook Traders, and Solana Validators and Developers.
The Solana NFT Holders were allocated 21% as a way to reinforce the connection between NFTs and the wider Solana ecosystem.
A portion of the Bonk airdrop was allocated to liquidity providers and users of specific Solana-based DeFi platforms to recognize their contributions to the DeFi ecosystem. Meanwhile, OpenBook Traders, those trading on the decentralized social trading platform on Solana got 15%.
As a way to appreciate the Solana Validators and Developers for their work, a 5.3% separate allocation was set aside for them as a reward for maintaining and building on Solana’s infrastructure.
Impact of the Bonk Airdrop on Solana’s Ecosystem
In recapitulation of earlier Crypto News Flash report, the popularity of Bonk and its listing on major centralized exchanges saw a significant impact on the crypto market. After its listing on Coinbase and Robinhood, there was a notable increase in transaction activity on the Solana blockchain.
In December 2023, following BONK’s listing on Coinbase, its price surged by 50%, leading to a significant spike in Solana network activity. The same pattern repeated in March 2024 when BONK was listed on Robinhood, the same month it joined the $1 billion meme coin club per an earlier report by Crypto News Flash. At the moment, BONK is down 9.76% to $0.00002436.
Charts tracking Solana’s active addresses and transaction activity show clear peaks that align with these periods of heightened BONK trading volume. This surge in activity has propelled BONK to become the sixth most popular meme coin by market cap as of April 26, 2024.
As April gradually winds down, BONK’s activity slowed considerably in market performance. Regardless, the meme coin remains one of the top ten within its niche. The secret to Bonk’s success lies in the low Solana fees and high throughput which helped establish Solana as a top platform for meme coin trading.