EigenLayer airdrop is happening after all — but it won’t include US, VPN users

EigenLayer, the prominent Ethereum restaking protocol, has confirmed that its long-anticipated EIGEN token airdrop is going ahead, but with strict geographic and technical restrictions that exclude a significant portion of its user base. According to Eigen Labs and the Eigen Foundation, the initial Season 1, Phase 1 distribution will allocate a share of the EIGEN supply to users who restaked ETH or liquid staking derivatives on EigenLayer or via liquid restaking protocols before a March 15 cutoff. In total, 15% of the token supply is earmarked for community airdrops, with about 5–6% unlocked via the first claim window, but the token will be non-transferable at launch and is intended initially as a governance and coordination asset within the EigenLayer ecosystem rather than a freely tradable asset. The airdrop design has become controversial because the foundation is blocking users in more than 30 jurisdictions, including the United States, China, Russia, and Canada, from claiming, and is also refusing claims from IP addresses associated with VPNs. The project cites legal and compliance concerns in its formal airdrop terms and conditions, which explicitly bar participation by residents of certain countries and by users attempting to obfuscate their location. These constraints have sparked backlash among DeFi participants who expected a more global, permissionless distribution, particularly given EigenLayer’s central role in the emerging restaking sector. Critics argue that excluding large markets and banning VPNs undermines the ethos of open access, while supporters point to heightened regulatory scrutiny around token launches as a likely driver of the conservative approach.

✨ AI-generated background, compiled from web sources — not editorial content.

More coverage

• Everything You Need to Know About EigenLayer's EIGEN Airdrop (support.bitrue.com)
• Eigenlayer Team Launches EIGEN Token - but It's Non-transferable ... (binance.com)
• EigenLayer prohibited anyone located in the U.S. from claiming its ... (x.com)
• Airdrop Terms and Conditions - Eigen Foundation (docs.eigenfoundation.org)

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