Nado

Nado is an orderbook-based decentralized exchange operating on Ink, the Ethereum Layer 2 developed by Kraken. The protocol combines spot, perpetual and margin trading through a unified-margin architecture, allowing collateral to be used efficiently across supported markets. Nado describes itself as a CLOB DEX designed for high-performance trading, while Ink's official ecosystem directory currently lists Nado as an airdrop-related application within the Ink ecosystem.

Nado's rewards system is built around Nado Points. The official documentation states that points are the core mechanism for rewarding meaningful participation and are earned through trading activity, Nado Liquidity Provider (NLP) participation and referrals. Nado explicitly distinguishes organic participation from artificial volume: wash trading, self-matching, referral farming and other non-organic behavior can lead to reduced or zero point allocations.

The strongest evidence for the future airdrop comes directly from Nado's official January 2026 Private Alpha announcement. Nado stated that Points are the foundational rewards metric and would later be used to determine $INK airdrop allocations. The project subsequently documented an Ink Airdrop API in its archive indexer that can query the Ink token airdrop amount allocated to a specific wallet address. This confirms that Nado's infrastructure has an allocation record for $INK, although the public documentation does not disclose a universal points-to-token conversion formula or a fixed percentage of the total INK supply for Nado users.

Nado's original Open Beta Season 1 introduced weekly points epochs. The official Season 1 documentation specified 950,000 points distributed per week, with allocations determined by trading, NLP participation and referrals. It also created additional bonus pools for private-alpha participants, builders, trading competitions and other initiatives. Nado later expanded its rewards infrastructure through builder programs and continued ecosystem incentives, meaning users should treat the currently visible points balance and historical season mechanics as evidence of participation rather than assume that every point corresponds to a fixed number of INK tokens.

How to Participate in the Nado Airdrop

The most direct strategy is to use Nado on Ink with genuine, sustained activity. Because the official reward design emphasizes meaningful participation rather than raw transaction count, users should avoid unnecessary volume generation and focus on activity that would be economically rational even without an airdrop.

1. Open the official Nado application. Visit the official Nado platform and connect a compatible EVM wallet. Nado operates on Ink, so users need an Ink-compatible wallet and ETH for network gas.
2. Fund the Nado account. Bridge or transfer supported assets to Ink and deposit them into Nado. Nado's documentation states that a mainnet subaccount can be created through a first deposit of at least 5 USDT0, although users should confirm the current interface requirements before depositing.
3. Trade organically. Participate in supported spot and perpetual markets. Nado's Season 1 mechanics rewarded genuine trading activity, including market making and system-supporting activity such as liquidations, rather than simply rewarding raw volume.
4. Provide liquidity through NLP when available. Nado Liquidity Provider participation earns points according to the user's average proportional share of the NLP vault during the relevant reward epoch. NLP supports liquidity for Nado's orderbook and liquidation system.
5. Maintain consistent activity. Nado uses periodic points epochs and trader tiers to measure participation. Consistent organic activity is preferable to short-term artificial volume because non-organic activity can be penalized.
6. Use referrals responsibly. Referral points are linked to the actual activity of referred users rather than passive sign-ups. Nado's documentation states that referral points can extend across multiple levels and that coordinated low-quality referral farming may result in reduced or zero rewards.
7. Consider builder opportunities if applicable. Nado operates a Builder Program and Builder Codes. Builders can earn fees from attributed trading volume and may receive dedicated points based on measurable contribution such as trading volume, funded traders and consistency.
8. Monitor the official points and allocation information. Nado's documentation includes an Ink Airdrop API capable of querying the $INK allocation associated with a wallet. Users should rely on official Nado and Ink interfaces for final allocation and claim information rather than unofficial calculators.

Potential Reward

The principal potential reward for Nado participants is $INK, the native token of the Ink ecosystem. Nado's official Private Alpha announcement explicitly stated that Points would later be used to determine $INK airdrop allocations. Ink's official website also identifies Nado as an application associated with an airdrop within the Ink ecosystem.

Nado's official developer documentation now contains an Ink Airdrop archive endpoint that returns the Ink token airdrop amount allocated to a specified wallet address. This is stronger evidence than third-party claims that a future token might exist. However, the existence of an allocation endpoint does not establish a universal points conversion rate. Nado has not published a definitive formula showing how many INK tokens each point represents.

Nado's Private Alpha also established several historical reward paths. Alpha participants were allocated a total of 8,000,000 Points, up to $4 million in fee refunds and 1,000 Nado NFTs. Users who selected Points were explicitly told that those Points would later determine $INK airdrop allocations. The NFT and fee-refund mechanisms should therefore be distinguished from the ongoing Points-based INK allocation.

The final individual reward depends on the official allocation methodology rather than simply dividing a fixed token pool by total points. Users should not rely on community estimates claiming a specific percentage of INK supply for Nado unless the figure is subsequently confirmed by Nado or Ink.

Airdrop Requirements

• Use the official Nado platform on Ink.
• Participate in Nado's Points program through eligible activity.
• Earn points through genuine trading activity.
• Participate in Nado Liquidity Provider (NLP) programs where available.
• Generate referral points by introducing users who subsequently create genuine trading activity.
• Builders can participate through Nado's Builder Program and Builder Codes where eligible.
• Maintain consistent and organic activity across relevant reward epochs.
• Avoid wash trading, self-matching, automated volume manipulation and referral farming.
• Use a wallet controlled by the participant and keep wallet credentials secure.
• Monitor official Nado documentation and allocation interfaces for the final $INK distribution and claim process.

Risk

• Conversion uncertainty: Nado has confirmed that Points are used to determine $INK airdrop allocations, but the official materials reviewed do not provide a universal points-to-INK conversion formula.
• Allocation-size uncertainty: The exact percentage of total INK supply allocated specifically to Nado users has not been officially disclosed in the Nado documentation reviewed. Community claims about a fixed 30%, 45% or other percentage should not be treated as confirmed.
• Trading-loss risk: Unlike free social-quest campaigns, Nado rewards are closely tied to trading activity. Users can lose capital through leverage, liquidation, market volatility or execution costs while attempting to accumulate points.
• Points are not cash: Nado Points are non-transferable and should not be treated as a liquid asset. Their eventual value depends on the official $INK allocation and distribution mechanism.
• Sybil and wash-trading risk: Nado explicitly states that non-organic activity such as wash trading, self-matching and referral farming can result in reduced or zero point allocation.
• Liquidity-provider risk: NLP participation involves depositing capital into the protocol. Smart-contract, liquidity, market and protocol risks remain even if the activity earns points.
• Referral-quality risk: Referral rewards depend on genuine activity from referred users. Creating low-quality or coordinated accounts purely to generate points can jeopardize eligibility.
• Protocol risk: Nado uses a high-performance orderbook and unified-margin architecture. Smart-contract, oracle, sequencer, liquidation and market-structure risks remain inherent to on-chain derivatives trading.
• Gas and fee risk: Users may incur Ink network gas costs, trading fees and other transaction costs. Farming points through excessive activity can become economically irrational if costs exceed the expected reward.
• Third-party estimate risk: Community spreadsheets and calculators may estimate the value of Nado Points, but these estimates are not official allocation guarantees.

FAQ

Is the Nado airdrop confirmed?

Yes, Nado's own January 2026 Private Alpha announcement explicitly stated that Points would later be used to determine $INK airdrop allocations. Nado's documentation also includes an Ink Airdrop API for querying an address's allocated Ink token amount. However, the final public distribution formula and total Nado-specific allocation have not been fully disclosed.

What token will Nado users receive?

The reward referenced by Nado's official announcement is $INK, the token associated with the Ink ecosystem. Nado itself has not established a separate native Nado token in the official materials reviewed. Users should therefore distinguish the confirmed Nado-to-INK allocation mechanism from community speculation about a separate Nado token.

How do I earn Nado Points?

Nado's official Points documentation identifies three core mechanisms: trading activity, Nado Liquidity Provider (NLP) participation and referrals that generate real usage. Builder initiatives can also receive dedicated points through the Nado Builder Program.

Does trading volume earn Nado Points?

Yes. Trading is one of the core Points activities. However, Nado emphasizes genuine participation rather than raw volume alone. Wash trading and self-matching are prohibited and may lead to reduced or zero points for an epoch.

Does NLP provide Nado Points?

Yes. Nado's Season 1 documentation states that NLP participants earn points based on their average proportional share of the NLP vault during each weekly epoch. NLP provides liquidity supporting Nado's orderbook and liquidation infrastructure.

Do referrals earn Nado Points?

Yes. Referral points are earned when referred users generate genuine activity, primarily trading activity. Nado's referral system is designed to reward active users rather than passive registrations, and non-organic referral farming can be penalized.

How many Nado Points equal one $INK?

No official universal points-to-$INK conversion ratio has been published. Nado confirms that Points will be used to determine $INK airdrop allocations, but users should not assume a fixed conversion rate based on community calculators or unofficial estimates.

Has Nado published an $INK allocation checker?

Nado's developer documentation contains an official Ink Airdrop archive API that can query the $INK token allocation associated with a specific wallet address. This indicates that allocation data is supported within Nado's infrastructure, although users should use the official interface and announcements for the actual claim process.

Can I farm Nado Points without trading real money?

The official points system is primarily centered on genuine trading and NLP participation, so meaningful mainnet participation generally involves economic exposure. Users should not trade or deposit funds solely for an airdrop if they do not understand the associated risks.

What was the Nado Private Alpha reward?

Nado allocated 8,000,000 Points, up to $4 million in fee refunds and 1,000 Nado NFTs to Private Alpha participants through its January 2026 Choice mechanism. Nado stated that Points were the reward path that would later determine $INK airdrop allocations.

How many points were distributed in Nado Season 1?

Nado's official Season 1 documentation specified 950,000 Points per weekly epoch, distributed every Friday, plus additional bonus pools. The bonus structure included a 3,000,000-point Builder Program allocation, 4,000,000 points for trading competitions and a 1,000,000-point reserve, subject to the program's rules and actual distribution.

Is Nado mainnet live?

Yes. Nado operates on Ink mainnet, and its official contracts documentation lists Nado's mainnet contracts on the Ink L2. Nado's official website describes the protocol as a live trading platform for perpetuals, spot and margin markets.

Is the Nado airdrop the same as an Ink ecosystem airdrop?

Nado's reward mechanism is specifically tied to the broader Ink ecosystem because Nado Points are used to determine $INK allocations. Ink's official website also identifies Nado as an airdrop-related application. The final amount received by an individual Nado participant, however, depends on the official allocation methodology.

What should users avoid when farming Nado?

Users should avoid wash trading, self-matching, artificial volume, automated manipulation, coordinated referral farming and unnecessary leverage. Nado explicitly prioritizes organic activity and can reduce or eliminate points for non-organic behavior.