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At ZetaChain, our mission is to power Universal Apps that span all chains from native Bitcoin and Ethereum to Cosmos, Solana and beyond. Today, we’re excited to introduce Instant Rewards, enabling users to earn real rewards instantly for interacting within the ZetaChain ecosystem. This is the first step in creating a more continuous web3 perks model that supports sustainable growth of the first universal blockchain.

Goodbye Airdrops and Points

ZetaChain has a strong history of pioneering reward systems like airdrops and points:

• 2017: ZetaChain’s core contributors helped create Basic Attention Token (BAT), the first project to do an airdrop.

• 2021: ZETA Points incentivized ZetaChain’s testnet users, culminating in a 31,500,000 ZETA airdrop for over 800,000 participants.

• 2024: ZetaChain’s mainnet launch introduced a new loyalty program called XP, recently distributing 10,000,000 ZETA to 100,000+ loyal users and many more through 15 Universal Apps.

Challenges with Traditional Models

Despite their ubiquity in web3, traditional reward systems like airdrops and points have faced growing criticism for several reasons:

• Inflated Expectations: Points-based systems often build unrealistic expectations, distracting communities from the core technology and value of the project. In many projects, points are abandoned or lose meaning after airdrops.

• Allocation Models: Recent models like the XP RFP system relied on ecosystem apps to distribute ZETA under guidelines enforced by ZetaChain, leading to community concerns about transparency. In response to feedback, we shifted focus and reallocated ZETA directly to users.

With this evolution, ZetaChain continues to lead the way in rethinking incentive models that align with our long-term vision to sustain and grow the first universal blockchain.

Introducing Instant Rewards

Today, ZetaHub launches Instant Rewards, enabling users to claim real rewards immediately for interacting with the universal blockchain. This feature builds on the recent Fuel initiative (free ZETA claims based on Status) and is the latest perk unlocked by your XP Status NFT. The goal is to move beyond airdrop speculation to a more transparent and sustainable reward system.

In just three weeks, over 150,000 users minted their XP NFT, unlocking perks like Instant Rewards. In its recent stealth launch, Instant Rewards has already distributed 3,000 ZETA to over 9,000 ZetaChain stakers and will scale up. Building on-chain Status continues to unlock more perks and rewards!

Here’s how it works: Go to ZetaHub, complete an Instant Rewards activity, and claim your reward. It’s that simple.

What’s Next for Instant Rewards?

Instant Rewards is just the beginning. We’re developing new features to create a thriving ecosystem for app developers and users:

• Boosting Universal App Adoption: Instant Rewards will serve as as a marketing tool to help Universal Apps attract and retain users.

• Expanding Universal Education: Apply Instant Rewards to more activities and apps, helping users discover and explore cross-chain opportunities.

• Introducing Universal Governance: A proposed feature, “Community’s Choice,” will enable users to vote on which Universal Apps and activities should be featured on Instant Rewards.

• Implementing Status Gating: Functionality to gate rewards based on XP Status tiers. Higher Status, more access.

• Universal Rewards Pools: Open Instant Rewards to ecosystem developers, allowing apps to design and fund Instant Rewards pools with any token.

• On-chain Status Evolution: Bringing XP and Status on-chain to reflect engagement and loyalty, setting the foundation for making the entire status program decentralized, transparent, and owned by the community.

We’re very excited to expand ways for XP NFT members to build Status and earn real rewards as we expand utility and meaningful engagement on the universal blockchain ecosystem.

Launching ZetaChain’s Global Advocacy Group

Consistent with our shift away from traditional rewards, we’re introducing an exclusive ZetaChain Global Advocacy Group. This private, no-strings-attached social group is built for status, ecosystem insights, personal connections, and great vibes.

Our initial 378 members accepted invites based on their genuine support for ZetaChain’s mission from testnet through mainnet. We’re excited to kickoff a week of special surprises for this group including free trips to DevCon with ZetaChain!

Our aim is to create a circle of true advocates who share a love for ZetaChain and its vision. While there’s no formal recruiting process, we’re excited to grow this group organically through recommendations and genuine interactions online and at global events.

We look forward to working closely with the community to thoughtfully develop this initiative, and we will share public updates as the group evolves.

About ZetaChain

ZetaChain is the first universal L1 blockchain. It serves as the base-layer of the decentralized internet, providing a platform for global access, simplicity, and utility across any blockchain. Zetachain’s Omnichain Smart Contracts on the Universal EVM are purpose-built for general chain abstraction across the entire crypto ecosystem. ZetaChain can connect to any blockchain, from Ethereum and Cosmos to Bitcoin and beyond, enabling unified liquidity, user experience, and data all from a single place. Universal Apps on ZetaChain are future-proof and have full compatibility with both existing and new chain integrations. With a proposed Universal Proof-of-Stake capability, ZetaChain supports staking of assets like native Bitcoin and Ethereum in exchange for rewards, powering unbounded scale for economic security.

Follow ZetaChain on Twitter @zetablockchain and join the conversation on Discord and Telegram. Reach out to [email protected] if you’re building on top of ZetaChain.

Any projects mentioned are 3rd party, not ZetaChain.