In mid-September 2025, at the BaseCamp 2025 conference, Jesse Pollak, head of the Base network, stated that Base is exploring the possibility of issuing a network coin to accelerate the decentralization process. This news quickly ignited enthusiasm within the crypto community.
As an Ethereum Layer 2 network under Coinbase, Base’s on-chain data is astonishing: it has processed over 2.9 billion transactions, with nearly 210 million independent active accounts, and the total value locked (TVL) in DeFi exceeds 5 billion dollars. In the face of huge expectations for issuing coins, how should you act?
01 Base Issue Coin Plan: From Denial to Exploration, Airdrop Expectations Heat Up
The Base team’s attitude towards the issue of issuing coins has undergone a strategic shift. Despite previously denying plans to issue coins, Base Network head Jesse Pollak’s statement at the BaseCamp 2025 conference marks the first time the official has publicly considered the issuance of a native token.
This transformation is closely related to the gradual clarification of the cryptocurrency regulatory environment in the United States, and it also stems from the intrinsic need for the development of the Base ecosystem. The issuance of tokens will help Base achieve true decentralization and further expand the growth of creators and developers within its ecosystem.
Although the team emphasizes that they are still in the "exploration phase" and there is no clear timeline, the market generally expects the arrival of the $BASE token to be almost inevitable. This expectation is giving rise to a wave of on-chain interaction, as historical experience shows that early network participants often benefit significantly from Airdrops.
02 Airdrop distribution speculation: Who will get a big piece of the Base coin cake?
Regarding the distribution plan of the $BASE token, industry experts have proposed various speculations. Typical token distribution is usually divided into three parts: the team, early supporters and the treasury, and the community.
Possible allocation model
- Coinbase Holdings: As the parent company of Base, Coinbase is likely to hold a significant proportion of the tokens, estimated to be between 20% and 40%.
- Ecosystem Treasury: A portion of the tokens (possibly around 20%) may be held by an independent treasury, jointly managed by the Base team, Coinbase, and community representatives for ecosystem development.
- Community allocation: The remaining portion will be distributed to a broader community, possibly through Airdrop, public sales, or other ongoing distribution methods.
Airdrop Qualification Criteria
Base is likely to use multi-dimensional indicators to assess user engagement, rather than simple trading volume statistics. Key consideration factors may include:
- Wallet age and activity duration: Long-term and consistent activity is far more valuable than short-term bursts of interaction.
- Trading frequency and complexity: Regularly engage in various types of on-chain interactions, not just simple transfers.
- DApp interaction quantity and quality: Interact with various types of decentralized applications within the Base ecosystem.
- Ecological Contribution: Create content for the Base ecosystem, develop products, or invite new users to join.
Experts point out that Base may particularly reward developers and small projects that make substantial contributions to the ecosystem.
03 Base Airdrop Participation Practical Guide: From Beginner to Master
For users who wish to participate in the Base Airdrop, the following four-tier participation guide will help you build your on-chain footprint from scratch.
1. Official entry: Core resources for priority interaction
- Base App: Originally Coinbase Wallet, upgraded to a super app that integrates on-chain interactions, payments, and social features. Access is only available after joining the access list.
- Basenames: Base official domain name service, the cost to register a domain name of more than 10 characters is approximately 0.0001 ETH (about 0.45 dollars). After registration, you can view the address on-chain score and light up the badge.
- Base Guild Role: Join the Base Guild (guild.xyz/base) and complete tasks to obtain a role, which is an effective way to demonstrate long-term participation.
2. Recommended by the person in charge: The "Golden List" of the Base network leader
Base network leader Jesse Pollak has listed an "Airdrop Gold List" of ecosystem participants, which are likely to receive additional weight in airdrop scoring:
- Social Network: Register on Farcaster and stay active.
- Creator Platform: Publish content on ZORA and Rodeo.
- DeFi Applications: Earn USDC rewards using Moonwell, or use the Interface for copy trading.
- NFT and Games: Purchase Base Network NFTs on OpenSea, and experience games on B3 or Cat Town.
3. High-potential unissued coin projects: opportunities for multiple benefits
Participating in projects within the Base ecosystem that are invested in by Coinbase Ventures and have not yet issued coins may provide multiple airdrop opportunities:
- Limitless: The prediction market on Base has completed multiple rounds of financing. Although its first season points event ended on September 22, it is worth paying attention to subsequent activities.
- o1.exchange: Base and Solana The ecological trading terminal completed a $4.2 million financing in August 2025 and has opened the Beta version.
- Senpi: An on-chain AI assistant, completed a $4 million seed round financing in mid-September, supporting features such as autonomous trading and copy trading.
4. Leading DeFi Applications: The Foundation of Stable Interaction
According to TVL rankings, the top five DeFi applications on Base include the lending protocols Morpho and Aave, the DEX projects Aerodrome and Uniswap, as well as the liquidity and yield infrastructure layer Spark. Regularly trading, providing liquidity, or staking on these platforms can help establish a stable interaction record.
04 Advanced Strategies: Tips for Maximizing Airdrop Returns
For users looking to optimize their interaction strategies, the following tips can help you maximize potential Airdrop rewards.
Quality of interaction is better than quantity.
Base is likely to adopt an advanced witch attack detection mechanism to identify and filter out those fake accounts created solely for the Airdrop. Therefore, stable and meaningful participation is far more effective than a large number of low-quality interactions.
It is recommended to spread trading activities over several weeks or months, rather than completing all interactions at once. This long-term participation model aligns better with real user behavior and makes it easier to stand out during the final Airdrop snapshot.
Combining yield farming and Airdrop farming
While participating in the Base Airdrop, you can choose activities that can generate profits, achieving "two benefits in one action". For example:
- at Aerodrome or Uniswap Provide liquidity on v3 and other DEXs to earn trading fees.
- at Moonwell or Aave Pledge stablecoins in lending protocols to earn interest.
- Participate in points activities for applications such as prediction markets while accumulating airdrop qualifications for multiple projects.
This strategy can still yield returns from basic income activities even if the final Airdrop returns do not meet expectations.
Record and verify
It is crucial to retain all interaction records. Save links to activities such as Base domain names, Guild roles, transaction hashes, etc., to prove participation history when needed.
At the same time, be wary of Airdrop scams. Only trust information released through official Base or Coinbase channels, and ignore any false claims of "Airdrop confirmed."
Future Outlook
As the Base ecosystem continues to expand—with monthly active users reaching 18.7 million and total transaction volume surpassing 2.9 billion—early participation value is accumulating. As one crypto researcher stated: "Airdrop always belongs to the action takers."
For those users who have already interacted on Base, it might be a good opportunity to "fill in the gaps"; and for new users, starting to participate in the system now may still allow them to share in future Airdrops.
