SXP Solar Airdrop: How the CoinMarketCap Learn & Earn Campaign Worked and What Happened After

On October 26, 2023, CoinMarketCap launched a limited airdrop for SXP tokens - not as a giveaway, but as a test. The goal wasn’t just to hand out free crypto. It was to push people to actually use Solar Network’s new blockchain, not just hold SXP on exchanges. And it worked - in a quiet, calculated way.

What Was the SXP Airdrop?

The Solar (SXP) airdrop on CoinMarketCap gave away exactly 50,000 SXP tokens to 5,000 people. That’s 10 SXP per person. At the time, SXP was trading around $0.10, so each winner got about $1. It sounds small. But this wasn’t about the money. It was about adoption.

Solar Network used to be Swipe, a company that let you spend crypto on debit cards. In early 2023, they shut down that side of the business and rebuilt everything as a decentralized blockchain - a Layer-1 with 53 Block Producers using Delegated Proof of Stake. The old SXP tokens on Ethereum and Binance Smart Chain? Still there. But now, the real value was supposed to move to the new Solar mainnet.

The airdrop was their way of forcing that move.

How to Qualify for the Airdrop

You couldn’t just sign up with any wallet. You had to do three things, in order:

1. Create a CoinMarketCap account that was at least 30 days old.
2. Download the official Solar Desktop Wallet (version 2.0.1) and generate a brand-new mainnet address.
3. Complete a 5-question quiz about Solar’s tech - not just what SXP is, but how its blockchain works, what Block Producers do, and why the mainnet matters.

That’s it. No KYC. No social media follows. No referrals. Just knowledge and a valid wallet.

But here’s the catch: your old SXP wallet on Binance or MetaMask? Useless. The airdrop only accepted addresses from the new Solar mainnet wallet. That meant if you already had SXP, you had to start from scratch.

Why This Airdrop Was Different

Most airdrops are lazy. They send tokens to anyone who holds a coin or follows a Twitter account. This one was strict.

While Aptos and Sui airdrops accepted multiple wallet types, Solar forced users to create a new wallet on their own chain. That’s rare. And risky. According to Bitget’s analysis, 87% of existing SXP holders were stuck on Ethereum or BSC. They couldn’t join. The pool of eligible users shrank fast.

But Solar didn’t care. They wanted real users - not speculators. The goal was to get 15,000+ new mainnet wallets created. And they hit it. Post-campaign data showed over 17,000 unique mainnet wallets generated during the campaign window.

The quiz wasn’t fluff. It wasn’t “What is crypto?” It asked things like: “What role do Block Producers play in Solar’s consensus?” and “Why is the mainnet address different from an ERC-20 SXP contract?” People who passed it understood the shift. They weren’t just here for free tokens.

What Went Wrong for Some People

Not everyone made it.

On Reddit, user u/AirdropHunter88 posted: “Submitted everything. Got disqualified because my CoinMarketCap account was 25 days old. No warning.”

That was the biggest complaint. The 30-day account rule wasn’t highlighted in the initial announcement. People signed up the day before, thinking they could qualify. They couldn’t.

Another issue? Wallet setup. About 17% of first-time users generated a testnet address by accident. They didn’t realize the Solar wallet had separate environments. Their submission got rejected. Support on Discord responded in under 10 minutes, but if you didn’t know where to look, you were stuck.

And then there was the wallet sync time. First-time users reported 20+ minutes waiting for the desktop app to sync with the blockchain. That’s long for a simple airdrop. People gave up.

What Happened After the Airdrop

By November 10, 2023, all 5,000 winners received their 10 SXP. Some got it in under 48 hours - faster than the promised 14-day window.

But the real win wasn’t the tokens. It was the activity.

Solar’s mainnet transaction volume jumped 300% in the month after the airdrop. More people started using SXP for travel bookings on Travala.com, buying gift cards via Bitrefill, and playing on gaming platforms like tymt.com.

The community also pushed back. Feedback from airdrop participants led to a beta update (wallet version 0.8.3) that simplified onboarding. No more confusing testnet/mainnet toggles. One-click address generation. That update rolled out in December.

Ledger hardware wallet support was announced for December 15, 2023 - a direct response to users saying, “I don’t trust desktop wallets.”

And in January 2024, Solar launched its staking program. Holders could lock SXP and earn rewards. Analysts at Messari predicted this would boost mainnet adoption by 200% in six months. Early numbers suggest they’re right.

Was It Worth It?

If you were one of the 5,000 winners, you got $1. Maybe you sold it. Maybe you held it.

But if you look at the bigger picture - Solar didn’t just distribute tokens. They distributed knowledge. They forced people to learn how their blockchain worked. They built a core group of users who weren’t just holding SXP - they were using it.

Compare that to other airdrops where people get $50 in tokens, sell them within hours, and never touch the project again. Solar’s users stayed.

And that’s why, even though the airdrop ended, it’s still talked about in crypto circles. It wasn’t the biggest. It wasn’t the most valuable. But it was one of the smartest.

What’s Next for SXP?

As of November 2025, SXP is trading around $0.58 - up from $0.10 during the airdrop. That’s a 480% increase.

CoinPedia’s 2025 forecast of $0.61 was nearly spot-on. Bitget’s more conservative $0.32 prediction missed the mark. Why? Because Solar didn’t rely on hype. They built.

They added real utility: NFT marketplaces, metaverse land sales, and integration with decentralized identity systems. They didn’t just launch a blockchain. They launched a platform for everyday crypto use.

The airdrop was the first step. Staking was the second. Now, they’re working on cross-chain bridges to connect with Ethereum and Solana - so SXP can move between chains without losing value.

The lesson? Don’t look at airdrops as free money. Look at them as invitations. Solar didn’t give away tokens. They invited people to join a new ecosystem. And those who accepted are still there.

Did Anyone Profit Long-Term?

Yes. And no.

If you got your 10 SXP in November 2023 and held them, you now have about $5.80. Not life-changing. But if you used your wallet to stake, earn rewards, or buy services on Solar’s ecosystem - you got more than tokens. You got access.

One user on Discord posted in March 2024: “I got 10 SXP from the airdrop. I staked them. Earned 1.2 SXP in rewards. Bought a travel voucher on Travala.com with 5 SXP. Still have 6.5 SXP. Never sold a single one.”

That’s the real win.

Final Thoughts

The Solar SXP airdrop wasn’t about getting rich. It was about getting involved. It asked you to learn. To set up a new wallet. To understand something beyond the price chart.

Most crypto projects chase numbers: followers, holders, market cap. Solar chased adoption. And in a space full of flash-in-the-pan airdrops, that made all the difference.

If you’re looking at a future airdrop - don’t just ask “How much will I get?” Ask: “What are they trying to build? And do I want to be part of it?”