The start of 2024 has opened up a brand new chapter for crypto enthusiasts.After struggling through a gruelling three-year bear market, full of setbacks and uncertainty, they’ve finally been met with a whirlwind of surprises—one after another.
It’s been quite the ride so far, and to make sense of it all, let’s take a look back and recap what exactly has happened at the beginning of 2024.
**Chain networks with fresh, community-driven concepts like this are definitely worth keeping an eye on.**This particular project takes inspiration from the Inscription Season, where the community has full control over minting tokens—putting power directly into the hands of users.
What really makes this chain stand out is its fee structure: instead of using $ETH like most Ethereum Layer 2 networks, this one uses $USDC as its native gas token.That’s a pretty unique approach, especially for those who want stable, predictable transaction costs.
The project—ZKFair—has also been giving out rewards to participants in the Zero Knowledge (ZK) ecosystem, including contributors to chains like zkSync, Scroll, zkSpace, and Linea.Notably, Polygon zkEVM contributors received a larger token allocation—a nice bonus for those who were active there.
Lumoz participants also earned rewards via a Loyalty Point system, which converted into $ZKF token allocations.
ZKFair tokens are available on two networks: Ethereum and ZKFair’s native chain.If you’re using CEXs like BingX or Bitget, you can deposit directly via the ZKF network. But if you’re using Bybit, note that deposits go through the Ethereum network instead.
Once you've claimed your rewards, you can also choose to stake your $ZKF tokens. Staking will earn you Stake Points, which are rumoured to offer hidden benefits in the future.
Interested in staking or learning more about ZKFair?You can check it out here:
One of the biggest highlights of January came from none other than Manta.After spending the second half of last year rolling out various community campaigns like MantaFest: Dawn, Manta Treasure Cruise, and MantaTakeOver, Manta Pacific finally launched its long-awaited token listing—and the crypto community was absolutely thrilled.
Why? Because everyone who participated in these campaigns received special rewards.
You could check your point eligibility right here:
https://airdrop.manta.network/
Surprisingly, just by having your wallet address verified via Trustalabs (TrustaMediaScore), you were already considered eligible to claim $MANTA token rewards.
But it didn’t stop there—users holding zkSBTs (zero-knowledge Soulbound Tokens) were also rewarded, often receiving even more tokens, ranging from 40 to 91 $MANTA.
Manta split the $MANTA claim process into two major events:
Into The Blue
New Paradigm
In the “Into The Blue” phase, contributors received both $MANTA tokens and exclusive Manta NFTs. There were five different NFTs available—and if you managed to collect all five, you could combine them into a special edition NFT: the Manta Stingray. At one point, this unique NFT sold for as high as 1.5 ETH (around $3,500 USD)!
As for the second phase, "New Paradigm", it was scheduled to open around March—bringing even more opportunities for the community.
The $MANTA token is now listed on major centralised exchanges like KuCoin, MEXC, Bybit, and even Binance.On top of that, if you're using Manta’s Ethereum-based network, you can directly deposit your tokens to Binance—super convenient.
**XAI is the first-ever Layer 3 in the Arbitrum ecosystem.**Wait—Layer 3? Yep, you read that right. While still in its early stages of development, Layer 3 is being introduced as a potential solution to some of the limitations faced by existing Layer 2s.
That said, Layer 3 is currently being developed specifically within the Ethereum network, and XAI is leading the charge by focusing on a big narrative for 2024: blockchain gaming and mass adoption.
One of the most exciting things about XAI is that it enables open in-game item trading—without the need for a crypto wallet. This alone could be a game changer for onboarding mainstream gamers into Web3. But what really sets XAI apart is the fact that it’s building on Layer 3 tech, which is still very new and full of potential.
Back in 2023, the Arbitrum community was thrilled with the launch of the $ARB token. Fast forward to 2024, and now they’ve got another reason to celebrate: the launch of $XAI.
Why’s that such a big deal?Because participants in the XAI testnet were rewarded handsomely—somewhere between $2,000 and $10,000 worth of $XAI tokens, depending on their level of involvement.
The token has already been listed on major exchanges like Bybit and Binance, making it accessible for both seasoned and new investors.
Curious to learn more about XAI and dive deeper into the project?You can check it out right here:
https://sentry.xai.games/#/claim-token
AltLayer is a decentralised protocol that offers scalable solutions for Web3 using restaked rollups powered by both the OP Stack and ZK Rollup stacks.And earlier this year, they finally launched their long-awaited token: $ALT—a moment that had crypto enthusiasts buzzing with excitement, especially the early contributors who had been patiently waiting for over a year.
AltLayer made headlines by distributing a massive ₨1.5 trillion worth of $ALT tokens to its contributors, primarily through their Galxe campaign, which rewarded users who participated in testnet tasks. If you were lucky enough to own the AltLayer OG NFT, you likely received even more generous rewards.
During the testnet phase, contributors were rewarded with 200 to 900 $ALT tokens, which at the time translated to roughly $70 to $300 USD on mainnet.
What’s even more exciting is that AltLayer was also featured in Binance Launchpool, giving it even more credibility. On top of that, $ALT is now listed on major centralised exchanges like Bybit and MEXC, making it easier than ever to trade.
If you were one of the contributors, don’t forget—you’ll need to claim your rewards manually.
You can check everything out below:
Let’s wrap things up with something pretty exciting—MagicSquare.**You might remember this one as one of the Web3 projects that people had high hopes for. It introduced a pretty cool idea: a crypto app store where users can browse all sorts of apps—DeFi, NFT marketplaces, launchpads, Web3 tools, DEXs—you name it.
What makes it even better? You can see real reviews and ratings from the community, so you’ll know which apps are worth your time and which ones… maybe not so much. It’s the kind of platform that makes Web3 a lot more user-friendly, especially for people who are just getting started.
After running several community campaigns like Zealy (and a bunch of others), MagicSquare finally dropped some big news: the launch of their very own token, $SQR.If you were an early contributor—active in the MagicStore app or involved in those campaigns—you might’ve gotten rewarded. Some people even earned rewards worth hundreds of dollars.
But here’s the catch: to actually claim the tokens, contributors had to complete Gitcoin Passport verification—a way to confirm that real humans (not bots) were involved.
Now, $SQR is officially listed on Bybit and several other major exchanges.Funny enough, even though MagicSquare received funding from Binance Labs, the token hasn’t been listed on Binance yet (at least not as of the time I’m writing this).That said, the lack of a Binance listing doesn’t seem to be holding the token back much in terms of performance.
Feel free to check it out for yourself here: