TLDR:
- Babylon Foundation is airdropping 600 million BABY tokens (6% of total supply) to early supporters
- Largest allocation (335 million) goes to Base Phase-1 Bitcoin stakers
- BABY will serve as the native token for the Babylon Genesis Chain
- Babylon has over 51,900 BTC (worth $4.2+ billion) in staked assets
- The protocol previously raised $70 million in funding led by Paradigm
Bitcoin staking protocol Babylon has unveiled plans for its BABY token, announcing an airdrop of 600 million tokens to early supporters ahead of the launch of its Babylon Genesis network.
The Babylon Foundation revealed on Thursday that it will distribute 6% of the total BABY supply (10 billion tokens) across five reward groups. The vast majority of tokens (585 million) will go to users who have staked Bitcoin with the protocol.
Announcing the details of the Babylon Early Adopters Airdrop. 600M BABY (6% of total supply) will be distributed to Phase 1 stakers, Finality Providers, Pioneer Pass holders, and GitHub contributors. No claim process — just rewards. Full details 👇https://t.co/iXdvFEBJxW 🧵 pic.twitter.com/vslOaNwCXN
— Babylon Foundation (@bbn_foundation) April 3, 2025
The largest allocation, 335 million BABY tokens, is reserved for those who participated in Babylon’s Base Phase-1 staking. This initial staking period took place across multiple instances called “caps.”
The first cap was limited to just 1,000 Bitcoin. This restriction caused a major spike in transaction fees as users rushed to stake their Bitcoin to qualify for the anticipated rewards.
Distribution Plan
Another 200 million BABY tokens are earmarked for users who transition their Phase-1 stakes to Phase-2. The remaining tokens will be split between Pioneer Pass NFT holders (30 million) and GitHub contributors (5 million).
The BABY token was first revealed in February. At that time, users were able to create and register a BABY address and connect it to their Bitcoin staking wallet.
Users who participated in Babylon staking but haven’t registered their address can still do so if they transition their stakes to Phase-2. The Foundation also plans additional social and wallet campaign airdrops for BABY.
When the Babylon Genesis Network launches, users will automatically receive their airdropped tokens. “Tokens will be directly transferred to the registered BABY address upon Babylon Genesis launch,” the Babylon Foundation posted on X. “No claims needed.”
Token Utility
Beyond serving as an economic reward, BABY will function as the native token for transaction fees, governance participation, staking, and security on the Babylon Genesis Chain.
The Babylon Genesis Chain combines Bitcoin’s security with Babylon’s proof-of-stake protocol for what they call a “Bitcoin Secured Network” or BSN. This network uses a dual staking model that integrates both BABY and BTC.
Users can lock up either token to help secure the network. According to a Thursday blog post, “Both Bitcoin stakers and BABY stakers contribute security and receive BABY rewards. This mechanism promotes long-term participation.”
Project Background
Launched in August 2024, Babylon enables Bitcoin holders to deposit their assets and earn rewards by securing other blockchains. The protocol currently has over 51,906 BTC in confirmed user deposits, worth more than $4.2 billion.
In May 2024, Babylon raised $70 million in a funding round led by Paradigm. Hashkey Capital and Polychain Capital also participated in the fundraiser.
This followed an earlier $18 million Series A round. The total allocation plan for BABY includes 15% for community incentives, 18% each for ecosystem building and operations, 3.5% for advisors, 15% for the team, and 30.5% for early private-round investors.
All allocations except community incentives and airdrops will be subject to vesting schedules between three and four years. While Babylon has not confirmed the exact airdrop date, some exchanges including OKX have already launched pre-market futures listings.
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