Drift Foundation, an entity overseeing the Solana-based decentralized exchange protocol for trading crypto perpetual futures, has launched its DRIFT token and opened airdrop claims.

The airdrop consists of 120 million tokens, or 12% of DRIFT’s total supply of 1 billion, Drift Foundation said Thursday. This includes a 2% bonus, or 20 million tokens — more than what Drift initially allocated for an airdrop last month.

Drift is "probably the first protocol" to include a bonus component in its airdrop, co-founder Cindy Leow told The Block. The aim is to "disincentivize early selling" and avoid network congestion on Solana, Leow said.

"Historically, airdrop claims have caused network congestion, resulting in a suboptimal user experience as tens of thousands of users and bots rush to claim …