ByteNext's BNU token airdrop in 2023 handed out 25,000 tokens to 1,000 lucky winners. Each received exactly 25 tokens. But today, those tokens are practically worthless. Let's unpack what happened during the campaign and why BNU has lost all market value.
What Was the ByteNext Airdrop?
ByteNext is a project that built the AvatarArt NFT marketplace on Binance Smart Chain. The airdrop ran from July 3 to July 8, 2023, using CoinMarketCap as the official platform. Winners were announced on July 15, and tokens were distributed on July 30. This was a one-time event-ByteNext has never run another airdrop since.
How Did the Airdrop Work?
Participating required five specific steps. First, users had to add BNU to their CoinMarketCap watchlist via the official token page. Then, they needed to follow both ByteNext Twitter accounts: @Bytenextio and @zeusc_ventures. Next, joining the official Telegram group (t.me/ByteNextOfficial) and its announcement channel (t.me/ByteNextAnnouncement) was mandatory. Participants also had to retweet the campaign post while tagging at least five followers. Finally, they needed a Binance Smart Chain (BSC) wallet address for receiving tokens. Only those who completed all steps entered the random selection process.
What Could BNU Tokens Do?
The BNU token wasn't just a giveaway-it had real utility. Within the AvatarArt NFT marketplace, it served as the main payment method for transaction fees. Artists could use BNU to buy advertising space in virtual 3D exhibitions. The token also enabled staking and farming, allowing users to earn rewards by locking NFTs in liquidity pools. Holders could vote on which artworks to feature and had governance rights to influence platform decisions. All of this ran on Binance Smart Chain, making BNU a core part of the ecosystem.
Current Market Status: Why BNU Is Worthless
Today, BNU has almost no value. According to CoinGecko, trading stopped on all exchanges 15 days before this article was written. The 24-hour trading volume is just $4.84. Coinbase reports a price of $0.000603 per token, down 18.58% from its all-time high of $0.000741. Binance shows zero trading volume, meaning no activity on their platform. The total market cap is $120,584 based on 200 million tokens in circulation. Year-over-year performance shows a 51.03% decrease from $0.0012 to current levels. Monthly performance declined 3.06% from $0.000622. Weekly and daily performance remained flat at 0.00% change, suggesting complete market stagnation.
| Exchange | Price per BNU | 24h Volume |
|---|---|---|
| CoinGecko | $0.000540 | $4.84 |
| Coinbase | $0.000603 | $6.36 |
| Binance | N/A | $0 |
Why Did ByteNext Fail?
The project's downfall started with the airdrop. While it built initial community interest, ByteNext never delivered on its promises. The AvatarArt NFT marketplace never gained traction. No major artists joined, and the platform saw minimal usage. Without active users or trading, the BNU token lost all utility. Project updates stopped on social media. GitHub shows no recent commits. Even the official website (bytenext.io) is barely updated. In short, ByteNext ran out of steam and left its community behind.
Frequently Asked Questions
Was the ByteNext airdrop a scam?
No, the airdrop itself was legitimate-it followed CoinMarketCap's process and distributed tokens as promised. However, the project behind BNU failed to deliver a functional NFT marketplace. So while the airdrop wasn't a scam, the token's value collapsed because the underlying platform never took off. Always research projects before participating in airdrops.
Can I still claim BNU tokens from the airdrop?
No. The airdrop campaign ended on July 30, 2023, when all tokens were distributed. There's no way to claim more tokens now. If you didn't win during the original campaign, you won't get any tokens from ByteNext.
Is BNU still tradable anywhere?
No. BNU stopped trading on all exchanges 15 days before this article was written. CoinGecko and Coinbase show minimal volume, but you can't actually buy or sell BNU. Binance lists zero volume. The token has no liquidity-meaning there's no market to trade it.
What happened to the AvatarArt NFT marketplace?
The platform never launched properly. ByteNext announced AvatarArt as a decentralized NFT marketplace for artists, but it never gained real users or artists. There are no active listings, no verified collections, and no recent updates. The project's GitHub and social media show no activity for months. It's effectively dead.
Should I buy BNU tokens now?
Absolutely not. With no trading activity and no platform to support the token, BNU has no value. Buying it now would be like buying worthless paper. Always check a project's current status before investing in tokens. If there's no active development or community, avoid it.
Can I still use BNU tokens on the AvatarArt platform?
There is no functional AvatarArt platform to use BNU tokens on. The marketplace never launched properly, so even if you hold tokens, there's nowhere to spend them. The project's website and social channels haven't provided updates for months, confirming the platform is inactive.
Did ByteNext ever release a whitepaper?
Yes, ByteNext published a whitepaper outlining the AvatarArt NFT marketplace concept. However, the whitepaper's promises never materialized. No functional marketplace was built, and the project failed to deliver on key features like staking, voting, or artist tools. The whitepaper remains a historical document with no current relevance.
Are there any legal issues with ByteNext?
There are no public reports of legal issues. However, the project's lack of transparency and failure to deliver on promises raises concerns. Many in the crypto community view it as a "rug pull" in practice, even if no fraud was proven. Always verify project legitimacy before participating in token distributions.
