The Mechanics of the Airdrop Optimism’s decentralized governance announced the distribution of all unclaimed OP tokens from its initial airdrop directly to eligible addresses. This decision came as part of Optimism’s long-term vision to improve the Layer 2 network on Ethereum. By doing this, the core development teams can now concentrate on enhancing smart contract functionalities and planning future airdrops.

The Numbers and Impact The latest token distribution took place on September 15, lasting nearly 12 hours. A staggering 48 million OP tokens were distributed to over 88,000 unique addresses. In financial terms, this translates to an impressive $66.7 million in dormant accounts qualified for the initial airdrop.

Recent Developments Alongside the airdrop, Optimism has made significant strides by integrating USD Coin (USDC), the second-largest stablecoin, into its ecosystem. This integration is part of Optimism’s ongoing efforts to expand and solidify its market presence.

Be Cautious of Scam Airdrops Despite the successful distribution, it’s crucial to be vigilant about scam attempts mimicking Optimism’s airdrop. Scammers have already begun creating fake accounts and spreading false information about new airdrops. Always verify announcements through official Optimism channels to avoid falling victim to scams.

Closing Thoughts While the airdrop has concluded, its impact on Optimism’s roadmap is far-reaching. With over $2.5 billion locked in various decentralized applications (dApps), Optimism is responsible for a sizable 25% of Ethereum’s Layer 2 ecosystem.

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Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies as payment methods are gaining wider acceptance in the travel industry. Travel booking website Travala.com accepts over 30 types of cryptocurrencies for products and services on its website. It has recently become the first merchant to integrate with Binance’s payment technology Binance Pay. In addition, using Travala, users can also book over 700,000 hotels from Expedia Group.

However, the use of crypto for payments among airlines is still not widespread. Apart from airBaltic, LOT Polish Airlines also accepts payments in Bitcoin since 2015. Norwegian Air also revealed in 2020 that the crypto trading platform Norwegian Block Exchange (NBX) developed a payment infrastructure to allow airline customers to pay with digital currencies.

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Institutional adoption of cryptocurrency has increased over the past months. Last month, payment network Mastercard also announced that it would offer support for crypto for payments on its network in 2021. In a blog post, the head of digital payment products Raj Dhamodharan suggested that stablecoins would be brought onto the network. In particular, that is because they meet compliance requirements and other regulations.

Moreover, PayPal allowed its users to hold, buy, and sell cryptocurrencies in October last year. The company is now looking into expanding its crypto reach having launched a new business unit.

Just last week, automaker Tesla has announced the introduction of Bitcoin as a payment method for customers based in the U.S. Moreover, CEO Elon Musk suggested introducing Bitcoin support for international customers later. Luxury hotel group The Kessler Collection also announced accepting crypto this month, thanks to a partnership with BitPay.

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