Cardano’s privacy sidechain Midnight steps into live trading today as its native token, NIGHT, begins rolling out across major exchanges. The launch starts on Binance’s Alpha platform and KuCoin’s spot market, with several other centralized exchanges joining on Dec. 9.
Cardano’s Hoskinson Hints at Launch After Binance Alpha Announcement
On Dec. 8, Binance Wallet confirmed that Binance Alpha will be the first platform to feature Midnight’s NIGHT token on Dec. 9. The team described the move as an Alpha-stage listing with an airdrop for eligible users.
Binance Alpha operates inside Binance Wallet as a discovery and education layer for early-stage tokens. It gives users access to assets before any potential listing on Binance’s main spot or derivatives markets. Binance has not announced a spot or futures listing for NIGHT on the core exchange.
Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson reacted to the rollout with a post directing followers to the Midnight launch page, signaling that he sees the exchange integrations as a key milestone for Cardano’s privacy stack.
Binance Alpha Offers Airdrop Through Points System
Alongside trading, Binance Alpha is running a points-based airdrop for NIGHT. According to Alpha event details shared through regional aggregators, users holding at least 230 Alpha Points can claim 600 NIGHT when trading starts at 17:00 (UTC+8) on Dec. 9.
The points threshold declines automatically during the event, dropping by 10 points every five minutes while the airdrop is live. Claiming consumes 15 Alpha Points, and users must confirm within 24 hours on the Alpha activity page or forfeit the allocation.
This design turns Binance Alpha into both a pre-listing venue and an airdrop funnel, channeling existing Binance Wallet users into Midnight’s token distribution without using a traditional launchpad format.
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KuCoin, Bybit, OKX, Gate.io and Others Join NIGHT Token Launch
NIGHT’s rollout extends well beyond Binance. KuCoin calls its listing a “world premiere,” opening deposits on the Cardano network immediately and running a call auction from 9:00 to 10:00 UTC, with NIGHT/USDT spot trading live from 10:00 UTC on Dec. 9. Withdrawals open the next day at 8:00 UTC.
KuCoin also launched a separate listing campaign with a 2.5 million NIGHT rewards pool and a GemPool farming program that allocates 12 million NIGHT to users who stake KCS, USD1, or NIGHT between December 9 and 16. Bybit, OKX, Gate.io, HTX and MEXC have also confirmed parallel listings.
OKX is also running a “Flash Earn” campaign, offering access to multiple prize pools that together distribute 400 million NIGHT as a combination of new-coin airdrops and yield rewards, plus an additional “Christmas Surprise” pool of 20 million NIGHT for longer-term participants.
Market reaction has been immediate. After Binance confirmed the Midnight listing via Alpha, Cardano’s ADA price rose about 4% and traded around $0.43–$0.44,
Over the last 24 hours, ADA has traded between roughly $0.42 and $0.45, with a market capitalization near $16 billion.
