Shardeum’s SHM token is finally set to launch after several delays, with airdrop and listing details on the way.
Layer 1 blockchain Shardeum, co-founded by WazirX founder Nischal Shetty, has officially confirmed that its long-awaited token generation event (TGE) will take place on May 5, 2025. The announcement was made via an Apr. 17 post on X, where the team also promised more updates on airdrop plans, token sales, and exchange listings for its native token, SHM.
This launch marks a critical milestone for the project, which has been in development for years and has faced multiple delays since its initial roadmap was revealed.
Shardeum Delayed April Launch Due to Market Conditions
The project had previously scheduled the launch for April 15, but on April 10, the team announced another delay, citing unfavorable market conditions. While the underlying technology was ready, the team believed that waiting would result in a more impactful debut for the SHM token.
“We’ve built a robust product,” the team stated, “but a strategic pause ensures better momentum and visibility when we go live.”
Extensive Testnets Helped Shape Shardeum’s Ecosystem
Before finalizing its mainnet, Shardeum rolled out several testnets, including Liberty, Sphinx, and the incentivized Atomium network. These environments helped developers stress-test the platform’s performance and scalability while fostering early community engagement.
According to the team, the Atomium testnet saw record-breaking participation, with over 171,000 validators and more than 81 million transactions processed. These results demonstrated Shardeum’s high throughput and decentralization potential.
Internal Challenges Didn’t Stop Development Progress
Despite strong technical progress, Shardeum’s journey hasn’t been without internal setbacks. Over the past year, more than a dozen employees, including key team members from community and business departments, departed the project. This was first reported by The Economic Times.
However, Shardeum insists that its leadership is now more aligned than ever. The recent appointment of Srinivasan Parthasarathy as CTO is part of a broader push to strengthen the organization’s technology leadership.
Three-Phase Airdrop to Reward Early Contributors
To thank its early supporters, Shardeum will conduct a three-phase airdrop campaign. In the first phase, more than 3.6 million SHM tokens will be distributed to contributors who supported development, community engagement, and validation efforts.
Subsequent airdrop rounds will reward participants from the Atomium incentivized testnet and the mainnet launch campaign. The team emphasized that its airdrop is designed to reward genuine contribution and participation, not passive speculation.
SHM Token Use Cases and Economic Model
The SHM token will serve several key functions within the Shardeum ecosystem. It will be used for gas fees, staking, and network governance. To align with deflationary economics, Shardeum has confirmed that all transaction fees will be burned.
The token’s total supply is capped at 508 million, with over 50% allocated to the community — underscoring Shardeum’s long-term commitment to decentralized growth.
As excitement builds toward the May 5 launch, investors and community members alike are watching closely to see how Shardeum navigates its mainnet debut and token rollout.
