Hello @Amil_Gaoul ,
While Astar Degens originated as an NFT-focused community, our role goes beyond internal engagement. We act as an onboarding layer for new users entering the ecosystem, particularly those who do not start with DeFi. Through events, campaigns, and gamified participation, we help create long-term user retention and gradually guide users toward broader Astar products.
Regarding reward distribution, our model is intentionally designed to circulate ASTR within an active and committed user base. By redistributing staking rewards, we incentivize holding, participation, and alignment with the network, rather than short-term capital movement.
We run regular campaigns to reach new community members like our actual campaign:
We are always open to feedback on this approach and understand that it may create perceived conflicts within the Tokenomics 3.0 framework. Yet it is important to stress that this model is implemented with no bad intent, but rather with the goal of strengthening long-term engagement. This supports sustained participation rather than extraction.
On-chain activity may appear limited when viewed purely through a DeFi lens, but important context is missing. With the closure of tofunft & bluez NFT-marketplaces, the ecosystem was left without a functioning marketplace layer. In response, we stepped in to build our own marketplace solution with a new version soon to be released designed not only for Astar Degens but as open infrastructure that other projects on Astar, and potentially Soneium, can also use. In parallel, we are introducing NFT staking and have adjusted our reward structure so that only staked NFTs will receive rewards, explicitly aiming to incentivize active participation rather than passive holding. In addition we will move from an off-chain voting to an on-chain voting to increase onchain presence. We remain convinced this approach strengthens user engagement. This is also reflected in our position among the top dApps in Astar dApp Staking, with over 174 stakers supporting our project. Additionally, we place strong emphasis on transparency, regularly publishing detailed reports on our progress. A level of openness that is still uncommon across many dApps.
Beyond our core product, we have actively supported broader ecosystem growth. We participated in the Soneium starting campaign both financially and through visible cross-promotions, helping guide users toward emerging projects such as Sake, Kyo, Astake, Cometswap, Bifrost, and others. We joined the Astar AMAs, created YouTube videos and made a continuous effort to highlight and amplify ecosystem initiatives, not just our own. In the past we also contributed meaningfully to seedround investments across the Astar EVM ecosystem.
On NFT trading volume and social metrics, we acknowledge there is room for improvement. That said, current market conditions have impacted the entire NFT space, and our priority has been maintaining a strong, stable holder base rather than speculative volume. It is also important to clarify that the screenshots referenced do not accurately represent our overall social efforts, as they highlight only two tweets that were retweets from the community rather than original content from the Astar Degens account. Our broader activity reflects more consistent and meaningful engagement, although much of it happens within the community itself. We do, however, recognize the need to further improve our external visibility.
While we are not a DeFi protocol, we believe ecosystems require more than financial infrastructure alone. Community-driven projects like ours contribute to demand, culture, and user stickiness — all of which are essential for long-term growth and a healthy ecosystem.
We respect the governance discussion around dApp Staking slots and agree that impact should be measurable. At the same time, we believe impact should include user acquisition and retention alongside liquidity metrics. We remain committed to improving transparency, expanding utility, and continuing to contribute meaningfully to t
he Astar ecosystem.
Regards,
AstarDegensDAO Council