On May 31, 2024, Aperture Finance dropped 7% of its total APTR token supply to users who actively used its platform. If you were part of that wave - connecting wallets, providing liquidity, sharing content, or referring friends - you could have walked away with hundreds, even thousands, of APTR tokens. But if you missed the deadline or didn’t know how to claim, you’re not alone. Many people still don’t understand how this airdrop worked, what it’s worth now, or whether it’s too late to get involved.
What Is Aperture Finance?
Aperture Finance isn’t another DeFi app that just lets you swap tokens. It’s built around something called Intents. Think of it like a smart assistant for DeFi. Instead of manually setting up trades, liquidity positions, or rebalancing strategies, you tell Aperture what you want - like "I want to earn yield on my ETH/USDC pair without worrying about impermanent loss" - and the system finds the best way to make that happen. It works by connecting users to a network of solvers - automated bots and algorithms - that execute complex DeFi actions on your behalf. Most of this happens on Arbitrum, a fast and cheap Layer 2 network built on Ethereum. That’s why you need to switch your wallet to Arbitrum before claiming your tokens. The platform’s real edge? It’s built for Uniswap V3 liquidity providers. If you’ve ever tried managing range orders, auto-compounding, or limit orders on Uniswap V3, you know how messy it is. Aperture automates all of that. And for users who helped test these tools during the private beta, the rewards were significant.How Was the APTR Airdrop Structured?
The airdrop wasn’t random. It was earned. Aperture used a point system based on four main activities:- Connecting your wallet to Aperture Finance (100 points)
- Providing liquidity on Uniswap V3 through Aperture (up to 5,000 points)
- Referring friends who completed qualifying actions (25% of their airdrop, capped at 16,666 APTR)
- Creating educational content (videos, threads, guides) about Aperture or Uniswap V3 strategies (3,333 APTR per approved piece)
How to Claim Your APTR Tokens
If you think you qualified, here’s exactly how to claim - step by step.- Go to the official Aperture Finance airdrop page: aperture.finance/airdrop
- Connect your wallet (MetaMask, Coinbase Wallet, etc.)
- Make sure your wallet is connected to the Arbitrum network. If you’re on Ethereum Mainnet, you won’t see your tokens.
- Click the "Sign" button to authenticate your identity.
- Once signed, the page will show your eligible APTR balance.
- Click "Claim" and confirm the transaction in your wallet.
What’s APTR Worth Today?
As of January 2026, APTR is trading around $0.022. That’s far below the $0.0720 projections some analysts made for late 2025. But here’s the thing - those predictions were based on hype, not fundamentals. The market didn’t move as fast as expected. Still, APTR has potential. The tokenomics are clean:- 7% - airdrop (100% unlocked)
- 15% - team and advisors (vested over 24 months)
- 20% - ecosystem growth and incentives
- 18% - private sale (vested with cliffs)
- 40% - public sale and liquidity pools
Who Still Has a Chance to Earn APTR?
The main airdrop is over. But Aperture hasn’t stopped rewarding users. The UniV3 Private Beta program is still active. If you’re providing liquidity on Uniswap V3 and want to automate your positions, you can still join. You’ll get access to:- Auto-rebalancing
- Pre-scheduled position closures
- Auto-compounding yield
- Revenue-earning limit orders
Why This Matters Beyond the Airdrop
The real story here isn’t the token price. It’s the idea behind Aperture. Most DeFi apps still treat users like engineers. You need to know what a range order is. You need to understand impermanent loss. You need to calculate fees manually. Aperture flips that. It says: "Tell me what you want. I’ll handle the rest." That’s the future of DeFi - not more dashboards, but more intelligence. If Aperture can scale its solver network, integrate with other DEXs like SushiSwap or Curve, and improve its natural language engine, it could become the default interface for DeFi liquidity. Not everyone will want to manage their own positions. Many just want to earn yield without the stress. That’s why this airdrop wasn’t just a giveaway. It was a recruitment drive for the next generation of DeFi users.What If You Missed the Airdrop?
You can still buy APTR on decentralized exchanges like Uniswap (on Arbitrum) or SushiSwap. But don’t chase it because of hype. Look at the project:- Is the team active on Twitter and Discord?
- Are they shipping updates?
- Is the liquidity stable?
- Are more people using the platform, or just speculating?