Matter Labs, the developer behind Ethereum’s zkSync layer 2 network, has refuted allegations of “insider minting” concerning the Libertas Omnibus non-fungible tokens (NFTs). On June 26, they stated that all NFTs were minted in accordance with official guidelines, contrary to claims made in a June 17 post by blockchain researcher soEasy.
SoEasy had accused the team of distributing Libertas Omnibus NFTs to friends of team members who did not meet eligibility criteria, alleging that this insider minting allowed recipients to mint ZK tokens without meeting airdrop requirements. Matter Labs responded on June 26 to Cointelegraph, asserting that there were no unauthorized mints.
According to the Matter Labs representative, several methods were available for users to mint Libertas Omnibus NFTs. Eligible groups included those interacting with the top 100 zkSync NFTs and event attendees who scanned a QR code at their booth.
Regarding eligibility for the ZK token airdrop, Matter Labs clarified that mere ownership of Libertas Omnibus did not automatically qualify holders. Allocation for the airdrop was determined based on multiple factors such as bridged fund amounts on ZKsync Era and bonus multipliers. Employees of the development team were explicitly excluded from receiving the airdrop.
The Libertas Omnibus NFT mint was initially launched as a trial in July 2023, with an announced “Open Mint” for eligible users, defined as those engaging with the top 100+ zkSync NFT collections by July 12. The open mint concluded in January, according to the June 26 statement from Matter Labs.
On June 17, zkSync initiated an airdrop for its ZK token, with eligibility determined by criteria including “eligibility points,” Time-weighted Average Balance (TWAB), and multipliers. Holding a Libertas Omnibus NFT granted one eligibility point, with additional points obtainable through liquidity provision and other activities, totaling up to seven points per address meeting all criteria.
SoEasy, in their June 17 claims, alleged discovering widespread abuse in the zkSync airdrop, citing two groups of “insider” addresses labeled A and B. Group A allegedly used contract privileges to mint NFTs without fulfilling criteria, while Group B utilized functions like “batchMint” and “safeMint” to distribute NFTs to various addresses.
Group B1 addresses purportedly sold NFTs for profit, with 412,738 ZK tokens distributed to them, while Group B2 addresses received 43 million ZK tokens, according to soEasy’s findings. They accused zkSync of circumventing token vesting periods through the Libertas Omnibus mint.
Cointelegraph’s investigation into transaction data showed Group A using the “qrFreeMint” function, Group B1 using “safeMint,” and Group B2 using “batchMint” to distribute NFTs, allegedly benefiting insiders.
Matter Labs maintained that all Libertas Omnibus NFTs were distributed according to established criteria, denying accusations of improper minting. They reiterated that holding Libertas Omnibus did not independently qualify anyone for the ZK token airdrop.
Regarding the allegations, Matter Labs stated that the minting process adhered to guidelines, which included distributing NFTs to event attendees. SoEasy did not respond to Cointelegraph’s request for comment by publication.
In addition to the Libertas Omnibus controversy, the zkSync airdrop faced criticism for alleged insufficient Sybil filtering, which the team defended as necessary to avoid excluding legitimate users.