The MTLX airdrop by Mettalex wasn’t just another token giveaway. It was a carefully planned move to bring real-world commodities trading onto the blockchain - and it targeted only the most engaged crypto users. If you held FET tokens on Binance in 2021, you might’ve gotten free MTLX without lifting a finger. If you were active on Twitter and Telegram, you had a shot too. But this wasn’t a free-for-all. The rules were strict, the timing was tight, and the rewards were limited. Here’s exactly how it happened - and why it mattered.
What Was Mettalex?
Mettalex wasn’t trying to build another DeFi lending platform. It wanted to tokenize commodities - things like oil, wheat, copper, and coffee - and let people trade them like crypto. Think of it as a decentralized futures exchange for physical assets, running 24/7, no banks involved. The platform used position tokens to represent exposure to commodity prices, letting farmers hedge against price drops or traders take leveraged bets. Behind the scenes, it ran on Fetch.ai’s machine learning network, which handled smart market-making and risk modeling automatically. The MTLX token was the engine: used for governance, staking, and cutting trading fees.The Binance FET Holder Airdrop (April-June 2021)
The biggest MTLX airdrop didn’t ask you to tweet or join a Discord. It asked you to hold. From April 13 to June 1, 2021, Mettalex partnered with Binance to distribute MTLX tokens to anyone who held an average of at least 10,000 FET tokens across eight weekly snapshots. That’s not a small number. In early 2021, FET was trading around $0.30, meaning you needed about $3,000 worth of FET just to qualify. By June, FET had spiked past $1.50, so the real value was closer to $15,000. The reward? One MTLX token for every 10,000 FET held on average. No extra steps. No forms. No verification. If you kept the balance in your Binance spot wallet, the tokens were automatically sent to your account after June 1. This wasn’t a marketing stunt - it was a strategic alignment. Fetch.ai and Mettalex shared the same tech backbone, so giving FET holders MTLX made sense: you were already in the ecosystem. This airdrop was designed for serious players. Casual traders didn’t stand a chance. But for those who did, it was a low-effort, high-reward move. Thousands of users qualified, and while the total number of tokens distributed wasn’t public, the scale was clear: this was the backbone of MTLX’s initial supply.The CoinMarketCap Social Airdrop (April-June 2021)
While the Binance airdrop targeted deep-pocketed holders, the CoinMarketCap campaign went after the crowd. Mettalex gave away 700 MTLX tokens to 300 winners - roughly 2.33 tokens each. To enter, you had to do five simple things:- Follow @mettale on Twitter
- Join the official Telegram group: t.me/mettalex_official
- Join the news Telegram channel: t.me/mettalex_official_news
- Retweet a specific post and tag three friends
- Add MTLX to your CoinMarketCap watchlist
The ,000 anyMTLX Airdrop (June 29-July 6, 2021)
Just weeks after the main campaigns ended, Mettalex ran one more. From June 29 to July 6, they distributed $3,000 worth of MTLX tokens to 300 users - again, about $10 per person. This wasn’t tied to FET or CoinMarketCap. Instead, they called it “anyMTLX,” meaning anyone could join, regardless of prior activity. This was a final push. Mettalex had already launched its testnet. The platform was about to open to the public. This airdrop was their way of saying: “We’re here. Try it.” And on July 7, 2021, they posted a tweet calling it “a historic date for Mettalex.” That’s not something you say lightly. They’d hit their first major milestone: a working, tokenized commodities exchange with a real user base.Why These Airdrops Mattered
Most airdrops in 2021 were spammy. You’d get 50 cents worth of a new token for joining a Telegram group. Mettalex’s approach was different. They didn’t just want users - they wanted users who understood commodities, risk, and DeFi. The Binance airdrop filtered for capital commitment. The CoinMarketCap one filtered for engagement. The final $3,000 drop filtered for curiosity. Together, they built a community of traders, hedgers, and investors - not just speculators. It also showed how DeFi projects were evolving. Instead of throwing tokens at everyone, they layered their distribution: high-barrier for core users, low-barrier for community builders. That’s how you build a sustainable ecosystem.
What Happened to MTLX After the Airdrops?
By mid-2021, Mettalex had moved from airdrops to operations. The platform went live, letting users trade tokenized commodities using stablecoins like USDC. Liquidity providers earned yield by supplying trading pairs. Traders could hedge soybean prices or bet on copper futures - all without a broker. MTLX became more than a token. It became a governance tool. Holders voted on new commodity pairs, fee structures, and risk parameters. The platform still runs today, though it never reached the hype of Uniswap or Aave. But it did something rarer: it brought a $2.5 trillion market onto the blockchain - one position token at a time.Could There Be Another MTLX Airdrop?
As of February 2026, there are no announced plans for a new MTLX airdrop. The initial distribution phase ended in July 2021. All tokens were allocated. The project has shifted focus to platform growth, not token giveaways. If you’re holding MTLX now, you’re either a long-term believer or someone who claimed tokens back in 2021. There’s no second chance to get in for free. The airdrops are over - but the platform lives on.Did You Miss Out?
If you didn’t hold FET on Binance in 2021, didn’t follow Mettalex on Twitter, or weren’t checking CoinMarketCap weekly - you missed it. There’s no way back. But here’s the truth: most people who joined those airdrops didn’t stick around. They claimed the tokens, sold them, and moved on. The real winners weren’t the ones who got the most MTLX. They were the ones who stayed. The farmers who used it to hedge wheat prices. The traders who provided liquidity. The community members who helped shape the platform’s direction. The airdrop was just the beginning. The real value wasn’t in the tokens you got - it was in the system you helped build.Did everyone who held FET on Binance get MTLX tokens?
No. Only users who maintained an average balance of at least 10,000 FET across eight weekly snapshots during the April-June 2021 campaign received MTLX. Holding less than that, or dipping below the threshold at any snapshot, meant you were ineligible. The system was automated - no manual claims needed.
Was the MTLX airdrop only for Binance users?
No. There were three separate campaigns. The largest was for Binance FET holders, but there was also a CoinMarketCap social media airdrop open to anyone, and a final $3,000 anyMTLX distribution open to all users regardless of prior involvement.
How many MTLX tokens were distributed in total?
The exact total wasn’t disclosed. However, the Binance FET airdrop alone likely distributed hundreds of thousands of MTLX tokens, given the number of qualifying users. The CoinMarketCap airdrop added 700 tokens, and the final campaign distributed $3,000 worth at 2021 prices - roughly 1,500-2,000 tokens depending on price. Total distribution was likely between 100,000 and 500,000 MTLX.
Can I still claim MTLX tokens from the 2021 airdrops?
No. All airdrop campaigns ended by July 6, 2021. Tokens were distributed automatically to eligible wallets and exchange accounts. There is no ongoing claim portal, and Mettalex has not announced any revival of airdrop programs.
Is MTLX still in use today?
Yes. Mettalex’s decentralized commodities exchange is still operational as of 2026. MTLX remains the native utility token for governance, staking, and fee discounts. Users can trade tokenized commodities like oil, gold, and agricultural products using stablecoins, with liquidity providers earning yield from trading fees.