Bybit's highly anticipated PAWS airdrop faced unexpected issues just as the Solana-based meme coin was gearing up for its official launch on April 16, 2025.

The airdrop was initially intended to reward early community engagement through the viral Telegram mini-app but ended up causing confusion within the crypto community. Reports emerged on April 15 that some Bybit users had received PAWS tokens in their accounts ahead of the listing, with some users getting more tokens than expected and others receiving none despite meeting eligibility criteria.

Bybit later announced the reversal of all PAWS airdrop allocations due to distribution errors. The exchange assured users that the tokens were not lost but would be redistributed through a fairer process. European regulations restricting eligibility for users in the European Economic Area also contributed to the inconsistencies in token distribution.

Despite the temporary disappearance of balances, Bybit promised to rectify the allocations before the PAWS/USDT trading pair went live. The PAWS airdrop, involving 62.5 billion tokens, was one of the largest community distributions, rewarding early adopters of the Telegram mini-app and participants in referral and social tasks campaigns.

There were frustrations among users who reported not seeing token values in their wallets until after the official listing, leading to complaints and accusations against Bybit. The project attracted scammers, prompting security warnings and reminders for users to verify their status through official channels.

Recent updates from PAWS Labs indicate that claims on centralized exchanges are accurate, paving the way for the upcoming PAWS listing and its potential impact on the token's price.