Is there a Decibel airdrop?
Not in name, but a token is planned and points feed into it. Decibel's site says: "Yes. Decibel will launch a token to support governance, trading features, and long-term ecosystem growth." Its roadmap lists "Decibel token launch expected" under Q4 2026 and beyond, with no date.
The link to its points, called Amps, is in the docs: "Amps are a primary input Decibel uses when evaluating token distribution at TGE". They add that "a significant portion of supply" is "expected to be allocated to Season 0 and Season 1 participants". The docs never use the word airdrop.
The terms are much stricter. They say Points "cannot be redeemed for fiat currency, cryptocurrency, or any cash equivalent" and that no link to rewards shall "create any obligation on the part of Company". The wording has softened too: February's X article said Amps "determine allocation", while the docs now offer "priority consideration". Treat Amps as a possible reward, not a balance.
Warning No DCBL contract is published, so any DCBL token, claim page or presale offered today is unofficial. Decibel says it "will never ask for your seed phrase, private key, or a payment in exchange for affiliate status."
What Decibel is
Decibel describes itself plainly: "Decibel is a perpetual futures and spot exchange where every order is placed, matched, and settled on-chain." It runs on Aptos and offers "Perps with up to 50x leverage and cross-margin by default", across crypto, equity, ETF, index and commodity markets. You fund it with USDC from Ethereum, Arbitrum, Base, Solana, Sui or Aptos.
The testnet opened in December 2025 and mainnet followed in late February 2026, after a pre-deposit round. CoinDesk reported that "more than $58 million was committed" through it. Perps and spot are both live now.
Don't mix up the names. DCBL is the planned token. usDCBL is a separate stablecoin used inside the protocol, and it has no secondary market.
How Decibel Amps work
Season 0 was the pre-deposit round, and it "concluded on February 24", so new users can't join it. Season 1 started with mainnet and has no published end date. Amps accrue daily with no claim step, from four pools:
- Trading: scored on activity, not just size. The multiplier peaks at moderate leverage, longer holds score better, and less liquid markets earn a bonus.
- Streaks: "Daily trading streaks unlock progressive bonuses that compound over time".
- DLP vault: "Amps scale with both the amount committed and how long it stays in the DLP Vault." Deposits have a 72-hour lockup.
- Referrals: "You receive 10% of the Amps earned by the traders you refer". Your code only appears once your all-time volume reaches $25,000.
Decibel keeps the maths private: "Exact scoring formulas are deliberately undisclosed to prevent reverse-engineering and gaming." No conversion rate, snapshot date or allocation is published.
Campaigns are separate and pay stablecoins, not Amps. These were live on 1 November:
- First Trade on Us: deposit $250 to $5,000 USDC and pick a lock of 1, 4 or 7 days. Decibel opens one sponsored 2-minute BTC position. You keep a profit, and a loss isn't deducted. The money stays tradable but can't be withdrawn until the lock ends. "Limit one (1) trial credit per wallet address."
- Liquidation Rebate: "50% of your liquidated margin, up to $500 per account", paid per cycle. You must redeposit and trade first. The current cycle ends on 15 November.
- Maker and Builder Rebates: aimed at market makers and app builders.
The docs say: "No upcoming campaigns at this time." The separate rules page for First Trade on Us didn't load for us, so read it before you deposit.
Decibel airdrop step-by-step guide
Decibel promises no airdrop. These steps put you in Amps Season 1, the program its token plans point to.
- Check that you're eligible (see below). You must be 18, and the terms bar US and Ontario residents.
- Open app.decibel.trade from decibel.trade, and connect an EVM, Solana, Sui or Aptos wallet, or sign in with email, Google or Apple.
Warning A Telegram group titled as official isn't linked from Decibel's site or docs. Stick to its X account and Discord, and never enter a seed phrase.
- If a friend gave you a referral code, add it now. Once you start, it's too late: "an account that has already deposited or traded can no longer bind a code". It's optional, and it gives you no fee discount.
- Click Deposit and pick the chain your USDC is on. Decibel bridges it for you.
- Trade perps or spot, or put USDC in the DLP vault. Amps accrue daily and show on the points dashboard.
Warning Leverage can wipe out your margin. Decibel's scoring favours moderate leverage and longer holds, so there is no reason to max it out for points.
- Open the rewards page now and then. Campaign rewards need a claim and they expire, and Decibel doesn't have to remind you.
Open Decibel PointsOpens app.decibel.trade
Decibel airdrop costs and fees
There is no entry fee, but no free route to Amps either. All four pools need trading, a deposit or referrals. Starting fees are 0.045% taker and 0.015% maker on perps, and 0.070% and 0.040% on spot. By our arithmetic, $25,000 of perps volume as a taker costs about $11.25 at that rate. Funding payments, liquidation costs and any fee added by a third-party app come on top.
Decibel lists "No protocol fees on deposits or withdrawals" and sponsors Aptos gas, though the terms let it change fees and stop sponsoring gas. "There is currently no referral-based fee discount".
Decibel airdrop risks and eligibility
- Excluded: residents of the United States or Ontario, plus sanctioned places "including, without limitation, Cuba, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the Crimea, Donetsk, and Luhansk regions, Iran, or Syria". The list is open-ended.
- The app's code also blocks Panama, Sudan, South Sudan and US territories, which the terms don't name. If you're blocked later, you risk your Points.
- VPNs used to get around the rules are banned. There is no routine KYC, but Decibel "may require you to complete any screening and verification processes".
- Points can change at any time: Decibel may "adjust, recalculate, or reset any Points balance at any time and for any reason". They aren't stored on-chain, so Decibel holds the only record.
- Don't run several wallets. Decibel says "Behavior analysis, device signals, and network graphs are used to identify and disqualify non-organic activity", and the terms let it void your Points.
- Your balance isn't guaranteed. Deposits are pooled as USDC and usDCBL, and the terms warn that "the value you are actually able to receive may be less than the balance reflected on the Platform".
- Any token reward may arrive differently. The terms allow "cash, USDC, or USDT in lieu of delivering Tokens", and "significant restrictions on the transferability" of DCBL.
- Trading can cost you everything: "Trading perpetual contracts and engaging with DeFi protocols involves significant risk, including the potential loss of all funds." The DLP vault absorbs liquidations, so it can lose money as well.
- Recourse is limited: disputes go to arbitration in Panama, and liability is capped at a low figure, with limited exceptions.
Who is behind Decibel?
Decibel's blog says: "Aptos Labs developed Decibel in collaboration with the Decibel Foundation." The terms name a different operator, "Amplify Labs Inc.", while the privacy notice names the Foundation. No page gives an address or says how the two relate, and the terms use Panamanian law. The one named person is Brylee Whatley, Head of the Decibel Foundation.
We found no venture round or named investor. The pre-deposits were user money, not funding. Five OtterSec audits are published, with 96 findings, 3 of them high. Each report marks its listed vulnerabilities as resolved.
Sources
- Decibel Decibel
- Amps: Season 1 Decibel Docs
- Rewards Programs Decibel Docs
- Referral Program Decibel Docs
- Live Campaigns Decibel Docs
- Upcoming Campaigns Decibel Docs
- Rewards FAQ Decibel Docs
- Overview for traders Decibel Docs
- Fees Decibel Docs
- DLP Vault Decibel Docs
- Audits Decibel Docs
- Terms of Service Decibel,
- Privacy Notice Decibel,
- The Decibel Points Program Is Here Decibel on X,
- Decibel launches fully onchain perpetuals exchange on Aptos Mainnet Chainwire,
- Perpetuals exchange Decibel goes live on Aptos following $50 million in pre-deposits CoinDesk (Wayback copy),
- Decibel: the new sound of trading Decibel blog (Wayback copy)
This guide explains how the program works. It isn't financial advice, and no airdrop is guaranteed. Check Decibel's official channels before you connect a wallet or deposit funds.
