When reading announcements about new projects, you’ll often come across the abbreviation TGE. Many key details revolve around this point in time, including when an airdrop starts, when the team’s tokens unlock, and the initial circulating supply.

$ARB ’s TGE took place on March 16, 2023. The team’s and investors’ allocations have been locked for one year starting from that date. Currently 0.1805 (24h -1.31%).

📌 What is TGE?

TGE stands for Token Generation Event. It refers to the point when tokens are first generated on-chain and begin to be distributed to different parties.

Before the TGE, the team, investors, and community often hold only “paper allocations.” After the TGE, these allocations become real on-chain assets and are gradually released according to their respective rules.

📌 Why it matters

Many projects’ token unlock schedules are calculated from the TGE date. For example, Arbitrum’s TGE was on March 16, 2023. The team and investor allocations were locked for one year from that date, with the first unlock in March 2024, followed by monthly releases.

The tokens that can circulate on the TGE date are called the initial circulating supply. The lower the initial circulating supply, the more tokens will be unlocked later, which affects the pace of supply after listing.

📌 TGE doesn’t mean trading has started

The TGE and the start of trading don’t necessarily happen on the same day. Some tokens aren’t listed for trading until a while after the TGE; others can’t be transferred for a period after they’re created, until the project enables transfers.

So when you see “TGE,” it’s best to check when the tokens can be transferred, when they can be traded, and how much is in the initial circulating supply.

📌 Things to watch out for

Be especially cautious of promotions like “buy an allocation before the TGE” or “private presale”—many are scams impersonating the project team. Legitimate sales and airdrops are announced through official channels, and the team won’t contact you privately out of the blue.

TGE dates may occasionally be postponed or changed, and information compiled by third parties may be outdated. Always refer to the project’s official announcements.

📌 A final note

Looking at the TGE, initial circulating supply, and unlock schedule together can give you a good idea of how a new token’s supply will change after listing. If you’re unfamiliar with something, stay away—or start by trying it with a small amount.

If you know someone who’s new to this, feel free to share this with them.

Make your own decisions when buying or selling—don’t follow the crowd.