# NFT Related Articles

HTX News Center provides the latest articles and in-depth analysis on "NFT", covering market trends, project updates, tech developments, and regulatory policies in the crypto industry.

Market Watch: First Cooling of On-chain Pokemon Card Packs, Are Speculative Funds Turning to Memecoins?

Market Observation: On-chain Pokemon card packs (or 'gacha') experience their first monthly decline since February, with July transaction volume dropping to $290.3 million from June's record $354.8 million. Concurrently, trading volumes on Memecoin platforms like Pump.fun increased. This suggests speculative crypto capital may be rotating; as Memecoin activity recovers, some gacha players might reallocate funds and attention. Notably, Courtyard, likely the platform with the least crypto-native user base, hit a record high of $85.3 million in July, indicating robust genuine collector demand persists separate from speculative trends. While top platforms Collector Crypt, Monster, Phygitals, and Beezie saw declines, the secondary market for trading cards remained near its all-time high. The July dip appears more as a natural correction—potentially amplified by the Memecoin resurgence—rather than a broader slowdown in the card market. Meanwhile, broader crypto market volatility and correlations continue to decline, signaling a calmer, more fragmented trading environment. The final missing piece for a potential new bull market cycle is a sustained rise in BTC's price.

marsbit08/10 06:06

Market Watch: First Cooling of On-chain Pokemon Card Packs, Are Speculative Funds Turning to Memecoins?

marsbit08/10 06:06

Wave of Cleansing in the Cryptocurrency Sector Gains Momentum: Over 100 Crypto Projects Expected to Close by 2026!

A wave of consolidation is sweeping the cryptocurrency sector in 2026, leading to the closure of over 100 projects. Market volatility, tightened funding conditions, and a significant drop in altcoin values (70-90%) have severely weakened projects' financial stability. This cleanup spans across exchanges, wallet providers, DeFi lending protocols, NFT marketplaces, and Layer-1 blockchains, with a notable acceleration in capital outflows. Key pressures include investor selectivity, reduced new capital inflows, and rising costs associated with cybersecurity attacks. These conditions are accelerating the shutdown of projects lacking real user bases, sustainable revenue models, or developed product infrastructure. Experts compare this phase to the consolidation after the dot-com bubble, predicting that only financially resilient projects with tangible use cases will emerge stronger. Analysts believe project closures and mergers may continue until market conditions improve, marking the sector's transition from rapid growth to a more selective and competitive phase.

cryptonews.ru08/10 05:49

Wave of Cleansing in the Cryptocurrency Sector Gains Momentum: Over 100 Crypto Projects Expected to Close by 2026!

cryptonews.ru08/10 05:49

The Story of the $5,000 Diamond Whose NFT Sold for $43,000

In 2021, during the peak of NFT mania, macroeconomist Tasha Che announced a plan to buy a $5,000 diamond, create an NFT from it, and then physically destroy the gem. The goal was to prove that while physical objects can be destroyed, their digital representations can preserve the notion of value, an idea widely criticized in the crypto community. Che purchased a 1.3-carat diamond online and, after unsuccessful attempts with a hammer, eventually had it shattered by a mechanic with specialized tools. She then created an NFT representing the destroyed diamond for auction. Surprisingly, in September 2021, the NFT sold for 5.5 ETH (roughly $17,000 at the time), more than tripling the diamond's original price. Che claimed this validated her idea, though critics noted this single sale didn't prove digital assets universally retain value after physical destruction. The NFT was later owned by DeFi advocate and investor Ivan Zhang, who sold it in October 2025 for 11 ETH ($43,000). While the NFT's value nearly tripled during this period, prices for one-carat diamonds fell by almost 40%. Zhang argued diamond prices will continue declining due to easier synthetic diamond production and weaker retail demand, suggesting if the NFT were truly tied to the physical asset's value, its price should have fallen too. The experiment ultimately demonstrated that NFT prices are driven more by speculative hype than by underlying economic fundamentals or the preservation of physical value.

cryptonews.ru08/07 23:49

The Story of the $5,000 Diamond Whose NFT Sold for $43,000

cryptonews.ru08/07 23:49

10 weirdest things ever tokenized... including farts

Brazil’s B3 stock exchange recently made headlines by tokenizing 10 cows as collateral for a loan, sparking a broader question: what else can be tokenized? This article lists 10 of the strangest items ever represented on a blockchain, including: 1. A year's worth of farts, recorded and sold as NFTs by a filmmaker during the pandemic. 2. Cows, used as tokenized collateral for agricultural loans in Brazil. 3. Whiskey barrels, allowing fractional ownership of maturing spirits. 4. Racehorses, divided into digital shares for broader investment. 5. Uranium, a "technology-flavored commodity" traded onchain. 6. Fishy revenue, a proposed tokenized debt instrument tied to fish sales that ultimately didn't launch. 7. Music royalties, offering fans fractional rights to streaming income. 8. Human skin, where a tennis player auctioned advertising rights to a patch of her arm as an NFT. 9. A burned Banksy artwork, destroyed physically but preserved as an NFT. 10. Jack Dorsey's first tweet, sold as an NFT for millions. The article concludes that while tokenization can improve accessibility and transferability of assets, it doesn't inherently make a poor investment valuable.

cointelegraph08/06 13:41

10 weirdest things ever tokenized... including farts

cointelegraph08/06 13:41

Token Plummets 99% and Founder Faces Charges: NFT Startup Few and Far Costs Investors $10 Million

U.S. prosecutors have charged Taj Tarsha, 34, founder of NFT startup Few and Far, with securities fraud and wire fraud. He is accused of raising over $10 million from at least 67 investors via Simple Agreements for Future Tokens (SAFT) for the FAR token, meant to power an NFT marketplace on NEAR Protocol. Instead of developing the project, Tarsha allegedly misused investor funds for online gambling, cryptocurrency speculation, personal expenses including a Miami condominium loan, interior design, and his DJ hobby. An audit in June 2023 revealed the misappropriation. Despite this, Tarsha allegedly continued the deception for about another year, dismissing staff while creating an appearance of ongoing work. When the FAR token launched in May 2024 at approximately $0.13, it crashed by over 99% almost immediately and ceased trading. Arrested on June 6, 2026, Tarsha faces up to 20 years imprisonment per charge. The case highlights a recurring pattern in the NFT industry and raises questions about the SAFT mechanism's lack of oversight before a token's listing.

cryptonews.ru08/06 08:26

Token Plummets 99% and Founder Faces Charges: NFT Startup Few and Far Costs Investors $10 Million

cryptonews.ru08/06 08:26

Founder of NFT Project Few and Far to Face U.S. Court on $10 Million Fraud Charges

Taj Tarsha, founder of the NFT startup Few and Far, has been indicted by U.S. federal prosecutors in Manhattan on securities fraud and wire fraud charges. Authorities allege he misappropriated over $10 million from investors who purchased Simple Agreements for Future Tokens (SAFTs) for the FAR token. Instead of funding the promised NFT marketplace, Tarsha is accused of spending the money on online gambling, speculative crypto trades, a Miami apartment loan, personal bonuses, DJ equipment, and interior design. An internal review in June 2023 revealed missing funds, leading to his removal from the project's multi-signature wallet. The FAR token launched in May 2024 and crashed by over 99%, becoming essentially worthless. Tarsha, 34, was arrested on June 6, 2026, and released on $500,000 bail. He faces up to 20 years in prison for each charge.

cryptonews.ru08/05 22:41

Founder of NFT Project Few and Far to Face U.S. Court on $10 Million Fraud Charges

cryptonews.ru08/05 22:41

Proof of Play to shut down after blockchain gaming thesis falls short

Blockchain gaming studio Proof of Play is shutting down after conceding it failed to build a sustainable business around its decentralized gaming model. The a16z-backed company stated it could not develop a product that proved blockchain games could help scale a decentralized internet. Much of its code, artwork for the Pirate Nation game, smart contracts, and tools will be made open-source. An independent foundation will continue supporting the game's PIRATE token, but Proof of Play points lose all value. The studio released related NFT artwork and IP under a permissive CC0 license, while its Shiba Story Go! game was sold and will operate separately. At their height, the studio's networks were among the largest gas consumers on Ethereum's rollup ecosystem.

cointelegraph08/05 09:22

Proof of Play to shut down after blockchain gaming thesis falls short

cointelegraph08/05 09:22

POAP Repeats the Broken Old Dream of the Internet: Technology Changes, the End Remains Unchanged

POAP, a digital collectibles project that issued blockchain-based badges as proof of attendance at events, announced it is ceasing development after over five years. Born from a 2019 hackathon, POAP evolved from an Ethereum community experiment into a widely adopted credential for conferences, brand activations, and major industry moments like the Ethereum Merge. It aimed to digitize the sentimental value of physical mementos like ticket stubs, allowing users to own and display records of shared experiences. The project raised $10 million in 2022, envisioning POAPs as building blocks for a decentralized social graph and digital identity. Their potential utility for granting exclusive access, airdrops, or rewards drove adoption but also created a fundamental tension. As POAPs became linked to financial incentives, they attracted sybil attacks and speculative collection, undermining their role as authentic records of participation. This conflict between cultural value and crypto-economic utility proved difficult to resolve. POAP's story mirrors the earlier Web2 platform GetGlue, which let users "check-in" to TV shows and collect digital stickers. Despite millions of users and media partnerships, GetGlue struggled to build a sustainable business around an ancillary record of consumption and was eventually shut down. Similarly, POAP found that while the badges held significant cultural meaning for users, this did not easily translate into a viable business model. The very aspects that gave POAP its value—being free, low-barrier, and non-speculative—clashed with the prevalent token-driven monetization strategies in crypto. Ultimately, POAP preserved many digital memories but could not secure its own future.

marsbit08/05 08:26

POAP Repeats the Broken Old Dream of the Internet: Technology Changes, the End Remains Unchanged

marsbit08/05 08:26

POAP Protocol Ceases Operations After Issuing 7.6 Million NFT Badges

The Proof of Attendance Protocol (POAP), known for issuing NFT badges for event participation, has announced a complete shutdown after over five years of operation, as stated by co-founder Isabel Gonzalez. Launched in 2019 at ETHDenver with about 100 badges for hackathon participants, POAP grew into a major platform for preserving digital memories. Event organizers from small crypto communities to large corporations could mint unique digital badges as NFTs using the ERC-721 standard. Initially on Ethereum, the badges later migrated to Gnosis Chain to reduce transaction costs. Over 46,000 issuers created nearly 7.6 million badges, with users including Coinbase, American Express, Warner Music Group, and Bayer. Despite significant support and popularity, the protocol failed to establish a sustainable business model. Active development ceased and new issuer onboarding stopped when POAP entered maintenance mode in March. Gonzalez stated it was difficult to build a viable company without compromising POAP's original principles. All platform services are now shutting down. New badge issuance has halted, and future access to already-minted NFTs through the gallery and apps may be limited. However, the tokens themselves will remain on the blockchain, tied to owners' wallet addresses. The closure serves as another example of how strong community and cultural impact do not guarantee financial sustainability for a Web3 project.

cryptonews.ru08/04 15:02

POAP Protocol Ceases Operations After Issuing 7.6 Million NFT Badges

cryptonews.ru08/04 15:02

POAP Shuts Down: The Conclusion of an On-Chain Commemorative Badge Experiment

On August 3rd, POAP co-founder Isabel Gonzalez announced the platform's shutdown after over five years of operation. The service, which began phasing out in March by entering maintenance mode, will now cease entirely, though previously minted POAP badges remain viewable on-chain. POAP originated at the 2019 ETHDenver hackathon, where founder Patricio Worthalter distributed the first digital badges as on-chain proof of attendance. It gained significant traction during the 2021 NFT boom, becoming a staple for community events, conferences, and AMAs. POAPs evolved into a form of digital resume, used for gating access, airdrop whitelisting, and measuring DAO contributions. Major brands like Adidas and Porsche also adopted it for marketing. Despite securing a $10 million seed round in 2022 and amassing over 6.7 million minted badges by mid-2023, POAP struggled post-bull market. A shift to charging commercial clients in 2023 failed to ensure long-term sustainability. Gonzalez acknowledged the platform found a clear niche but no viable business model within it. POAP joins other discontinued NFT experiments, such as Starbucks' Odyssey, Meta's Instagram NFT features, and Reddit's Collectible Avatars. These projects shared a common flaw: treating blockchain as an end rather than a tool for genuinely needed solutions. POAP's story is particularly poignant—it wasn't speculative but faced a ceiling; the demand for digital mementos proved too niche to support a venture-backed company. The badges endure on the blockchain, but the platform behind them has departed.

marsbit08/04 09:48

POAP Shuts Down: The Conclusion of an On-Chain Commemorative Badge Experiment