Once hailed as the shining future of Web3, NFTs have lost much of their appeal. Since 2021, their growth has taken a sharp downturn, with their market capitalization plummeting by more than 90% in just three years. At the start of 2025, there was still some hope for a rebound, but that optimism quickly faded. In February, trading volume fell by 50%, dropping to $498 million. Is this just a temporary setback in the crypto market, or a sign of an irreversible decline?
The public’s lack of interest in non-fungible tokens is not just a passing trend. In January, sales dropped by 26%, marking the steepest decline in four years, before plunging further in February. This downturn mirrors the broader retreat of the crypto market, driven by economic uncertainty and the recent tariffs introduced by Donald Trump.
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However, a few niches are holding strong: profile NFTs have generated 243 million dollars in transactions, while gaming and sports NFTs continue to attract a loyal audience, clarifies DappRadar in a recent report.
Among the projects making headlines, Doodles has managed to create excitement by announcing the launch of its DOOD token on Solana. Others, like Kaito Genesis, bet on the integration of artificial intelligence to restore value to digital assets. Courtyard.io, for its part, is trying to reconcile the nostalgia for the tangible with the digital by tokenizing physical collectibles.
