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#NFT #EducationSeries #SuperEx In 2025, the annualized trading volume of the NFT market is expected to range between $5 billion and $6.5 billion, with the average selling price in the first half of the year holding at $80 to $100 — this level forms the baseline for next year’s market scenarios. The outlook is notably more optimistic in the second half: in Q3 2025, NFT trading volume nearly doubled quarter-over-quarter to $1.58 billion, with 18.1 million sales, setting a new quarterly record for number of transactions. The revival of NFT trading activity in Q3 2025 decisively broke the long post-hype downward trend. Market analysis suggests that after two years of contraction and narrative shifts, on-chain markets have found a new foothold. Their growth drivers no longer stem from blue-chip collectibles or speculative art, but from lower-cost infrastructure, loyalty programs, and sports-related assets. For example: in Q3 2025, sports NFTs stood out, with trading volume surging 337% quarter-over-quarter to $71.1 million. At the core of trading these assets is utility, not status signaling. Returning to NFTs themselves: among the many concepts in the crypto world, NFTs (non-fungible tokens) are both the most controversial and the most disruptive. Some call them “JPEGs in a bubble,” while others see them as “an ownership revolution for the next-generation internet.” But whether or not you’ve ever traded NFTs, they are profoundly changing how we understand “digital assets.” Today, let’s talk properly about NFTs. What is an NFT? NFT stands for Non-Fungible Token. Like Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH), it is a type of crypto asset. Its biggest difference is this: every NFT is unique and non-interchangeable. For example, 1 BTC = 1 BTC — that’s “fungible.” But two digital artworks, even if both are on the blockchain, each have different IDs and attributes — that’s “non-fungible.” An NFT is like a “digital certificate of ownership” on the blockchain. Art, in-game items, music rights, tickets, even identity credentials can all exist as NFTs. The Technical Basis of NFTs: Blockchain + Smart Contracts + Metadata The core logic of NFTs can be broken into three parts. 1. Blockchain NFTs are deployed on blockchains; each NFT has a unique hash identifier and ownership record. Common chains include: Ethereum: the birthplace of mainstream NFTs; Solana, Polygon, BNB Chain, Avalanche: known for low cost and high performance; Base, Arbitrum, Blast: emerging Layer 2 platforms offering faster, cheaper NFT experiences. 2. Smart Contract Rules for minting, transferring, burning, and revenue sharing are all executed automatically by smart contracts. For example, when a creator mints an NFT and sets a 5% royalty, every future resale will automatically send the proportional proceeds back — this is the technical foundation enabling “ongoing creator income.” 3. Metadata NFTs do not directly store images or music, but rather pointers (metadata links) to those files. Content is typically hosted on decentralized storage (e.g., IPFS, Arweave) to ensure it can’t be arbitrarily deleted. NFT Use Cases: Beyond Art, Toward Asset Digitalization The potential of NFTs goes far beyond “image collecting.” They are the first step in digitally confirming ownership, giving everything that can be digitized “ownership, tradability, and yield.” In a Web3 context, this makes NFTs a “universal credential” for the digital world, extending into finance, entertainment, education, identity, social, and more. Digital Art This was the earliest breakout field and the most emblematic. In March 2021, Beeple’s NFT Everydays: The First 5000 Days sold for $69 million at Christie’s, making the world realize for the first time: “Digital art can carry collectible value like a Van Gogh oil painting.” Later, projects like Bored Ape Yacht Club, CryptoPunks, and Azuki rose to become “cultural symbols” in crypto. People weren’t just buying images — they were buying “identity” and “community belonging.” In Web3, art no longer relies on galleries or platforms; smart contracts connect creators and collectors directly. Artists can set perpetual royalties, automatically earning on every resale — something nearly impossible in traditional art markets.This means: NFTs don’t replace art; they return art to its essence — value determined by consensus. GameFi / NFT Gaming NFTs are reshaping gaming. In traditional (Web2) games, all virtual items truly belong to the game company. Even if players pay for gear, they don’t really own it. In Web3 games, gear, characters, land, etc. exist as NFTs: You can collateralize an in-game sword in a DeFi protocol to borrow stablecoins; You can use a character NFT across games, enabling asset mobility; You can even earn real returns via grinding or renting NFTs. This is the “Play to Earn” model. Early projects like Axie Infinity sparked a “blockchain pet-raising” boom in Southeast Asia. Now, with improving infrastructure, more AAA titles (e.g., Illuvium, Big Time, Star Atlas) are pushing blockchain gaming from speculation back to entertainment. NFTs make game assets truly “players’ digital property” — a fundamental shift in economic model. Ticket & Membership NFTs NFT adoption in events and membership systems is expanding rapidly. For example, if a concert ticket is issued as an NFT, the organizer can: Verify authenticity (no counterfeits or fake resales); Airdrop memorabilia or future discounts to holders; Turn the ticket into a “digital badge,” permanently recording participation. NBA Top Shot is a typical case: iconic player moments become NFT cards for fans to collect, trade, and showcase. For brands, Membership NFTs function like “digital ID cards”: Holders can access specific communities and exclusive perks; Brands can reward loyal users based on holding history; Fan communities become more cohesive, with stronger loyalty. These NFTs are becoming key tools for “fan economies” and “brand Web3-ization.” NFT-Fi When NFTs meet finance, you get NFT-Fi (NFT Finance). It transforms NFTs from collectibles into financial assets that can be collateralized, fractionalized, and have derivatives. Examples: NFT Lending: use NFTs as collateral to borrow USDT/ETH; Yield NFTs: some DeFi protocols issue NFTs representing staked yields, tradable and transferable; Fractional NFTs: high-priced NFTs split into many tokens to lower entry barriers and boost liquidity. For instance, a 100-ETH NFT can be split into 1,000 tokens so retail investors can participate. This not only activates the NFT market but also inspires new on-chain designs for traditional financial products (bonds, insurance, invoices).NFT-Fi brings “asset financialization” on-chain, propelling the next stage of the digital economy. DID & Soulbound Tokens Another critical direction is digital identity (Decentralized Identity, DID). In Web2, your identity is platform-controlled: Your Twitter handle belongs to Twitter; Your Steam level belongs to Valve; Your résumé belongs to LinkedIn. In Web3, you control your identity. Combining DID with Soulbound Tokens (SBTs) turns NFTs into “non-transferable identity credentials” proving: Educational background and professional qualifications; DAO participation records; Community contribution and reputation. This model is becoming the prototype of on-chain credit systems, with future applications in hiring, education, and social networking.If cryptocurrencies solve “asset freedom,” NFTs and DID are solving “identity sovereignty.” NFT Market Evolution: From Frenzy to the Building Phase The growth curve of the NFT market mirrors the crypto industry at large. 2021: Explosive frenzy — art, PFPs, and collectibles proliferated; OpenSea’s daily volume once topped $4 billion. 2022–2023: Cool-down and shake-out — speculative bubbles burst, rationality returned. Teams explored utility such as memberships, brand partnerships, and on-chain ticketing. 2024–2025: Integration and financialization — NFTs merge into DeFi, RWA (real-world assets), and on-chain identity. Today, NFTs are no longer just art; they are the “digital credential system” of Web3. Just as the internet evolved from web pages to applications, NFTs are moving from collectibles to functionality. The vitality of an NFT project depends on whether its economic design is sustainable: Scarcity: limited issuance, unique numbering; Liquidity: access to trading venues, renting, or fractionalization; Utility: revenue sharing, governance rights, special privileges; Community: a loyal user base; Narrative: clear cultural symbols or storytelling. This is why BAYC, Azuki, and DeGods can become “cultural brands” rather than short-lived projects. NFTs and Regulation: The Gray Zone of Digital Ownership Regulators around the world are gradually defining the legal attributes of NFTs. U.S. SEC: focuses on whether NFTs constitute securities; EU MiCA: emphasizes consumer protection; Japan & South Korea: treat NFTs as “digital certificates,” encouraging integration with entertainment and IP; Hong Kong: has begun licensing regimes for NFT trading platforms. In the future, compliant NFTs will become an important bridge between Web3 and the traditional economy. Conclusion: From Collecting to Co-Creation — NFTs Are Just Getting Started The value of NFTs isn’t about “how expensive the image is,” but the ownership revolution they bring. In the future, every song, every contract, every experience may be recorded and verified as an NFT. This is not only an upheaval in art — it is a comprehensive restructuring of economic, identity, and trust systems. NFTs allow the digital world to truly possess “my assets.” Note: Terminology in the NFT field overlaps heavily with previous lessons, so it is not repeated here.