NFT sales and active wallets depreciated by an additional 4/10ths in the prior month but the innovative layer-2 infrastructure is readying the sector for the coming surge. Nonfungible tokens incited a revolution a few months back, in 2021, with an onslaught of daily headlines regarding record shattering sales numbers. 

A month later, and the narrative has shifted to the NFT bubble bursting, and naysayers warn that NFT investors are on the verge of losing their investments.  

The quickly depreciating prices and action on the leading NFT marketplaces have compelled several to indulge in speculation on the demise of the nonfungible token space regardless of the reputation that crypto has for its recurring nature – featuring the capacity to leap back to life in a split second. 

Active operators jump ship 

Active operators are the pulse of the NFT markets, but the sluggish nature of the crypto markets over the previous 2 months with the May 19 sell-off which observed $1.2 trillion in value removed from the cryptocurrency market cap has a led to a significant weakening of operator’s activity. 

The active wallets on NFT marketplaces attained a peak close to the ending of March and have in the duration, depreciated in excess of 40% as depreciating values combined with increased transacting fees within the ETH network pushed traders out of the market. 

The failing of inactive wallets was coincidental with the failing in sales as swiftly depreciating token rates intensified the losses incurred by collectors and holders who specified that their rare art works depreciated by up to 9/10ths of their worth overnight. 

Nonfungible tokens – injured, but not gone 

It’s not all doom and gloom, however, as there are several solid value propositions and use cases for NFTs that businessmen, innovators, and conventional enterprises have observed. 

The blockchain framework has previously put in 4 feasible options to handle the glitches facing the NFT domain, like the presenting of Enjin’s Efinity and JumpNet protocols which assist in reduced fees and allow for interoperability across disparate networks. 

A popular solution in the market, Polygon, an ETH sidechain that enables projects to remain on ETH while also being admitted to a quick, reduced fee setting. In the prior quarter, a vast number of NFT-oriented and gaming projects have traversed to Polygon as the crypto and NFT marketplaces recuperate, these reduced fee environments should assist in enhancing activity on the network.  

Although the current statistics might appear dodgy when compared to the latest all-time highs when observed from a long-time span, it can be observed that the typical NFT sales numbers appreciated by approximately three-folds between the time of January and the ending of May. This demonstrates that there is bite in the domain regardless of the marketplace crash that began on May the 12th. The NFT ecosystem may have seen a critical drop in activity and token valuation over the previous month but it’s still in preliminary stages to proclaim the demise of NFT as the planet has just scratched the surface of what is possible with this new and innovative smart technology.