nftmarket

Here's the most unexpected chart from the Bitcoin 2026 conference week: the best-performing major crypto asset category wasn't BTC, ETH, SOL, or XRP. It was Ethereum NFTs from the 2021 bull run.
During the world's largest Bitcoin conference, Ethereum NFTs ironically provided one of the only few green shoots on red-filled crypto dashboards. Bored Ape Yacht Club climbed 17% over the past seven days, while its two derivatives, Mutant Ape Yacht Club and Bored Ape Kennel Club, rallied 25% and 53% respectively. Pudgy Penguins added 15%, Azuki NFTs rallied 34%, Doodles gained 27%, and Clone X was up 16%.
While every major cryptocurrency posted losses during the three-day conference period — BTC down 4.9%, ETH down 5.2%, SOL down 6.1% — Ethereum NFT collections from the 2021 era were green.
The irony writes itself. At the world's largest Bitcoin conference, the most bullish asset class was the one that Bitcoin maximalists have spent three years calling dead.
Now for the honest read on what's actually happening. The entire NFT market cap is now $1.9 billion, down from a peak exceeding $17 billion in April 2022. NFTs are a thinly-traded asset class with high mark-to-market capitalizations that require very little purchases to move collection valuations substantially. Worse, wash trading accounts for roughly $24 million of the $48 million total NFT trading volume over the past week. Laikalabs
Fifty percent wash trading. That means half the volume is fake — transactions where the same wallet sells to itself to create the appearance of activity. The +34% on Azuki and +53% on MAKC happened on thin real volume. Floor prices can be manipulated with relatively small amounts of capital in a thinly-traded market.
This doesn't mean the moves aren't real in price terms — the floor prices did go up, and holders made money if they sold at those prices. But it does mean you should be deeply skeptical of attributing fundamental significance to NFT rallies when wash trading makes up the majority of volume.
What's actually driving the NFT interest? Likely a combination of narrative rotation (BTC conference = attention on crypto broadly = some capital rotates into forgotten assets looking for a move), whale accumulation at depressed prices, and genuine sentiment that 2021-era blue-chip NFTs at $1.9B total market cap are deeply undervalued relative to their cultural significance.
The deeper question this week asks: has the NFT market bottomed? The 98% decline from peak, genuine cultural IP in collections like BAYC and Pudgy Penguins, and the emerging connection between NFTs and IP licensing (Doodles, Pudgy) are real fundamental arguments.
But thin volume and wash trading make it impossible to separate genuine demand from manufactured momentum. Approach carefully.
#NFTs #BAYC #Ethereum #CryptoMarkets #NFTMarket

🔹 After a slower period, the NFT market is bouncing back. Over the past seven days, total sales volume jumped by more than 14%, signaling renewed investor interest and market momentum.

🔹 Sales Hit $134 Million – Market Shifts Gears
The NFT sector showed strong recovery this week. According to CryptoSlam data, total weekly sales grew by 14.39%, reaching $134.3 million. Meanwhile, the number of active buyers surged by over 50%, crossing 1 million unique addresses. Sellers also increased by 8.9%.
Interestingly, the total number of NFT transactions dipped slightly by 2.94%, suggesting that individual trades carried more value.

🔹 Immutable Leads in Volume, Arbitrum in Buyer Growth
Among blockchains, Immutable extended its dominance, generating $46.1 million in sales – up 81.73% week-over-week. Ethereum followed with $26.9 million (+42.96%), and Polygon landed in third place with $16.9 million, though it experienced a decline of 24.73%.
A surprise standout was Arbitrum, which saw a 110.87% increase in buyers. Polygon (+35.63%) and Solana (+27.41%) also posted strong buyer growth.

🔹 Weekly Winners: Guild of Guardians and Gods Unchained
Leading all collections was Guild of Guardians Heroes, with $28.3 million in sales – up a massive 86.33%. The gaming project benefited heavily from Immutable’s rising momentum.
Courtyard on Polygon slipped to second place with $16 million in sales, down 3.31%, along with a 75% drop in buyers and nearly 89% drop in sellers.
Once seen as an NFT icon, CryptoPunks posted $2 million in sales, down 2.32%, with a 30% decrease in buyers and a 15% increase in sellers – showing some internal pressure.
In contrast, Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) continued to perform well across the board: sales rose by 22.72%, transactions by 44.12%, and both buyers and sellers increased by roughly 44%.
The strongest growth came from Gods Unchained Cards, which saw sales soar by 102.88% to $7.79 million and buyer activity jump by nearly 50%, driven by 1,531 transactions.

🔹 OpenSea Remains the Dominant NFT Marketplace
According to Dune Analytics, OpenSea handled 88.9% of all Ethereum-based NFT transactions last week. Blur came in second with a 10.1% market share.

💬 Summary: NFT Market Gains Momentum as Major Players Return
After a period of stagnation, optimism is returning. Major blockchains are posting growth, gaming collections are drawing buyers, and trading volume is rising. If the trend continues, the NFT market may be entering a new upward phase.

#NFT , #CryptoNews , #NFTMarket , #Web3 , #DigitalAssets

Stay one step ahead – follow our profile and stay informed about everything important in the world of cryptocurrencies!
Notice:
,,The information and views presented in this article are intended solely for educational purposes and should not be taken as investment advice in any situation. The content of these pages should not be regarded as financial, investment, or any other form of advice. We caution that investing in cryptocurrencies can be risky and may lead to financial losses.“