
OpenSea shared a 16-second video on Twitter to announce the integration, with many popular Solana collections announcing their intention to list on the marketplace.
Solana (SOL) NFT holders will soon have a new option for where to trade, with OpenSea teasing its integration of the Solana blockchain.
A 16-second video shared by the OpenSea Twitter account opened with the phrase “wen solana???” being typed into a search box and revealed that Solana will be supported by the marketplace in April.
The best kept secret in web3 pic.twitter.com/xuZn64cZ4U
— OpenSea (@opensea) March 29, 2022
Rumors of OpenSea supporting Solana NFTs have circulated for months. Security researcher Jane Manchun Wong — who made Forbes 30 under 30 for her high profile tech leak scoops — shared images on Twitter in January she said were sourced from OpenSea’s platform.
The images show the marketplace’s “blockchains filter” listing Solana as an option and the Phantom Solana crypto wallet appearsg in a list of supported wallets.
OpenSea’s Chains Filter showing Solana as an option pic.twitter.com/asQoYrfTm4
— Jane Manchun Wong (@wongmjane) January 25, 2022
OpenSea coyly replied to Wong’s tweet with a “wide eyes” emoji at the time, but didn’t outright confirm or deny the authenticity of the claim.
Many popular Solana NFT projects have announced their intention to list with OpenSea in April, including SolPunks, Turtles, Remnants and the Degenerate Ape Academy.
The Solana integration will pitch OpenSea in direct competition with Magic Eden, Solanart, and Solsea, the current leading NFT marketplaces on the Solana blockchain.
An OpenSea user by the handle “cchan” has sold a Bored Ape NFT and a Mutant Ape NFT for a combined value of $140.
A user made offers on the NFTs which were accepted by cchan and the sales were made to the within a minute of each other on Monday, Mar. 28, with BAYC #835 sold for 115 DAI, and MAYC #11670 sold for 25 DAI which is 99% under the current floor price.
DAI is a US dollar stablecoin with a diamond logo and it’s unknown if cchan mistook the offers to be in Ethereum (ETH) which would’ve been the equivalent of $470,000, or if the sales weres the result of a hack.
Activity by the user who purchased the NFTs shows a history of offers being made in DAI on Bored and Mutant Ape NFTs, which some have suggested could be in the hopes that this exact set of circumstances would occur.
Ross Ulbricht, the imprisoned founder of the defunct darknet marketplace “Silk Road” is set to release another collection of NFTs at the Bitcoin 2022 conference in Miami in April, with funds raised going toward helping children travel to visit their parents in prison.
In December 2021, Ulbricht auctioned a collection at the Art Basel Miami which netted him $6.2 million. The collection was purchased by FreeRossDAO, a decentralized autonomous organization that aims to “share Ross's work with the world and give everyone a unique opportunity to own a piece of it.”
“All of this has brought a new spark to my life,” Ross wrote in a post, reflecting on the sale of his last collection.
“I have direction and purpose and I feel like I can make a difference again. The more money we raise, the more good we can do, so I have been busy creating my next art collection.”
Dubbed the “Growth Collection”, it will be minted on the Bitcoin blockchain via Counterparty, and the piece will reportedly feature four physical oil paintings and one hand-drawn animation, accompanied by five Bitcoin NFTs to be auctioned on the Scarce.City network.
Related: NFTs are changing the way photographers create and market content
Ulbricht is serving two life sentences without the possibility of parole for his part in creating the illicit online marketplace, which famously used Bitcoin as the means of transaction.
The WWE has partnered with Fanatics, a sports marketing business which, amongst other offerings, enables brands to offer digital collectibles and NFTs to their audience.
The partnership will see Fanatics create “physical, digital, and non-fungible token (NFT) trading cards” for the WWE, with Fanatics to become the exclusive provider of licensed WWE physical and NFT trading cards, building a range featuring WWE’s “biggest moments and stars.”
Mark Karpelès, the former CEO of the defunct Mt. Gox exchange announced that users who used the exchange between 2010 and 2014 around the time it was hacked, are eligible to register for a free NFT in the hopes it will “erase a bit of the loss incurred in Mt. Gox.”
The Decentraland metaverse hosted the Metaverse Fashion Week between March 24-27, 2022, the event attracted over 70 big name fashion labels and artists such as Tommy Hilfiger, Dolce and Gabbana, and Estée Lauder.
Crypto companies continue to ramp-up marketing efforts with sports stars, with Beckham the latest to partner with blockchain provider, DigitalBits.
Iconic former English Premier League footballer, David Beckham, has become a global brand ambassador for the DigitalBits blockchain, launching his own range of NFTs in the process.
Beckham will release a series of NFTs and “other Blockchain-based digital assets” according to the brand ambassador announcement, with minting taking place on the DigitalBits blockchain.
Excited to announce #DavidBeckham has become a Global Ambassador for #DigitalBits!
— DigitalBits (XDB) (@DigitalBitsOrg) March 24, 2022
Get ready to explore the world of #Blockchain, #NFTs and #Metaverse with Beckham.
More details https://t.co/yafO7W2OuL
Thread pic.twitter.com/n54BMeDsnE
Beckham said the NFT collections were an “opportunity to create new experiences for my fans online.” According to DigitalBits, Beckham has a following of over 138 million, with an annual impression rate that surpasses nine billion across Instagram, Facebook, and China based social media platforms, Weibo and Douyin.
Crypto companies, in particular crypto exchanges, are ramping up partnerships with sporting teams and icons in a marketing effort to target mainstream consumers.
Australian based crypto exchange CoinSpot announced the launch of its new in-app NFT marketplace, allowing users to purchase digital art using a selection of cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), Cardano (ADA), and others.
CoinSpot said initially it will list only a selection of NFTs, including those from the Bored Ape Yacht Club, with more collections to be added over the next few months.
Gary Howells, Chief Product Officer at CoinSpot said its marketplace was created to simplify the process of buying an NFT, and make the transaction more affordable with lower fees in comparison to using other marketplaces.
American rap artists Snoop Dogg and Wiz Khalifa have released a special project consisting of eight tracks sold as NFTs featuring a theme tune for the Bored Ape Yacht Club.
Smoke a Bored 8th . Droppn a special project $APE COIN only @wizkhalifa @BoredApeYC
— Snoop Dogg (@SnoopDogg) March 24, 2022
▶️ https://t.co/8JXyIRN3Pm pic.twitter.com/yh8DFrEdj1
The collection, titled “Ape Drops 03 : An 8th” can be minted through Manifold, with each track available for purchase exclusively using ApeCoin (APE) with prices ranging from 12 to 15 APE, ($155 to $195).
Snoop Dogg and Wiz Khalifa both own Bored Ape NFTs, setting them as their profile pictures on Twitter. Snoop has been active in the crypto space and recently released 10,000 playable avatars and a “SnoopVerse” in partnership with the SandBox metaverse.
English Premier League football team Liverpool FC, announced its debut NFT collection in partnership with New York based auction house Sotheby’s.
They have arrived.
— LFC Heroes Club ⚽ (@LFCHeroesClub) March 24, 2022
Welcome to the world of LFC Heroes Club pic.twitter.com/T6H3uI9bQL
The collection features two series, each with 24 artwork NFTs, each one featuring a player on the team. The “Legendary” collection will be open for auction and sold to the highest bidder, and the “Hero” collection sold at a more accessible price of $75.
The US Department of Justice has arrested founders Ethan Nguyen and Andre Llacuna on wire fraud and money laundering charges for allegedly carrying out an NFT rug pull with the Frosties NFT project. If found guilty on both charges, the pair face up to 40 years in prison.
One of Vanuatu’s island is being built as the new capital for crypto, dubbed “Satoshi Island”, the project is selling plots of land and “citizenship” to the island as NFTs and say the entire economy will run on cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology.
"It’s time to enter a world of limitless possibilities," said the staff behind the world-renowned sports clothing line.
On Thursday, Adidas announced it was entering the Metaverse in collaboration with Bored Ape Yacht Club, gmoney NFT, and PUNKS comic. In an article posted on the Adidas mobile app, the developers behind the initiative said the following:
This autumn, Adidas, known for celebrating ideas at the bleeding edge of originality, it settling in at the frontier of creativity: The Metaverse. Our goal there? To see every one of its inhabitants thrive. The Metaverse is where anyone can express their most original ideas and be their most authentic selves, in whatever form they might take. And thanks to the blockchain [and NFTs], those pioneers can own a piece of what they create.
Today we leap Into The Metaverse with @BoredApeYC, @gmoneyNFT & @punkscomic.
— adidas Originals (@adidasoriginals) December 2, 2021
It’s time to enter a world of limitless possibilities.https://t.co/LmgtrRn20c pic.twitter.com/40kU8tayrS
Related: Wear-to-earn NFTs target the billion-dollar fashion industry
In the article, a piece of the Bored Ape NFT has been redrawn to feature Adidas' iconic tracksuit. Bored Ape Yacht Club contains more than 10,000 NFTs minted on the Ethereum (ETH) blockchain. Meanwhile, gmoney is a notable cryptocurrency and NFT influencer who has been featured on Fortune NFTy 50. Lastly, PUNKS Comic combines both the world of NFTs and physical comic books to create so-called crypto comics. Cointelegraph Research projects that NFT sales could reach a record finish of $18 billion by the end of the year, making the sector one of crypto's hottest performers.