NFTs in 2025: From boom-era prices to utility and real-world use
By 2025, the NFT market shifted focus from high speculative prices to utility, community, and real-world applications, despite a sharp decline in trading volumes.Summary
The NFT market in 2025 has significantly cooled compared to the 2021 boom, with first-quarter sales dropping 63% year-over-year to $1.5 billion. While blue-chip collections like CryptoPunks have seen their floor prices drop substantially from peak highs, some collections, such as Pudgy Penguins, are finding success by expanding into physical goods. The overall market capitalization has fallen from a high of $16.8 billion to about $2.56 billion. The primary shift is away from speculative profile picture (PFP) NFTs toward those offering tangible utility and real-world use cases. Examples include FIFA using "Right to Buy" tokens for World Cup ticketing priority and platforms like Courtyard.io linking authenticated physical collectibles, like Pokémon cards, to NFTs. Industry leaders emphasize that blockchain technology is now being treated as an infrastructure tool to enhance experiences and underlying assets, rather than being the product itself.
(Source：Cointelegraph)