NFT 2023 SEOUL is a dynamic and forward-thinking event that dives deep into the convergence of art and technology in the digital age. With a lineup of expert speakers covering a wide range of topics, the event explores how NFTs, generative AI, blockchain, and decentralized technologies are reshaping the art landscape.
From discussions on the transformative power of AI-generated art to insights into decentralized curation and the fusion of physical and digital art forms, attendees will gain a comprehensive understanding of the evolving art world. The event also highlights the role of NFTs in media and other industries, showcasing their influence beyond traditional art realms.
Thoughts on the Evolution of Art in the Age of Generative AI, NFT, and other Digital Technologies – 차인혁: Explore the transformative impact of generative AI, NFTs, and digital technologies on the world of art.
The following are the key speakers for Part 2:
ART & TECHNOLOGY & Community – Mariko Nishimura: Delve into the dynamic relationship between art, technology, and the influential role of communities in shaping the art landscape.
Creative collaboration, co-creation, and decentralized curation – Aleksandra: Discover how decentralized curation and collaborative approaches are redefining the art world in the context of NFTs.
Decentralized Dreams: The Journey of NFTs in the Age of AI and Web3 – Anndy Lian: Trace the exciting journey of NFTs within the realms of AI and Web3, exploring their potential and impact.
Blockchain as a new medium for ART + Coding ART – Nori: Dive into the technical aspects of utilizing blockchain as an artistic medium, where coding meets artistry to create innovative works.
Legitimate / Physital- NFT 기술 실제적 융합 – Calvin: Explore the practical integration of NFT technology in art, addressing authenticity concerns and the fusion of physical and digital art forms.
Web3 Art NFT Platform – 2r2.io – 정창희: Showcase the capabilities of the 2r2.io NFT platform within the Web3 ecosystem, shedding light on tools available for artists and collectors.
NFT NOW: Future of media and beyond – Alejandro Navia: Gain insights into how NFTs are shaping the future of media and extending their influence across diverse industries beyond traditional art.
This event promises a comprehensive exploration of NFTs, generative AI, blockchain, and their profound impact on the evolving world of art and digital expression.
Anndy Lian is an early blockchain adopter and experienced serial entrepreneur who is known for his work in the government sector. He is a best selling book author- “NFT: From Zero to Hero” and “Blockchain Revolution 2030”.
Currently, he is appointed as the Chief Digital Advisor at Mongolia Productivity Organization, championing national digitization. Prior to his current appointments, he was the Chairman of BigONE Exchange, a global top 30 ranked crypto spot exchange and was also the Advisory Board Member for Hyundai DAC, the blockchain arm of South Korea’s largest car manufacturer Hyundai Motor Group. Lian played a pivotal role as the Blockchain Advisor for Asian Productivity Organisation (APO), an intergovernmental organization committed to improving productivity in the Asia-Pacific region.
An avid supporter of incubating start-ups, Anndy has also been a private investor for the past eight years. With a growth investment mindset, Anndy strategically demonstrates this in the companies he chooses to be involved with. He believes that what he is doing through blockchain technology currently will revolutionise and redefine traditional businesses. He also believes that the blockchain industry has to be “redecentralised”.
“Web 3.0 brings endless opportunities to many people, changes lives in Kenya, removes barriers in India and empowers developers in China to service global audiences during the COVID lockdown period. Your gateway to Web 3.0 is just one click away. Let’s innovate.”
At the beginning of the year, when the crypto market was red hot, it was extremely tough to understand what was going on in the NFT industry.
At the beginning of the year, when the crypto market was red hot, it was extremely tough to understand what was going on in the NFT industry.
The massive influx of collections, new marketplaces, and easy money in the space created the perfect mix of incentives for fraudulent activity. As we know, I published an article in October about NFT wash trading, several “OpenSea killers” were built entirely on fake activity, and not everything was as it seemed when you looked at NFT collection leaderboards. As the market crashed, so did activity across the board (both fake and organic).
But not all was negative. Several highly innovative NFT collections broke the mold of zany PFP images and proved a market for digital, non-fungible art existed.
While there was a proliferation of small collections and grassroots community-building in some corners of the industry (e.g., Solana and Magic Eden), the year also saw consolidation with the birth of the first NFT megacorp in Yuga Labs.
Instead of telling you what to think about 2022 and where the NFT world is heading in 2023, this article has the essential stats from last year so you can create your own analysis.
9 Stats about the NFT Industry
1. Total sales of NFTs in 2022 was $55.5B
This is up 175% from $20.2B in 2021. When you compare 2020 to 2022 total sales, it is 390X more.
2. The market capitalization of the NFT industry peaked on April 4th at $41.5B
Market capitalization is calculated as the sum of each NFT valued at the greater of its last traded price and the floor price of the collection, respectively. Suspected wash trades have been filtered out.
2022 Market Cap & Trading Volume
3. Roughly 85K NFT collections were launched last year
In 2021, there were around 14.5K collections, while the number nearly reached 99K by the end of 2022. Notice that Opensea remains the leader in both years.
5. Only 2,623 collections had more than 1000 unique buyers
As with all stats in the NFT industry, this one should be taken with a grain of salt due to the significant amount of wash trading, especially during the year’s first half.
6. NFT trading volume reached its 2022 peak in January, with $17.4B in value
This was more than a 4x jump from the previous month (December 2021). This was also the month when Google searches for the keyword “NFT” reached their all-time high.
7. The biggest gap between the number of sellers and buyers was in January, with about 200K more sellers than there were buyers.
Yet January was also the hottest month for NFT prices for most major collections, indicating that using these metrics as an analog for supply and demand has flaws.
8. Last year, 46% of total NFT trading volume was likely to be caused by wash trading
There are several indicators and filters to detect suspicious activity. To identify these types of transactions, I use Footprint Analytics’ filters to separate transactions to the following formula:
a.) Overpriced NFT trades (10x OpenSea Average Price)
b.) Collections with 0% royalties (except CryptoPunks and ENS)
c.) An NFT bought more than a normal amount of times in a day (currently filtered for more than 3+)
d.) An NFT bought by the same buyer address in a short period (currently filtered for 120 minutes)
9. The collection with the largest market cap by the end of the year was CryptoPunks at $1.1B
Crypto Punks, launched by Larva Labs in 2017, was the first NFT collection to become a household name and have the highest floor price in the industry. Yuga Labs acquired the IP of the collection in March 2022.
10. Trading volume of major collections in the Yugaverse—Yuga Labs’ portfolio of products—was $3.1B
This sum includes Bored Ape Yacht Club, Mutant Ape Yacht Club, Bored Ape Kennel Club, Otherside, and CryptoPunks. It excludes Meebits, which had more trading volume than all of these combined,
11. Yuga Labs’ portfolio accounts for about 20% of the total market cap of the entire NFT industry
This sum includes Bored Ape Yacht Club, Mutant Ape Yacht Club, Bored Ape Kennel Club, Otherside, CryptoPunks and Meebits.
12. Without any wash trade filtering, Terraforms by Mathcastles had an astounding $12B in trading volume, more than any other collection, across 11,341 transactions
However, 99.8% of the volume and 46.3% of transactions were detected as wash trading.
14. ArtBlocks Curated was the 4th most traded collection by volume and amassed a market cap $325M
ArtBlocks demonstrated that there is a market for high-end artistic NFTs—it stands out among Yuga PFP projects, and metaverse land NFTs at the top of the rankings
15. There were 7 major collections whose volume was over 95% wash trading
For this stat, “major” means having over $1M in real trading volume. Terraforms by Mathcastles, More Loot, dotdotdots, Dreadfulz, Audioglyphs, CryptoPhunksV2, and Meebits.
6 Stats about Chains and Markets for NFT Projects
16. Ethereum had 95% percent of volume, 47% of transactions, and 71% of protocols
These figures are almost the same as in 2021. Based on the data, Ethereum is still the most widely used for NFT.
OpenSea remained the marketplace of choice for Ethereum and Polygon. However, Magic Eden capitalized on its Solana first-mover advantage to be the marketplace of choice for collections on this chain (OpenSea started listing them in April.) Note: a collection can list on multiple marketplaces.
19. Solana had more active users in October, with 411K, than Ethereum, with 392K
While most of the blue-chip collections and collectors transact on OpenSea and Ethereum, Solana built up a sizable community of NFT enthusiasts in 2022. Solana’s active users hovered between 20-45% of the total market share—October was the only month it overtook Ethereum for this metric
23. Animoca Brands closed the largest round of the year, $358M led by Liberty City Ventures
Animoca has said it will use the funding for strategic acquisitions and investments, develop its games and metaverse products, and acquire licenses for popular intellectual properties.
27. The 2 largest rounds for pure NFT projects went to OpenSea ($300M) and Dapper Labs ($250M)
The OpenSea round was one of only 5 Series C or D rounds in 2022. Dapper Labs is the studio behind the NBA Top Shot collection.
Key Takeaways
As we can see, Web 3.0 is proliferating. NFT is undoubtedly part of the whole Web 3.0 ecosystem. In the Web 3.0 ecosystem, NFTs are often used to facilitate the buying and selling of unique digital assets on decentralized platforms. These platforms use smart contracts to enable transactions without the need for intermediaries. They can facilitate the buying and selling of NFTs and allow NFT holders to earn passive income by lending out their NFTs. There are many use cases to showcase.
Web 3.0 will continue to draw more investment in 2023 based on some of the deal flows I see in the market. OKX Ventures and GSRV co-lead a $2 Million seed round for a Web 3.0 decentralized Identity platform. Binance Labs launched a $500M fund to support promising Web 3.0 projects and start-up firms with great potential earlier this year. Du Jun, the co-founder of cryptocurrency exchange Huobi Global, runs ABCDE Capital, a $400M Web 3.0 venture capital fund is dedicated to investing in web3 builders.
Apart from the crypto firms-led firms, it’s also true that traditional investment companies are beginning to take notice of the Web 3.0 ecosystem and are starting to invest in companies and projects that are working on decentralized technologies, such as blockchain and non-fungible tokens (NFTs).
There are several reasons why traditional investment companies might be interested in investing in web3 technologies. One reason is that the Web 3.0 ecosystem is still in its early stages and has much growth potential. Decentralized technologies have the potential to revolutionize many different industries, from finance and real estate to art and collectibles.
Another reason is that the Web 3.0 ecosystem is relatively uncorrelated with traditional financial markets, which can offer diversification benefits for investors. This can be especially appealing in times of economic uncertainty, when traditional financial markets may be more volatile.
Ending with a quote:
“Web 3.0 brings endless opportunities to many people, changes lives in Kenya, removes barriers in India and empowers developers in China to service global audiences during the COVID lockdown period. Your gateway to Web 3.0 is just one click away. Let’s innovate.” – Anndy Lian.
Anndy Lian is an early blockchain adopter and experienced serial entrepreneur who is known for his work in the government sector. He is a best selling book author- “NFT: From Zero to Hero” and “Blockchain Revolution 2030”.
Currently, he is appointed as the Chief Digital Advisor at Mongolia Productivity Organization, championing national digitization. Prior to his current appointments, he was the Chairman of BigONE Exchange, a global top 30 ranked crypto spot exchange and was also the Advisory Board Member for Hyundai DAC, the blockchain arm of South Korea’s largest car manufacturer Hyundai Motor Group. Lian played a pivotal role as the Blockchain Advisor for Asian Productivity Organisation (APO), an intergovernmental organization committed to improving productivity in the Asia-Pacific region.
An avid supporter of incubating start-ups, Anndy has also been a private investor for the past eight years. With a growth investment mindset, Anndy strategically demonstrates this in the companies he chooses to be involved with. He believes that what he is doing through blockchain technology currently will revolutionise and redefine traditional businesses. He also believes that the blockchain industry has to be “redecentralised”.
Voyager Digital has been making headlines ever since the crypto platform filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in July 2021. The company is engaged in ongoing court proceedings.
Here we take a look at the voyager (VGX) tokens circulating supply and analyse who owns the most VGX.
Voyager Digital: Origins & token history
Voyager Digital is a US-based cryptocurrency platform that was founded in 2017 by a team of finance and technology industry veterans, including the firm’s CEO Stephen Ehrlich, chairman Philip Eytan and Gaspard de Dreuzy, a serial entrepreneur.
In addition to being a crypto company, Voyager Digital is a publicly traded company listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) since 2021 under the ticker VOYG.
As of September 2022, the company hosts over 100 different digital assets through its mobile application and allows clients to earn rewards of up to 12% annually on more than 40 cryptocurrencies.
The Voyager token (VGX) is the platform’s native cryptocurrency. It’s designed to reward customers for their loyalty. It was based on the Ethos Token. In 2019, Voyager acquired Ethos.io and incorporated the team, technology and native token into its ecosystem.
Until 2020, Voyager operated with a multi-token functionality. After 2020, the company integrated its native tokens into a new single token model known as VGX 2.0. Today, VGX maintains a presence on the Ethereum blockchain as an ERC20 cryptocurrency.
According to the project’s whitepaper, Voyager utilises the VGX 2.0 token to boost the platform’s adoption and functionality. Holding VGX allowed users to earn 7% staking rewards and raise their earnings by joining the Voyager Loyalty Program.
The VGX token was met with enthusiasm. The price rose to an all-time high of $11.02 just six months after the token launched in 2017. The bullish run was short-lived, and the price fell by 96.7% to $0.3678 by August 2018.
The next big jump took place between January and February 2021, when VGX surged 3,267% to $6.9023, from levels as low as $0.2. Around this time, the Uniswap (UNI) token became available on the Voyager platform.
On 22 November 2021, VGX surged to $5 amid a positive general crypto market sentiment, however, this was the token’s last peak as it embarked on a bearish run. But since its November high, the VGX has lost more than 75% of its value, sliding down to $0.9188.
Latest voyager crypto news
In July 2021 Voyager filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, as it was heavily affected by the global crypto crash. Since then, the company has been in and out of court proceedings.
As Voyager moves through the Chapter 11 bankruptcy process, latest filings revealed on 8 September that the company will auction off the remainder of its assets on 13 September. The results of the auction will become final during a court hearing approving them on 29 September.
In the latest voyager token news, potential buyers remained unnamed. However, bids previously made by the crypto trading platform FTX were made public. FTX said in a press release on 22 July that it would buy Voyager’s assets and loans at cash value and open accounts for Voyager customers on FTX. This proposal, however, was branded a “low-ball” bid by Voyager’s lawyers.
In a second-day hearing presentation on 4 August, the company stated that it had received “higher and better” buyout offers. As of 12 September, Voyager said that it was contacted by 88 potentially interested buyers and was in “active discussions” with 20.
Who owns the most Voyager crypto?
So, who owns the most Voyager crypto and how is the token distributed?
When Voyager decided to integrate its tokens (VGX and LGO (the native token of a company Voyager acquired) into one, VGX was exchanged for VGX 2.0 (now known as VGX) at a 1:1 rate. LGO’s exchange rate to VGX 2.0 was 6.5356340619:1.
The circulating supply of VGX tokens stood at 222 million. The circulating supply of LGO was over 33 million. Following the token swap, Voyager chose to mint a growth pool of tones on an annual basis to power Voyager Loyalty Program rewards, as well as fund promotional campaigns for new and existing customers.
Hence, 40 million new tokens were minted in the first year since the integration, 20 million will be minted in the second year and 10 million between the third and eight years.
According to data provided by CoinMarketCap, the total and circulating supply of VGX, as of 12 September, surpassed 278 million tokens. The maximum supply stood at 297 million.
Voyager also introduced a new initiative called the Voyager Loyalty Program, which Voyager customers can qualify for by maintaining a number of VGX tokens in their accounts. The programme has three tiers:
Adventurer – customers holding over 500 VGX
Explorer – customers holding over 5,000 VGX
Navigator – customers holding over 20,000 VGX
The more VGX customers stake, the higher they move up these tier categories and the more rewards they earn with each tier.
So, who owns the most Voyager crypto?
Over the last few months, VGX whales have gradually reduced their holdings. However, data revealed by etherscan.io showed that the top 100 VGX token holders, as of 12 September, collectively owned 97.62% of the total supply in circulation.
The website noted that the top account holding the most voyager tokens owned 93.9% of the circulating supply, which amounted to 208 million VGX tokens worth $191m, as of 12 September. According to the website, the account’s address is 0x933bb73de8fcfb74415fbc99561623c593bf3b61.
The second biggest VGX whale owned 1.9% of the total circulating supply, amounting to four million VGX tokens.
The third biggest VGX holder was an account under the address ‘Binance 8’ that held around 0.18% of the total circulating supply, amounting to around 395,757 tokens.
The fourth and fifth biggest voyager coin whales owned around 0.14% of the total circulating supply.
Final thoughts
While knowing who owns voyager crypto may be useful for the coin’s enthusiasts, it shouldn’t be used as a sole reason to trade. Nearly all of the maximum VGX supply is in circulation, as of the time of writing (12 September), which could lead to the possibility of greater volatility. Investors are warned to exercise caution.
According to Invezz’s analyst Crisous Nyaga, “uncertainty about the Voyager collapse and low volume trading could lead to market manipulation.
“The coin’s future is uncertain and it will depend on the outcome of the bankruptcy proceedings. If the firm moves completely out of business, there is a possibility that the VGX token will not survive. On the other hand, if it is acquired, there is a possibility that the coin will continue doing well.”
Anndy Lian, chief digital advisor at the Mongolian Productivity Organisation and the author of NFT: From Zero to Hero, told Capital.com that retail investors are buying VGX based on rumours that the company will be acquired by either Binance or FTX.
“I noted that the current investors are still working very hard promoting in different channels with the hope of making the VGX a more viable choice for new investors and perhaps drawing more attention so that the buyout can complete faster. These are positive signs from the community members who want the token to do well and resume their staking and cashback rewards,” he stressed.
Note that analysts’ predictions and opinions can be wrong. Always conduct your own due diligence before trading. And never invest or trade money you cannot afford to lose.
Anndy Lian is an early blockchain adopter and experienced serial entrepreneur who is known for his work in the government sector. He is a best selling book author- “NFT: From Zero to Hero” and “Blockchain Revolution 2030”.
Currently, he is appointed as the Chief Digital Advisor at Mongolia Productivity Organization, championing national digitization. Prior to his current appointments, he was the Chairman of BigONE Exchange, a global top 30 ranked crypto spot exchange and was also the Advisory Board Member for Hyundai DAC, the blockchain arm of South Korea’s largest car manufacturer Hyundai Motor Group. Lian played a pivotal role as the Blockchain Advisor for Asian Productivity Organisation (APO), an intergovernmental organization committed to improving productivity in the Asia-Pacific region.
An avid supporter of incubating start-ups, Anndy has also been a private investor for the past eight years. With a growth investment mindset, Anndy strategically demonstrates this in the companies he chooses to be involved with. He believes that what he is doing through blockchain technology currently will revolutionise and redefine traditional businesses. He also believes that the blockchain industry has to be “redecentralised”.
