NFT marketplace tokens soar in 2023, and Blur’s recent airdrop may extend the trend

Cumulative NFT trading volume trended higher in January and data from a recent Delphi Digital report showed monthly volumes reaching an eight-month high above $1 billion.

The key factor that influenced NFT trading was Blur token airdrop on Feb. 14. Since its launch last year in Q3 2022, Blur has rewarded users with “care packages,” which can be redeemed for tokens starting Feb. 14 at 12 p.m. EST.

Many users have tried to farm these airdrops, increasing the platform’s trading volume. Since the start of 2023, Blur’s trading volume has surpassed that of OpenSea, the market leader in the NFT trading space.

Airdrops often create excitement in the market of thrilled users who receive free money and FOMO from those who missed out. It’s likely that the next step for the Blur team will be to launch new liquidity mining campaigns, similar to Optimism, to retain its volume and users. Moreover, users will also move onto other opportunities in the space, similar to Blur. 

On-chain data shows whales are accumulating NFT tokens 

The top NFT trading platforms on Ethereum with a native token are LooksRare and X2Y2. The year-to-date increase in the price of their tokens is 100% and 260%, respectively. The tokens have outperformed the market’s average gain, suggesting buyers are paying more attention to these tokens.

Independent on-chain analyst, The Data Nerd found that Taureon Capital is accumulating NFT marketplace tokens. Ethereum wallets identified as “smart money” by Nansen have also significantly increased holdings of X2Y2 and LOOKS. It shows a rising trend among sophisticated investors toward NFT marketplace tokens.

Let’s look at each platform more closely: 

X2Y2

X2Y2 ranks third concerning NFT trading volumes on Ethereum. The platform launched its token in February 2022 and has since seen steady usage. It distributes the platform’s trading fees among X2Y2 stakers and incentivizes trading through X2Y2 incentives.

The platform has a price-to-earnings ratio of around 14, which is in the lower range of other DeFi tokens whose PE ranges between 10 and 250.

Recently, 37.5 million LOOKS tokens, representing 17% of the circulating supply, were unlocked for the developing team and treasury at the start of February. The team reassured investors, claiming, “the X2Y2 team will NOT sell any token from this upcoming unlock or…