NFT believers question the market as trading venues retreat in 2026

NFT supporters have reopened the debate over the sector’s future on X as Nifty Gateway’s closure, Binance’s centralized marketplace exit, and Magic Eden’s withdrawal from Bitcoin and EVM trading have reduced the services available to collectors.

Mookie’s question, “Do you still believe in NFTs?”, drew responses expressing doubt, loyalty and nostalgia for the period when digital collectibles dominated crypto discussions. Other posts asked whether NFTs were dead or which projects remained undervalued.

The responses ranged from personal attachment to calls for a return to community-led projects. Several users repeated the same question, while others defended NFTs as a foundation for online communities.

NFT community posts mix doubt with loyalty

In one of the posts, FFV wrote that the crypto community on X “was so much better when NFTs were in the spotlight.”

A separate post by AKYLLES defended the sector more directly.

“NFTs are the cornerstone,” the user wrote.

Jayjay said NFTs had changed his life, while Lato asked followers which projects they considered undervalued. Neither post identified a particular collection or transaction supporting those views.

Mookie’s post showed 166 replies, 353 likes, and roughly 16,000 views when captured. Val asked a similar question in an Oct. 21 post, which showed 172 replies and 270 likes.

The posts covered different positions. FFV focused on the social experience around NFTs, AKYLLES argued for their importance, and Lato framed the discussion around valuations. None identified a specific purchase, collection-level sales recovery, or new marketplace launch.

NFT marketplace closures have involved different services

Nifty Gateway confirms that its platform officially closed on April 23, 2026. Customers who still need to withdraw assets can log in to receive assistance.

Its current notice says the company plans to preserve NFT metadata and images on its servers indefinitely. A bulk withdrawal tool remains available for customers with multiple NFTs, and the company says it will continue helping customers move holdings to wallets of their choice.

An earlier Gemini announcement named Feb. 23 as the closing date and placed the platform in withdrawal-only mode. The current website gives the later April date and says the asset-movement deadline has passed.

Gemini said closing Nifty Gateway would allow it to focus on its planned financial super app. The January announcement said NFT support would continue through Gemini Wallet, separating the art platform’s closure from the parent company’s wallet offering.

Binance described its own change as a move toward Binance Wallet. Its official announcement gave holders of transferable NFTs a month from June 3 to move assets to that wallet or another compatible service before access through Binance Exchange ended in July.

Non-transferable NFTs could not be withdrawn. Binance said access to those items would end, with PDF certificates replacing non-transferable certificates issued for completed Binance Academy courses.

Its withdrawal program offered 1 USDC to as many as 100,000 qualifying users who moved eligible non-CR7 NFTs to Binance Wallet through Ethereum or BNB Smart Chain. The qualifying withdrawal period ran from June 3 through June 17.

CR7 holders received separate reimbursement terms covering eligible withdrawals through July 3. Binance said those transfers could go to any compatible wallet, with refunds scheduled before July 19.

Magic Eden retained its Solana business

Magic Eden’s withdrawal involved selected networks and its wallet product. As crypto.news previously reported, the company announced plans in February to end Bitcoin trading and EVM NFT services while continuing to support Solana assets.

The announcement required users of the affected services to move assets before termination dates. Its continued Solana focus separates the company’s decision from Nifty Gateway’s full platform closure.

CEO Jack Lu disclosed the decision on Feb. 27. Support for assets tied to Bitcoin and Ethereum-compatible networks would end in less than two weeks.

September trading included collectibles and gaming

September’s weekly sales figures recorded activity across several categories despite the marketplace exits.

The seven-day CryptoSlam snapshot published Sept. 12 recorded global NFT sales of $46.78 million, up 6.8%, while transactions rose 48.75% to 917,549. Buyer addresses fell to 41,959, with addresses representing wallets rather than confirmed individual people.

Courtyard led collections with $6.67 million across 104,404 transactions. The Polygon-based project represents ownership of physical collectibles held through its platform. Ethereum led blockchain sales at $16.83 million, followed by Bitcoin at $9.44 million.

The Sept. 19 snapshot recorded a different combination. Global sales fell 15.28% to $37.54 million, while transactions dropped 9.08% to 808,432. Buyer addresses rose 174.04% to 114,977.

Courtyard remained the leading collection at $6.3 million, with 123,504 transactions. Its transaction count rose 21.52% even though its dollar sales slipped 0.93%.

Gaming collection Guild of Guardians Heroes generated $986,168 in sales, up 3.5%, across 689 transactions. Panini America recorded $893,356, up 19.27%, through 13,469 transactions.

The same snapshot placed CryptoPunks at $706,667 in sales, down 37.39%, across nine transactions involving eight buyer addresses and nine seller addresses. Ethereum retained the blockchain lead with $15.32 million, while Bitcoin sales fell 53.99% to $4.33 million.