The NFT market is beginning to show signs of recovery after experiencing a sharp decline following the 2021–2022 boom. However, the direction of the industry is expected to shift in the next cycle, with a stronger focus on the tokenization of real-world assets (RWA).

OpenSea Chief Marketing Officer, Adam Hollander, stated that the next wave of NFTs will likely no longer be dominated by speculative profile picture (PFP) collections. In an interview with The Block during the Consensus Miami event, he said NFTs will increasingly be used to represent ownership of real-world assets.

Some examples mentioned include Pokémon trading cards, luxury Rolex watches, digital event tickets, and in-game items. According to Hollander, NFT technology remains relevant because it can serve as an on-chain ownership verification tool for both digital and physical assets.

“It makes sense for assets like collectibles to be tokenized and traded on-chain,” Hollander said.

NFTs Shift From Speculation to Utility

According to Hollander, the biggest change is not in the technology itself, but in the type of assets being used. While the previous NFT cycle was largely driven by speculative digital collectibles, the next phase is expected to focus more on real-world utility.

The concept of tokenizing real-world assets is considered easier for mainstream audiences to understand because it offers clearer functionality. NFTs would no longer function solely as digital collectibles, but also as proof of ownership, access tickets, and representations of high-value physical assets.

This trend also aligns with the growing interest in the crypto industry toward the RWA sector in recent years. Beyond NFTs, real-world asset tokenization is increasingly being applied to bonds, real estate, gold, and other traditional financial instruments.

OpenSea Simplifies Access for Non-Crypto Users

Amid these changing trends, OpenSea has started making adjustments to make its platform easier for mainstream users.

One major change is displaying asset prices in US dollars instead of ETH. The move was made because many new users reportedly struggle to understand crypto price fluctuations when purchasing NFTs.

In addition, the platform has begun supporting payment methods such as Apple Pay to simplify NFT purchases without requiring users to deeply understand blockchain technology.

According to Hollander, this approach is important for expanding NFT adoption beyond the core crypto community.

At the same time, OpenSea continues expanding platform features through its latest OS2 version. The platform now supports cross-chain trading and decentralized exchange (DEX) integration. OpenSea is also reportedly exploring additional features such as tokenized real-world assets, prediction markets, and crypto derivatives trading.

NFT Trading Volume Starts Recovering

Recent market data has started showing increased NFT activity following a prolonged downturn. Based on a report from DappRadar, NFT trading volume in Q3 2025 reached approximately US$1.58 billion.

The number of NFT transactions during the period reached 18.1 million transactions, making it one of the highest transaction counts in NFT market history.

Meanwhile, several industry reports estimate that the global NFT market could reach US$60.82 billion in value by 2026, up from an estimated US$43.08 billion market size in 2025.

Sports NFTs and real-world asset tokenization are said to be among the fastest-growing sectors in recent months. Analysts believe this development indicates that the NFT industry is entering a more mature phase focused on utility and long-term use cases.

NFT Industry Still Seen as Having Strong Potential

Although market activity remains far below the euphoric peak seen several years ago, recent developments suggest NFTs may not have lost their relevance.

The shift in focus from speculation toward utility is considered an important step for the long-term sustainability of the industry. While NFTs were previously associated with high volatility and speculative digital collections, the emerging trend shows the industry moving toward more practical applications integrated with real-world assets and capable of reaching broader audiences.

For industry participants, this shift is also seen as a signal that the future of NFTs may no longer depend solely on hype-driven digital collectibles, but rather on the technology’s ability to support more efficient ownership and trading of assets in the real world.