U.S. tech giant Meta is giving up on operations with non-fungible tokens (NFTs) amid ongoing turbulence in the crypto space. The company allowed creators to share digital collectibles on its leading social media platforms last year.
Meta Platforms Cutting Off Support for Non-Fungible Tokens
California-based technology conglomerate Meta is winding down support for digital collectibles on its platforms. The company owns social media networks Facebook and Instagram to which it introduced NFTs less than a year ago.
Meta provided the option to share non-fungible tokens amid the growing popularity of this type of digital asset, with sales reaching billions of U.S. dollars, Reuters noted in a report. However, crypto markets were hurt by the bankruptcy of major players like the FTX exchange, later in 2022.
The move regarding NFTs, part of the tech giant’s decision to adjust its priorities and seek efficiency, was announced by Stephane Kasriel, head of Commerce and Financial Technologies at Meta. On Monday, he tweeted:
Some product news: across the company, we’re looking closely at what we prioritize to increase our focus. We’re winding down digital collectibles (NFTs) for now to focus on other ways to support creators, people, and businesses.
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— Stephane Kasriel (@skasriel) March 13, 2023
Kasriel assured that the firm will continue supporting NFT creators using Instagram and Facebook in other areas and emphasized that creating opportunities for them to connect with fans and monetize remains a priority.
“And we’ll continue investing in fintech tools that people and businesses will need for the future. We’re streamlining payments w/ Meta Pay, making checkout & payouts easier, and investing in messaging payments across Meta,” he elaborated.
The end of the NFT support comes after last year when Meta’s Novi digital wallet was shut down, and the assets of the Meta-backed cryptocurrency project Diem were sold to Silvergate Capital, the parent company of Silvergate Bank. The latter is one of three U.S. banks, two of them crypto-focused, the recent collapse of which affected the situation in the crypto market as well.
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