Bitcoin

In the non-fungible token (NFT) space, OKX’s NFT marketplace has emerged as the leader in daily trading volume, surpassing long-standing frontrunners such as OpenSea, Blur and Magic Eden.
According to <a href="https://dappradar.com/rankings/nft/marketplaces" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">data</a> from decentralized applications (DApp) tracker DappRadar, on Dec. 18, the OKX NFT Marketplace had recorded a 24-hour trading volume of $50 million. In more recent trading, that has reduced to around $35 million. Nevertheless, it maintains its lead over its main competitors, whose combined 24-hour trading volume stands at approximately $24 million.
<h2 id="header-0">Ordinals driving volume uptick</h2>
The surge in trading volume can be attributed to OKX’s support for Bitcoin Ordinals NFTs and BRC-20 tokens. Notably, the NFT transaction volume on Bitcoin experienced a substantial increase, reaching $121.8 million between Dec. 10 and Dec. 17.
Unlike traditional NFTs, Ordinals do not rely on smart contracts pointing to a digital asset. Described as digital artifacts by developer Casey Rodarmor, they lack smart contract features, making their trading reliant on decentralized exchanges and wallets.
The Ordinals protocol has been made possible by the Bitcoin Taproot upgrade, which was implemented in November 2021. The upgrade allows digital files to be inscribed on satoshis, the smallest monetary denomination on the Bitcoin network, each with a unique number or ordinal.
<h2 id="header-1">Strategic focus on BRC-20</h2>
The OKX NFT Marketplace’s strategic focus on the BRC-20 token standard has also played a role in its success. Collaborating with UniSat, a developer of Ordinals wallets, OKX created an indexing mechanism for BRC-20 transactions built on ordinal inscriptions, further solidifying its position in the market.
The Ordinals protocol has not been without controversy, with some, including Adam Back, CEO of Blockstream, <a href="https://x.com/adam3us/status/1619824591580598272?s=20" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">criticizing</a> it as a misuse of Bitcoin transaction blockspace. Despite the controversy, Ordinals have gained momentum, contributing to $367 million in sales volume on the Bitcoin network, surpassing Ethereum and Solana.
Ordinals and the BRC-20 standard have generally been a boon for Bitcoin miners, boosting their revenues through increased fees. This incentivizes miners to secure the network. Over 49 million transactions have resulted in over 2,250 BTC in transaction fees. Around 6 p.m. UTC on Monday, bitcoin fees are<a href="https://x.com/WhaleWire/status/1736807782236713453?s=20" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow"> averaging out</a> at $38.43 per transaction.
Beyond Bitcoin Ordinals, the broader NFT space has seen a resurgence, with the collective volume nearing $1 billion in November. During that month, the average value of NFT transactions experienced a notable 114% increase, rising from $126 to $270. This suggests a willingness among users to engage in higher-value trades compared to previous months.
Speaking with The Block, Nick Ruck, COO of ContentFi Labs, a community-owned Web3 tool suite, had <a href="https://www.theblock.co/post/268019/okx-nft-volume-blur-opensea-bitcoin-ordinals" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">this</a> to say on the development:
“OKX has become the number one NFT marketplace after enabling trading of BTC Ordinals NFTs. Blur and OpenSea have not yet allowed trading of these Bitcoin-based NFTs, so they’ve started to fall behind in terms of volume due to the huge demand of Ordinals.”

OKX NFT Marketplace hits the front on trading volume

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CoinNess Global

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