Launched in October 2022, Blur rapidly became the top choice for NFT trading, tailored for high-volume transactions with no fees and flexible royalties. It features advanced analytics for portfolio management and introduced Blend, a P2P lending service using NFTs as collateral for ETH loans, providing fixed rates for borrowers and yield opportunities for lenders.

While the NFT hype evaporated in the bear market, the BendDAO team kept their heads down and focused on building new products. By launching the first peer-to-pool lending solution, they solved the liquidity friction plaguing the holders seeking to unlock value inside their NFTs. BendDAO never abandoned niche communities that supported early development. The platform offers liquidity access to smaller artists alongside blue-chip collections.

Our next nominee, Immutable, enhanced gaming access in two key ways: by eliminating transaction fees with zkEVM technology and by simplifying entry with the Passport wallet, which allows familiar login methods. Partnerships with gaming companies enhanced the blockchain gaming experience.