NFT-Collateralizing South African Startup Raises $5 Million in Latest Seed Round
A South African startup, NFTfi, is reported to have recently raised $5 million which the company intends to use for boosting its business of collateralizing non-fungible tokens (NFTs). Cryptocurrency Loan Marketplace
According to a Techcrunch report, NFTfi’s $5 million capital raise was led by U.S. actor Ashton Kutcher’s Sound Ventures. The other investors that participated in the funding round include Maven 11, Scalar Capital, and Kleiner Perkins.
The company, which was founded by Stephen Young in February 2020, already acts as a marketplace where users can get a cryptocurrency loan on their NFTs and offer loans to borrowers against their NFTs. By collateralizing their tokens, NFT holders will be able to unlock liquidity without selling, the report explained.
Since facilitating its first loan in May 2020, NFTfi claims to have seen more than 1,500 such transactions take place on its platform. Pricing Dynamics
The report quotes Young explaining how the lending and borrowing process starts and what happens if a borrower defaults. In the same report, Young also outlines the dynamics in pricing between lenders and borrowers on NFTfi. He said: Lenders want to have some room between the price of the asset and how much they lend. This is because in the case where somebody defaults, they need to be able to sell it for less than market value, and the price might have dropped in between. So that’s why they need such a big buffer between the loan value and the value of the actual asset.
Although 20% of borrowing on the NFTfi platform gets defaulted on, these are mainly lower-value loans, Young revealed. According to the NFTfi founder, this happens primarily because high-value NFTs are pretty exclusive and hard to come by. Users will thus fund loans that they hope the borrower will default on and therefore surrender the NFTs.
The top NFT loans on NFTfi span across popular digital collectibles on the Ethereum blockchain and these include Art Blocks, Bored Ape Yacht Club, Cryptopunks, Autoglyphs, Meebits, and Vee Friends. Tags in this story Art Blocks, Ashton Kutcher, Bored Ape Yacht Club, defaulting on debt, Ethereum blockchain, NFT collateral, NFTfi, NFTs
What’s your view on this story? Tell us what you think in the comments section below. Games Coins, Defi Tokens, Metaverse Assets Rise Above Market Downturn With Double-Digit Gains DEFI | 2 days ago While the Value Locked in Defi Soars, Dozens of Dapps Leverage Cross-Chain Support DEFI | Nov 7, 2021
Image Credits: Shutterstock, Pixabay, Wiki Commons Previous articleKucoin Labs Launches $100 Million Metaverse Investment Fund Next articleLiquid Craft to Launch 1500 Liquor Backed NFTs on ETH and BSC 23rd Nov Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only. It is not a direct offer or solicitation of an offer to buy or sell, or a recommendation or endorsement of any products, services, or companies. Bitcoin.com does not provide investment, tax, legal, or accounting advice. Neither the company nor the author is responsible, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with the use of or reliance on any content, goods or services mentioned in this article. Read disclaimerShow comments More Popular NewsIn Case You Missed ItHong Kong Company Onedegree to Offer Insurance for Cryptocurrencies
Onedegree, a virtual insurer based in Hong Kong, will provide insurance services for digital assets as part of a partnership with a local cryptocurrency exchange. By working together, the two firms hope to alleviate concerns discouraging potential investors from entering ... read more.Bitcoin’s Hashrate Soars 42% Higher Over the Last 3 Months Following Crypto Asset’s 36% Price Increase 13,000 BTC Moved in 20 Months — 2010 Mystery Miner Transfers Another String of 20 Decade-Old Block Rewards Over 3 Million Customers Can Earn Bitcoin Points Dining at 500 Restaurants via Landry"s Rewards Program Bank of England Governor Warns Crypto Is Providing Means of Payment for Criminals