Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Thursday, Oct 02, 2025

Non-fungible tokens explained – and why some are worth millions

Non-fungible tokens explained – and why some are worth millions

Recently there have been reports of artworks selling for millions of dollars – but those who buy it aren’t getting anything physical – they are getting a unique digital token known as NFTs

If you’ve heard the word NFT, or the phrase non-fungible token, and not had a clue what was going on, you’re not the only one.

Before 2021 it was a relatively rare term to hear, but in recent months it’s becoming increasingly common to hear it spoken about in relation to digital artwork being sold for millions.

NFTs are the latest craze from the world of cryptocurrency.

Christie’s auction house sold the first ever NFT artwork for a whopping $69m (£50m) this week – but the winning bidder will not receive anything physical.

Similarly, an online sale of NFTs by digital artist Pak fetched a massive $16.8million (£12.2million) at Sotheby’s. This included an image of a single pixel for $1.26million (£987,000).

Chris Torres, creator of Nyan Cat, sold his iconic meme for roughly $590,000 earlier this year


Instead, they will get a unique digital token known as an NFT. Confused? Don’t worry, we will do our best to explain.

What is an NFT?


NFT stands for non-fungible token, and is the latest cryptocurrency phenomenon to go mainstream.

In economics, a fungible asset is something with units that can be readily interchanged, like money. For example, you can swap a £20 note for two £10 notes and have the same value.

If something is non-fungible, it means that it has unique properties and can’t be interchanged with something else.


In relatively simple terms, NFTs are “one-of-a-kind” assets in the digital world, that can be sold like anything else.

NFTs can take the form of digital artwork, GIFs, tweets, virtual trading cards, music, virtual real estate and more.

They transform digital works of art and other collectibles into verifiable assets that can easily be traded on the blockchain.

These digital tokens can be thought of as certificates of ownerships for virtual or physical assets.

How do NFTs work?


No physical object changes hands, because NFTs exist exclusively in digital form.

As with crypto-currency, a blockchain (digital record) acts as a public ledger to verify ownership status.

Critics argue that these digital works can be copied and shared, and experts say that this is no different than to in the physical world.

A copy of any artwork is not the original.

The buyer of an NFT owns a “token” which proves only they have the “original” work.

Why are NFTs worth so much money?


In theory, anyone can tokenise their “one-of-a-kind” work as an NFT.

Art-collector Pablo Rodriquez-Fraile thinks the NFT boom has been accelerated by the coronavirus pandemic, but that ultimately it would have happened anyway.

He told Insider: “People have long used art to store value. Crypto extends easily into digital art.

“This is just a more modern approach to investing in art and using it like someone would use gold or bitcoin.”

Billionaire Mark Cuban told Insider that one of the reasons people pay so much is because NFTs are about scarcity.

He told Insider: “The buyer knows how many will be made and has blockchain proof of ownership.”

Experts who spoke to The Hustle also believe a boom in cryptocurrency in general has also generated interest in digital assets.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
Nvidia and Abu Dhabi’s TII Launch First AI-&-Robotics Lab in the Middle East
UK, Canada, and Australia Officially Recognise Palestine in Historic Shift
New Eye Drops Show Promise in Replacing Reading Glasses for Presbyopia
Dubai Property Boom Shows Strain as Flippers Get Buyer’s Remorse
Top AI Researchers Are Heading Back to China as U.S. Struggles to Keep Pace
JWST Data Brings TRAPPIST-1e Closer to Earth-Like Habitability
UAE-US Stargate Project Poised to Make Abu Dhabi a Global AI Powerhouse
Trump and Starmer Clash Over UK Recognition of Palestinian State Amid State Visit
Saudi Arabia cracks down on music ‘lounges’ after conservative backlash
Saudi Arabia Signs ‘Strategic Mutual Defence’ Pact with Pakistan, Marking First Arab State to Gain Indirect Access to Nuclear Strike Capabilities in the Region
Sam Altman sells the 'Wedding Estate' in Hawaii for 49 million dollars
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
Kuwait opens bidding for construction of three cities to ease housing crunch.
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Did the Houthis disrupt the internet in the Middle East? Submarine cables cut in the Red Sea
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Iran Faces Escalating Water Crisis as Protests Spread
More Than Half a Million Evacuated as Typhoon Kajiki Heads for Vietnam
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Cristiano Ronaldo Makes Surprise Stop at New Hong Kong Museum
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
×