Catenaa, Friday, May 22, 2026-OpenSea’s chief marketing officer said tokenized Pokémon cards, Rolex watches and digital tickets could drive the next wave of NFT adoption as the industry moves away from speculative trading that dominated the market boom of 2021 and 2022.
Adam Hollander made the comments during an interview at Consensus Miami, where he argued that NFTs still remain useful technology for proving ownership of digital and physical assets despite the sharp collapse in prices for collections such as Bored Apes and CryptoPunks.
Hollander said the next NFT cycle may look very different from the previous boom, which pushed the market above $16 billion during its peak.
Hollander said tokenizing collectible assets “makes nothing but sense,” particularly for trading cards, luxury watches and gaming items.
He said future NFT growth may come from practical uses rather than speculative trading behavior that previously dominated the market.
According to Hollander, many buyers during the earlier NFT surge treated digital assets like short-term gambling instruments instead of ownership technology.
He said future adoption may center on assets people genuinely want to own and trade.
The OpenSea executive also pointed to digital event tickets and AI-generated digital content as possible growth areas.
AI Expands Access
Hollander said advances in artificial intelligence are lowering barriers for people creating digital art, animations and games.
He argued that easier creation tools may accelerate NFT adoption because more users can build online assets without advanced technical skills.
The NFT industry has struggled to recover after crypto market declines erased billions of dollars in value from digital collectibles and profile-picture projects.
Trading activity across major NFT marketplaces dropped sharply after speculative demand faded and broader crypto prices weakened.
Still, some companies continue pushing tokenization models tied to real-world assets and digital ownership verification.
OpenSea Broadens Platform
Hollander said OpenSea is trying to evolve into a broader platform allowing users to manage crypto assets, NFTs and collectibles across multiple wallets and blockchains.
He added that simplifying onboarding remains a major priority for attracting mainstream users.
The company has introduced payment options similar to Apple Pay and now displays prices in dollar terms instead of cryptocurrency values.
Hollander said mainstream buyers may better understand a $20 Pokémon card than a fractional ether price.
He also addressed questions surrounding OpenSea’s delayed SEA token launch.
Hollander said decisions surrounding the token remain with the OpenSea Foundation and warned that tokens launched purely as speculative memecoins fail to deliver long-term value.
The comments come as NFT companies search for new growth models after the collapse of speculative digital collectible markets that once dominated crypto trading activity.
