Benzinga, a media and data provider bridging the gap between retail and institutional investors, will hold its first NFT Investments Listmaker Event on Feb. 23, 2022. It is a free virtual event featuring inspirational speakers and innovative companies in the NFT space.

This NFT event will recognize the most innovative companies creating and promoting in the NFT space, creating new opportunities for people to express themselves and invest in the next big thing in the digital arts and collectibles space. The virtual event will be filled with insights into the exceptional NFT market in 2022, brought to you by innovators in the space.

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This year’s NFT Listmakers have made major contributions to the industry either by introducing new NFT projects to the market or by making these investments more accessible to the everyday investor.

The event will be broadcast live on Benzinga’s YouTube channel starting at 9 a.m. EST on Wednesday, Feb. 23, 2022.

“Benzinga is dedicated to creating a smarter, better-informed class of investors with the best content for fintech. NFTs were such a stunning runaway market in 2021 — clearly this form of digital ownership is here to stay despite any market setbacks,” said Luke Jacobi, Director of Operations for Benzinga.

“We want to take this opportunity to recognize those who are really adding to the space and give our audience the chance to hear insights into this explosive new asset from the people who are making the projects happen.”

Benzinga congratulates the creators and companies recognized as Benzinga Listmakers and thanks everyone who is advancing the NFT space.

This year’s official 2022 Benzinga NFT Investments Listmakers include the following. Lists are alphabetical, not in order of importance. Lists reflect dominant players in the space and those whose contributions make them emerging leaders in the NFT world.

Top NFT Exchanges

• Crypto.com – One of the OGs in the crypto and NFT space, Crypto.com claims to be the fastest-growing crypto app – and they have leaned in hard in the last 12 months with media tie-ins and special drops to attract buyers.
• Dapper Labs – Brought us NBA Top Shots, a project that grabbed mainstream attention and brought it squarely to NFT sports collectibles.
• FTX – “Built by Traders for Traders”, FTX prioritized NFTs in 2021. FTX had a recent significant fundraise and is now valued at $8 billion, with partnerships including Coachella and Tom Brady.
• OpenSea – In early 2021, OpenSea’s still had competition for the dominant exchange in the space. By the end of 2021, OpenSea’s leader position seemed understood with creators posting their work on OpenSea in addition to any other platforms where they officially launch.
• Looksrare – Offering rewards for purchasing on their platform, Looksrare was a breakout success in the first quarter of 2022 and became the second-largest NFT marketplace by sales volume.
• Nifty Gateway – They moved to a broader form of curation in 2021, but have used its new flexibility to make a steady stream of drops, making it a standout for many buyers and a strong player in the secondary market.
• Rarible was competing with OpenSea for the top marketplace spot until just a year ago, but their star has still continued to rise and they introduced an open API in 2021 that will have an aggregate effect on how marketplaces are integrated and is an excellent way for their platform to expand.

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Top NFT Promoters

• Farokh – Farokh is an expert at starting and hyping NFT social communities and a virtual legend on socials. He continues to hype the crowd from 2021 to 2022 and he still loves Cool Cats.
• Gary Vee / VaynerNFT – Gary “Vee” Vaynerchuk did his research and became one of the leading NFT advocates in the blockchain community and to the world at large. VaynerNFT is not quite a year old, but with leadership from Avery Akkineni, the agency has been supporting VeeFriends while dropping a steady stream of major brand tie-ins, with partners like Pepsi and Budweiser. They are unique in touching so many parts of the industry, and no agency is in the position VaynerNFT is to roll out new brands.
• Hunter Orrell – NFT influencer and YouTuber. He’s also a creator and proclaimed investor in Looksrare.
• Ja Rule – If you have been sleeping on Ja Rule and NFTs, time to check his Twitter feed. Ja is still creating, launching NFTs, doing TV appearances and shows on his ICONN app. Ja isn’t just bringing mainstream fame to NFTs (lots of people are doing that), he’s bringing the force of nature that is his creative drive to the Wild West of NFTs, and it’s a net gain for the space.
• Zeneca – Zeneca’s path to NFT truth has taken them from a writer, thinker and social influencer in the space to Zen Academy, a token access learning platform.

Top NFT Projects
This category is for the many creators who define the space and push its boundaries, showing us the limitless potential of NFTs and digital ownership that makes digital communities.

• Art Blocks
• Axie Infinity: Sky Mavis
• Beatclub
• BAYC: Yuga Labs
• CloneX (RTFKT)
• Cool Cats
• CryptoPunks: Larva Labs
• CyberKongz
• Doodles
• Michael Wagner
• The Sandbox
• Sneaky Vampire Syndicate
• VeeFriends
• World of Women

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