Blur

Blur is a decentralized NFT marketplace and aggregator launched on the Ethereum mainnet in October 2022. The platform is designed primarily for professional NFT traders, offering advanced features like real-time price feeds, portfolio management tools, and floor-sweeping capabilities. Blur distinguishes itself with its zero-fee structure for NFT sales, though it recommends a default royalty rate of 0.5% for buyers, which can be adjusted or eliminated. The platform updates listings every four seconds and claims to enable 10 times faster sweeping compared to competitors.

Blur's interface allows users to toggle between trader and collector views, providing detailed analytics and charts for the former and a more visual display for the latter. The platform aggregates listings from other marketplaces, including OpenSea and LooksRare, allowing users to compare prices across different platforms. Blur also introduced Blend, a peer-to-peer perpetual lending protocol, in May 2023, enabling users to borrow against their NFTs as collateral.

The platform is governed by the Blur DAO, which oversees decision-making processes regarding fees, fund allocation, and protocol improvements. Blur's native ERC-20 token, BLUR, serves as a governance token and is used to incentivize platform activity through airdrops and rewards programs.

Key customers and partnerships

Blur has quickly gained traction in the NFT space, surpassing OpenSea in trading volume within months of its launch. As of February 2023, Blur made up 64.8% of the NFT market share, with trading activity largely driven by NFT whales. The platform has attracted over 571,000 users since its launch, with an average of over 2,137 trading on Blur every day.

Blur has partnered with Paradigm, a research-driven technology investment firm, to develop its platform and expand into the DeFi space. The collaboration resulted in the creation of Blend, Blur's NFT lending protocol. In terms of notable collections traded on the platform, Blur has facilitated transactions for high-value NFTs from collections such as Bored Ape Yacht Club, CryptoPunks, and Pudgy Penguins.