New York City receives the world's first NFT vending machines

Neon, a NFT marketplace and gallery built upon Solana, recently launched the first NFT vending machine in the world. It is located just off Wall Street in New York.

The machine is available 24/7 to facilitate NFT purchases without the need for cryptocurrency, crypto wallets, or any special knowledge.

What does it mean?

The unique vending machine is located in the Big Apple's Financial District and accepts USD debit and credit cards. It is said to give out a box with a code that identifies the NFT purchased. This code can then be used on the Neon platform.

stated that the company's goal was to support artists and creators, allowing them to sell digital art to everyone and helping anyone who wants it to become a collector.

Birnholtz says:

"NFT buying or selling doesn't have to be complicated and you shouldn’t be required to hold Ethereum and write a smartcontract, pay gas costs, bridge blockchains, or write a smartcontract to participate."

According to the CMO, Neon wanted "to engage the broadest possible audience", which means decoupling cryptocurrency and NFT participation.

NFT artists can reach new collectors

He stated that while only 2% of Americans own digital wallets, 80% own a credit or debit card. This suggests that there is a larger NFT market, which extends beyond crypto-savvy users.

Birnholtz noted that this means a 40-fold increase of market reach for NFT artists, which will significantly expand their customer base.

"We want digital artists and creators to be empowered. Their work is often undervalued as it's not tangible in the traditional sense. Selling digital art is easier than selling physical art. Creators can make NFTs from their existing content, or new material. We want them on Neon," he said, appealing to NFT artists.

Neon, a marketplace built on the Solana blockchain is proud to be an environmentally-friendly one.

Birnholtz stated, "We wanted to embrace blockchain that's quick, green, and meets demand on a global scale." He also pointed out that all Neon transactions are carbon-neutral thanks to offsets purchased from the Solana Foundation.