Polygon surpasses Ethereum in NFT sales and buyers, driven by the Courtyard project and growing layer-2 solutions - IcoHolder.

The NFT market is witnessing a significant shift as sales on the Polygon blockchain have surpassed those on Ethereum for the first time. According to data from CryptoSlam, Polygon's NFT sales hit $22.1 million in the seven days leading up to April 22, narrowly edging out Ethereum, which recorded $21.8 million in weekly sales.

In addition to surpassing Ethereum in total sales, Polygon also outpaced its competitor in the number of individual buyers. Over the past week, 39,027 buyers purchased NFTs on Polygon, marking an 81.61% increase in buyer activity. In contrast, Ethereum saw 36,544 buyers.

A major driver behind Polygon’s growth is the Courtyard project, a real-world asset (RWA) initiative that integrates NFTs. Courtyard contributed a significant $20 million in sales during the past week, accounting for nearly all of Polygon’s NFT volume. On April 22 alone, the project recorded $2.746 million in sales. Courtyard focuses on physical trading cards, such as rare baseball, basketball, and Pokémon cards, with each card linked to an NFT on the Polygon network. The project also offers a virtual vending machine that allows users to collect random cards, further fueling its popularity.

The rise of Polygon’s NFT market, especially through Courtyard, mirrors the growing trend of layer-2 networks gaining traction at Ethereum’s expense. This shift has sparked criticism from some Ethereum holders, who argue that the Ethereum network is losing too much value to these layer-2 solutions.