One of the hottest areas in cryptocurrency is non-fungible tokens, or NFTs. These are unique digital assets that can represent a variety of things, from virtual art to collectibles to virtual goods for games and other platforms. NFTs have become popular partly because they can be sold for real money, but also because people have realized that unique digital objects can be interesting and cool, and sometimes have a monetary value of their own.

NFTs can be purchased from online marketplaces that accept cryptocurrencies, or directly from the creator of the NFT, known as minting it. The prices of NFTs are set in the currency used on the blockchain where they’re registered, typically Ethereum (ETH) but other blockchains like Solana (SOL), Tezos (XTZ) and Flow (FLOW) support NFT transactions too. If a buyer doesn’t have the correct cryptocurrency, they can purchase it on an exchange before buying the NFT.

Then, the NFT is added to a blockchain record and a unique token is created that represents your ownership of the item. The blockchain is immutable, so once someone owns an NFT it’s impossible to undo that transaction. It’s also a permissionless process, meaning that anyone can buy or sell an NFT without the creator’s permission. The Ethereum blockchain also never goes down, so your NFT is always available to be bought or sold.

When a NFT becomes popular, it can increase in value over time as more and more of them are purchased or traded. When this happens, the original creator usually gets a cut of that revenue, and the platform where it’s held might get a small portion too. For example, when someone purchased a CryptoKitties NFT for $170,000, the original creator got 10 percent of the sale price.

Some NFTs are part of communities that give their owners access to benefits or privileges, like the ability to vote on future changes to a game or exclusive merchandise or tickets to virtual meetups. These communities can make owning a particular NFT more than just an investment — it can become an identity and a way to socialize with others in the same niche.

There’s a wide variety of NFTs available to consumers at the moment, from virtual art made by upcoming and well-known artists to in-game items that can be used to unlock unique abilities. Collectors have been flocking to this new area of the crypto space, with some purchasing hundreds or even thousands of NFTs at a time.

Whether an NFT is worth investing in depends on a lot of factors, including the quality and popularity of the creator behind it and whether there’s a large enough market for what they’re selling. Then there are the risks, as with any investment, including the possibility of losing your entire stake. But if you approach NFTs with caution and do your research, they can be an exciting addition to your cryptocurrency portfolio.