Gemini’s Nifty Gateway to Shut Down in February, Marking End of Iconic NFT Marketplace

Nifty Gateway, one of the earliest and most influential NFT art marketplaces, will officially cease operations on February 23, 2026, as parent company Gemini winds down the platform and shifts focus toward its broader “super app” vision. Traders and collectors must now withdraw their NFTs and balances before the shutdown deadline. 

Launched in 2020 and acquired by Gemini in late 2019, Nifty Gateway played a central role in the explosive NFT art boom, hosting landmark drops from top digital creators and celebrities. It was among the first marketplaces to make NFTs accessible to mainstream audiences by supporting credit card purchases and positional custodial wallets, lowering barriers for new collectors. 

Over its run, the platform became synonymous with high-profile digital art moments and major sales that helped bring NFTs into popular culture — from iconic works by artists like Beeple to celebrity collections — contributing significantly to early on-chain art adoption. 

In a statement, Gemini said that while it is “incredibly proud” of Nifty Gateway’s contribution to the NFT ecosystem, the closure allows the company to refocus resources on unified products and expand NFT support through other parts of its business, such as the Gemini Wallet, which will continue to support non-fungible asset custody. 

The wind-down comes amid a prolonged decline in NFT trading volumes and platform activity following the 2021-2022 boom, with several other marketplaces having scaled back or shuttered operations as the market matured and users migrated toward decentralized, wallet-controlled platforms. 

For collectors and artists who used the marketplace, this marks the end of a pioneering era in digital art — one that helped shape how creators and collectors engage with blockchain-based ownership. Users are being urged to withdraw assets now, as withdrawal processes may take time before the final shutdown in late February.