NFT marketplace Blur to shut down blur.io website, halt new Blend loans November 12
In brief
- Blur said its blur.io frontend will be deprecated on November 12, 2026.
- Blend, Blur's peer-to-peer NFT lending platform, will stop matching new loans the same day.
- Marketplace protocol stays on-chain and BLUR holders keep the fee switch, Blur says.
- Monthly NFT sales volume fell to $167.2 million in September, CryptoSlam data show.
What's shutting down (and what isn't)
The deprecation applies only to the blur.io frontend, Blur said. It's not a protocol shutdown, at least by the team's own account. Blur says its marketplace protocol will remain operational on-chain, and holders of the BLUR token will continue to control its fee switch.
"This deprecation only applies to the frontend."
Blend users are on a clock. Borrowers have until November 12 to repay their loans or allow them to default, according to Decrypt, and Blur said it'll provide a tool afterward to help users withdraw their assets from Blend.
A rough stretch for NFTs
Blur launched in 2022 with a token airdrop to traders and quickly overtook OpenSea in trading volume. Critics later questioned whether its incentives helped crash NFT prices.
The wider market sits far below its highs. Statista projects global NFT market revenue at $318.3 million in 2026, essentially flat on last year and well below the 2021 and 2022 peaks. CryptoSlam data show monthly NFT sales volume fell to $167.2 million in September, down from $554.8 million a year earlier and $1.78 billion in December 2023.
Fewer dollars, more trades? That's roughly the picture from DappRadar, which said cheaper NFTs have driven up sales counts even as trading volume has fallen.
Blast is winding down too
The Blur team's other big project is closing as well. Blast, the Ethereum layer-2 network launched in November 2023 by the team behind Blur, said earlier this month that it's shutting down because it cost more to run than it earned, as reported by Decrypt. The network drew more than $2.3 billion in deposits by its February 2024 mainnet launch.
Blast has given users until October 26 to withdraw through its interface.
Frequently asked questions
Will the Blur protocol keep working after November 12?
Blur says yes. The team said the deprecation applies only to the blur.io frontend, and that its marketplace protocol will remain operational on-chain, with BLUR token holders continuing to control its fee switch.
What happens to Blend loans when Blur shuts its website?
Blend, Blur's peer-to-peer NFT lending platform, will stop matching new loans on November 12. Borrowers have until then to repay their loans or allow them to default, and Blur said it will provide a tool afterward to help users withdraw their assets from Blend.
