POAP digital attendance NFT platform to cease operations

The Proof of Attendance Protocol (POAP), a blockchain‑based service that issues event‑attendance NFTs, announced on August 3 that it will shut down. Co‑founder and general manager Isabel Gonzalez posted the decision on X, explaining that the crypto‑industry’s funding cycles and market dynamics made a sustainable business model impossible. POAP had been placed in a maintenance mode in March, halting new issuers while keeping existing tools active.

During its five‑year run, POAP issued roughly 7.6 million collectibles through more than 46,000 issuers, partnering with organisations such as Coinbase, American Express, Warner Music Group and Bayer. Notable initiatives included a large‑scale issuance at the Ethereum Devcon conference and the “Airport Rally” program that let travelers collect POAPs at airports worldwide. All tokens remain on the public blockchain, so the collectibles will persist after the service ends.