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    The Concept: Fungibility, Cryptocurrencies, and the Blockchain

    In 2022, when I first wrote this article, NFTs were facing a boom fueled by the buying and selling of JPEG images (such as the famous bored apes). The market didn't know exactly how to use the feature usefully, believing that the technology only served to create speculative value from scratch. But the true power of NFTs was only unlocked when we started linking real assets of high value to smart contracts.

    The Difference between FT and NFT

    To understand the market, you need to differentiate Fungible Tokens (FT) from Non-Fungible Tokens (NFT). Fungibility is the ability of an asset to be exchanged for another equal one without loss or change in value. A 100-dollar bill is fungible: you can exchange it for another 100-dollar bill, and the value remains identical. Digital currencies like Bitcoin, Ethereum, or Stablecoins (like USDT) are examples of fungible assets, used as stable mediums of exchange to transact value on the network (essential to "mint" or create NFTs with predictable fees).

    A physical work of art, such as the Mona Lisa, is not fungible. There is no other Mona Lisa. An NFT (Non-Fungible Token) digitally represents this exclusivity on the Blockchain. What the NFT brings is the cryptographic, public, and immutable signature that that file (or the right associated with it) belongs exclusively to a wallet, without depending on central registries.

    How the Chain (Blockchain) Works

    Every time you buy, sell, or transfer an NFT, this action is recorded in a block on the network (Blockchain). Smart contracts are simply auto-executable lines of code within these blocks. If the rules established in the contract are met, the transaction occurs automatically. This guarantees monumental stability, eliminating the risks of traditional defaults.

    1. Wallet (MetaMask)

    Connects the wallet and provides funds (FT Cryptocurrencies).

    2. Marketplace (OpenSea)

    Chooses the NFT and signs the intention to purchase or bid.

    3. Smart Contract

    Validates balance, executes royalties, and transfers the digital asset.

    4. Blockchain

    Transaction recorded. Property mathematically guaranteed.

    Step by Step: Wallets and Sales Models

    To interact with this chain, every user needs a Wallet (Digital Wallet). Unlike a bank where money is held by third parties, the wallet ensures that you hold possession of your private keys. MetaMask is the most famous example: it functions as your passport to Web 3.0. It is through it that you approve contracts and custody your assets (coins and NFTs).

    Buying and selling takes place on decentralized global storefronts, such as OpenSea. There are two classic ways to transact an asset in these marketplaces:

    • Direct Purchase: The creator sets a fixed price, you send the coins via MetaMask, the Smart Contract executes the exchange, and the NFT goes immediately to your wallet.
    • Auction: The asset enters with a minimum bid. The network accepts offers until the time runs out, guaranteeing maximum transparency in the price dispute process.
    The New Era of the Internet

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    Shinier Projects in 2023: Fractional Operations and Royalties

    In 2023, Shinier worked on pioneering projects to transform operational models using fractionability (dividing an asset into thousands of pieces) and automatic royalties (programming percentage transfers to the creator with each secondary resale).

    Music Market and Auctions

    The first project consisted of linking smart contracts to musicians' royalties. The idea was to make it easier for small artists to release their music through an auction market, raising initial capital with their community.

    We managed to conduct a successful auction with proof of concept. Unfortunately, the project did not go forward due to the lack of investment from the majority partners (Shinier closed the project due to breach of contract by these partners). Still, it proved that decentralizing music funding is 100% viable.

    Football Passes

    The second project focused on football players. The idea was to tokenize and link the player's pass to an NFT, allowing fractionability. The player, right at the beginning of his career, would have control to sell his fractional pass to fans, investors, and automatically divide it with the team and promoters.

    Thanks to integrated royalties, if the player, due to inexperience, sold all of his pass early, the smart contract would guarantee him a percentage of any future resale transaction in the secondary market. The project was designed and negotiated with a club with a strong youth academy in southern Brazil, but they backed out due to the traditional board's lack of confidence in the technology.

    Linking Real Assets is the Future: The Art Case in 2026

    The third project is the consolidation of why we are updating this article in 2026. It consists of linking physical and highly valuable works of art to NFTs.

    How it works: The original artwork remains physical and securely stored in the vault of a reputable gallery or curation. Meanwhile, the NFT associated with the artwork floats in the market. Buyers seeking profit can transact and execute auctions in seconds, generating astronomical liquidity without involving logistics, shipping, or risk of damage to the physical piece.

    This dance of ownership occurs on the blockchain in a traceable way until it reaches the final buyer who decides to "liquidate" or redeem the artwork to compose their private collection or set up an exhibition. The project remains in full force and under secrecy with an American partner, running its daily auctions in a robust and decentralized manner.

    Today, the news confirms: institutional giants in 2026 have embraced blockchain technology not for image speculation, but for the immutable and efficient infrastructure of transacting physical properties of high value (Real Estate, Artworks, Commodities). The future of Web 3.0 is not drawing apes; it's ensuring that trust is codified.

    Modern art gallery representing the integration of the physical world of high value into digital tokens

    The Engineering Behind NFTs: Understanding ERC Standards

    The magic of Web3 happens through global code standards. If your startup wants to tokenize assets, choosing the correct ERC (Ethereum Request for Comments) is the most important architectural decision. Below we list the main standards and when to use them:

    ERC-721 (Classic NFT)

    The standard that started it all. Each token is unique, indivisible, and has its own ID.

    Example of use: 1/1 digital artworks, exclusive credentials, or VIP tickets.

    Advantages: Universal adoption, natively supported by any wallet.

    Cautions: Inflexible for fractional financial operations; high gas fees for mass minting.

    ERC-1155 (Multi-Token)

    Initially created by Enjin for games. A single contract can manage multiple NFTs and FTs simultaneously.

    Example of use: In-game items (e.g., 1 unique NFT sword + 1000 FT gold coins in the same contract).

    Advantages: Brutal savings on gas fees (batch transfer).

    Cautions: Less granularity to track the history of a specific unit of a "batch".

    ERC-2981 (Universal Royalties)

    A standardized code layer to signal royalties in any marketplace.

    Example of use: Musicians who want to earn 5% on every resale of their rights or tickets.

    Advantages: The creator is automatically rewarded on platforms that respect EIP-2981.

    Cautions: Contract-level royalties need to be enforced by marketplaces; some try to bypass this.

    ERC-3525 (Semi-Fungible Token - SFT)

    The best of both worlds: has a unique identity (like 721) but quantifiable attributes that can be divided (like ERC-20).

    Example of use: Debt securities, football player passes with variable percentages.

    Advantages: Ideal for advanced finance and hybrid models.

    Cautions: It's newer; it may require custom frontend integrations to be displayed well.

    Vaults (ERC-721 + ERC-20)

    For ultra-capitalized assets (such as a $10 million property or a sports star's pass), the Vault model is used. The ERC-721 (the original asset) is locked in an intelligent vault (smart contract), and thousands of ERC-20s (fractions of the vault) are issued.

    Advantage: Absurd liquidity. Someone with $20 can own 0.0001% of the Mona Lisa.

    Caution: Fractionalizing assets with the expectation of profit characterizes a Security. Your startup will inevitably fall under the jurisdiction of the CVM and the SEC. It requires heavy compliance.

    Measuring Success: The Adaptability Metric (Green)

    In innovation, being ahead often means navigating the fog of regulation and skepticism. How do we measure if a company is prepared for Web 3.0? At Shinier Accelerator we use the Green metric focused on the Adaptability indicator.

    Adaptability does not only measure how many new technologies your company implements, but the capacity and speed of the team in transforming market uncertainties into testable revenue models.

    • Time-to-Test: How long does it take for the board to approve a Proof of Concept (PoC) involving technologies like blockchain? In projects that report corporate failures (like the football pass), the Time-to-Test was infinite due to the directors' fear.
    • Hybrid Diversification: The ability to maintain Web2 revenue while experiencing cash flow via utility tokens or Web3 auctions.
    • Continuous Training: The percentage of the technical and executive team that understands the difference between a centralized cloud architecture and a decentralized architecture (smart contracts).

    A startup or traditional company with a high degree of Adaptability is one that understands that technology is a means, not the end, and manages to test the acceptance of tokenized assets with its audience without putting the core business at risk.

    What is Web 3.0 and What to Expect from the Future?

    To understand where we are going in 2026 and the years to come, we need to look at the history of the internet's evolution:

    • Web 1.0 (Read): Static sites, large corporations generating content for users to consume (e.g., Yahoo in the 90s).
    • Web 2.0 (Read/Write): Centralized platforms where users generate content, but big techs (Meta, Google) profit from the data (e.g., Social Networks).
    • Web 3.0 (Read/Write/Own): Decentralized networks operated by blockchains, where the user is the real owner of their data, identity, and the assets they acquire.

    What to expect? In the coming years, Web3 infrastructure will become increasingly invisible. You will no longer hear about "configuring Polygon RPC" or "saving 12-word seed phrases." The user will use email and biometrics (Account Abstraction) to log in, but behind the scenes, they will have a sovereign wallet transacting tokens.

    The future of Web 3.0 is not in the hype, but in corporate efficiency, in the immutable traceability of supply chains, and in breaking the data monopoly. Speculation leaves the scene; mature infrastructure enters.

    References and Official Sources

    To deepen your knowledge of the technical part and operational concepts mentioned in this article, consult the documentation of standard market platforms: