$2.9m CryptoPunk rumoured to be for latest celebrity to join NFT space

A 900 ETH ($2.9m) purchase by crypto payments platform MoonPay for a ‘Zombie’ CryptoPunk has sparked rumours across the NFT space about who exactly the highly-desirable Punk is for.

The sale, which happened yesterday, was fulfilled by MoonPay, which has become the go-to ‘middleman’ for celebrities and well-known figures looking to get into the NFT space via collections such as Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) and CryptoPunks.

Following its purchase of the Punk, MoonPay took to Twitter and asked its followers to guess who it was for – with many anticipating the buyer was a well-known musician or somebody with a large following.

The punk purchased by MoonPay – CryptoPunk #2681 – fetched the eye-watering price tag of 900 ETH thanks to being one of 88 ‘Zombie‘ Punks.

This isn’t the platform’s first venture into the NFT space either – recent high-profile BAYC buys from TV host Jimmy Fallon and musicians Post Malone and Snoop Dogg were facilitated by MoonPay – a start-up with ambitions to bring better crypto payments infrastructure to the industry.

The platform is also expanding into other areas of the industry, such as sponsorships for eSports organisations like Faze Clan and enabling NFT purchases using FIAT currencies for an array of leading marketplaces.

NFTs at the  Super Bowl?

Some in the NFT space have now also begun to speculate on whether the recent BAYC purchases from Eminem and Snoop Dogg could feature in some way at the upcoming Super Bowl halftime show, where the duo will perform alongside popular artists Dr Dre and Kendrick Lamar.

Based on the timing of their purchases, it’s now rumoured that their Apes and other NFTs, including Pepsi’s debut collection, could feature heavily in the performance and adverts – which are set to be broadcast to an estimated 100m+ audience.