Blur

Blur is an Ethereum-based NFT marketplace launched in October 2022 by Tieshun Roquerre, known online as Pacman. It was designed for professional traders, with zero marketplace fees, collection sweeping tools, floor depth charts, and advanced NFT analytics. Traditional NFT platforms target casual buyers. Blur targets day traders who execute dozens of transactions weekly and prioritize speed, data, and low cost.

Blur first surpassed OpenSea in weekly trading volume in December 2022. By January 2024, it processed more than three-quarters of all NFT trading volume globally. That overtake happened fast. A marketplace that did not exist in 2021 became the dominant venue for Ethereum NFT trading in about 12 months.

The platform’s core features explain that growth. Blur operates as both an NFT marketplace and an aggregator, pulling listings from OpenSea, LooksRare, and other platforms into one interface. Traders can sweep floors, customize gas fees, and view in-depth collection charts from a single dashboard. Think of it as Bloomberg Terminal for NFTs: more data, more control, and faster execution than anything before it.

In May 2023, Blur launched Blend, a peer-to-peer perpetual lending protocol that lets NFT owners borrow ETH using their NFTs as collateral. There are no fixed expiration dates or oracle price feeds. Borrowers set their own terms, and lenders accept or decline based on those terms. The NFT sits in a vault until the loan is repaid or the lender triggers a Dutch auction refinancing process.

At its peak in Q1 2024, Blend processed $2.02 billion in quarterly volume and controlled 92.9% of all NFT lending. This dominance gave Blur an end-to-end grip on the Ethereum NFT market. You could discover, buy, trade, and borrow against your NFTs without leaving the platform.

In March 2022, Blur raised over $11 million in an early round including Paradigm, eGirl Capital, 0xMaki, and LedgerStatus. In February 2023, Blur raised another round at a $1 billion valuation, achieving unicorn status as the round was oversubscribed. Paradigm also backed Coinbase and Uniswap. That pedigree matters because Paradigm does not invest casually, and its presence attracted other institutional capital that helped Blur scale rapidly.

Roquerre also founded Blast, an Ethereum Layer 2 blockchain that went live in 2024. Blur traders and BLUR holders received 1% of the BLAST token supply through Season 3 airdrops, while the Blur Foundation received 3%. This created an incentive structure where using Blur generated BLUR rewards that then generated BLAST rewards, linking the two ecosystems.

BLUR is the native governance token of the Blur platform and operates as an ERC-20 token on Ethereum. Of the 3 billion total supply, 51% is allocated to the community through airdrops and treasury incentives, with the remainder vested for contributors and investors until 2027. BLUR holders vote on platform parameters and protocol changes through a decentralized autonomous organization. The token also functions as the rewards currency: traders who list NFTs with royalties honored receive additional BLUR allocations as an incentive. A fee switch proposal has been discussed in governance that would direct protocol fees to BLUR stakers, but as of early 2026 this has not yet been enacted.

BLUR trades on centralized cryptocurrency exchanges for standard purchases. For larger positions, locked tokens, or SAFT notes, Acquire.Fi’s OTC and Secondaries Marketplace provides a direct path to counterparties outside the open market.

You can buy Blur tokens OTC on Acquire.Fi by browsing active sell listings or by submitting a Buy listing with your target valuation and the amount you need. Your listing stays active until a match is found.

You can also sell Blur tokens OTC if you want to move a large position or exit early-stage allocations. Match with an existing Buy listing or submit a Sell listing on your own terms.

Acquire.Fi manages the coordination from that point. The team runs background checks on both parties, sends non-disclosure agreements, and makes the introduction. Due diligence and payment settlement are your responsibility, but Acquire.Fi will step in throughout the process to help both sides reach a close.