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Payments company MoonPay emerged as the top bidder for the coveted non-fungible token (NFT) at Christie’s on Tuesday, acting on behalf of a mystery shopper.
The startup spent £567,000 ($754,340) in the London Evening Sale at auction house Christie’s for a rare piece from the World of Women (WoW) collection.
The price paid by MoonPay, which a source close to the situation confirmed as a buyer, makes #5672 one of the most expensive WoW items ever sold.
WoW #5672 just sold for 567,000 GBP at @ChristiesInc London Evening Sale! 🤩
Thanks to everyone 🤵♀️ who witnessed this historical moment with us 😉 and welcome to the WoW fam to our new buyer! 💜 pic.twitter.com/sO6WPjzyAa
— World of Women (@worldofwomennft) March 1, 2022
The product has rare features, such as the skin tone of the goddess of the night and a tuxedo. It was sold among the lots of world famous artists such as Keith Haring, Pablo Picasso and David Hockney.
Moonpay’s core business provides an infrastructure that allows web developers and mobile developers to allow their users to purchase virtual currency with credit cards.
But late last year, it also launched a concierge service previously described as “a white-glove service for wealthy people who want to purchase NFTs in the easiest way without all the hassle of setting up a wallet, buying crypto, using that crypto to buy NFTs, and then take it into storage.
MoonPay buys NFTs and then bills its customers for them and any other services rendered. This sale appears to be the last game of this service, which usually buys items through OpenSea. It is not yet clear on whose behalf MoonPay purchased the WoW item.
British auction house Christie’s has an NFT sales form and accepts payment in ether or bitcoin, but only through firms approved by the UK Financial Conduct Authority.
Last year, he sold a collection of nine cryptopunks and a work by Beeple. The Block has contacted Christie’s for comment.
#MoonPay #buys #World #Women #NFT