Millennials, Gen Z to gift crypto, NFTs, metaverse land for holidays

Interest in digital assets surged this year, with the next generation of investors at the forefront.

The value of the cryptocurrency marketbriefly surpassed $3 trillionin November, with top coins likebitcoinandetherhitting all-time highs. Other digital assets, like nonfungible tokens, or NFTs, jumped in value as well. In November, NFT marketplace OpenSea surpassed $10 billion in total volume.

Demand for NFTs of art, music and in-game assets, like digital plots of land in the metaverse, soared.

Now, during the holiday season, young investors are spending big on NFTs and other digital assets as gifts. Here’s a look at what five people are planning to buy.

Digital land and NFTs of art for the family

Sisters Cynthia Gentry, 23, and Imani Gentry, 19, with their mom, Brenda Gentry.

Courtesy of Brenda Gentry

The World of Women collection, which consists of 10,000 generated works representing drawings of diverse women, has a current floor price of 1.95 ether, or $7,275. The Crypto Coven collection includes 9,999 different witches and has floor price of 0.19 ether, or about $709.

She also plans to buy NFTs from artists like Lana Denina, whose popular Mona Lana project has a floor price of 0.24 ether, or about $895.

For her dad, Gentry plans to get a Ledger Nano hardware wallet, which ranges from $59 to $119, or an NFT from a project with a “cool, interesting roadmap,” Gentry says. She’s also hoping to pay for an online course on blockchain coding for him, because “he likes gifts that can expand his expertise in some way.”

Gentry’s sister, Imani, also plans to buy everyone in her family NFTs for Christmas. She’s budgeting at least 2.5 ether, or about $9,327, in total.

“Personally, I think sending digital gifts will be the norm and [part of the] future because of how accessible it is,” the 19-year-old says. “I wish this was a thing sooner, honestly. It saves time and wrapping paper and it’s cooler, in my opinion.”

For her mom, Imani, who is also based in San Antonio, plans to buy a World of Women NFT, she says. “My mom sold hers back in January for me to attend college. I would like to return the favor.”

Gifting friends their first digital asset

San Francisco-based Anisha Sunkerneni is looking forward to gifting her close friends and family their first digital assets, including Ethereum Name Service (ENS) domains and NFTs.

“Even more than NFTs, I think an ENS domain has the potential to really be tied to your on-chain personality and profile,” the 26-year-old says. “Getting the ones you want is pretty special.”

Anisha Sunkerneni is looking forward to gifting her close friends and family their first digital assets for the holidays.

Courtesy of Anisha Sunkerneni

‘I believe that digital assets are extremely valuable’

Allison Reichel, 24, plans to give digital assets like bitcoin as a holiday gift for her friends and family.

Courtesy of Allison Reichel

‘NFTs as gifts will have novelty for the next few years’

Cooper Turley, 26, plans to spend about $10,000 on NFTs as holiday gifts this year.

Courtesy of Cooper Turley