Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) have exploded in popularity over the last year, driven mainly by high-priced digital artworks and collectibles. However, NFTs have much more utility beyond just representing ownership of unique JPEGs. Here are some of the emerging use cases for NFT technology:

Gaming Items and Assets

NFTs can represent in-game items like skins, gear, upgrades and other digital assets. Because they are on a blockchain, these assets can be traded outside the game itself. Players truly own their in-game NFTs and can sell them for real money. NFTs also allow provable scarcity for virtual goods.

Tickets and Memberships

Whether for concerts, festivals or exclusive clubs, NFTs are being used as programmable tickets and passes with customizable ownership rules. NFT tickets help reduce fraud while supporting more open resale and transferability between fans.

Physical Asset Ownership

NFTs can be tied to real-world assets like real-estate to represent fractionalized ownership. A single NFT or collection of NFTs can represent ownership of anything from art to collector cars. NFTs enhance proof-of-provenance and transferability for physical goods.

Identity and Reputation

NFTs can contain identity data like names, contact info, social links and other metadata. This allows them to function as verifiable digital identities and certifications. NFT domain names like .eth can replace website URLs. NFT profiles can also include reputation scores and community roles.

Supply Chain Tracking

NFTs can track the origins and journeys of physical products through supply chains. Attaching NFT identifiers to items like luxury goods helps prove authenticity and prevent counterfeiting while showing an item's full history.

Legal Documents

Important documents like contracts, liens, deeds and patents can be tokenized as NFTs to prove authenticity and enable easier transfers of ownership. NFT documents are verifiable and reduce fraud potential.

As these examples show, NFT technology has far-reaching utility that the mainstream is only beginning to tap into. Beyond just digital art, NFTs will likely soon disrupt many more industries as adoption accelerates.