Twitter is beginning to roll out verified NFT profile images

On Thursday, Twitter began rolling out a feature that will allow some users to use their own NFTs as their profile image, signaling their interest in the emerging digital art space. Twitter becomes the most well-known technology platform to date to introduce a feature for the flashy NFT trend.

NFTs, or “nonfungible tokens,” are one-of-a-kind, verifiable digital collectibles, frequently works of art that can be traded on the blockchain the underlying technology of cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin. While not novel, NFTs have exploded into a lucrative industry over the last year, with digital art works fetching millions of dollars and artists, celebrities, and businesses rushing to create and sell them.

In recent months, NFTs such as characters from the popular “Bored Apes” collection have begun to appear as people’s Twitter (TWTR) avatars. The new feature, which will be available to users who subscribe to Twitter, will take things a step further. It will authenticate an individual’s ownership of an NFT by connecting the individual’s digital wallet in which the NFTs are stored to their Twitter account.

Additionally, the images will appear differently on Twitter than standard profile pictures. The new NFT avatars will appear as a hexagon rather than a circle, and users can click on them to access additional information about the artwork, such as its creator and location.

Twitter’s announcement comes as social media companies battle it out for a piece of the rapidly growing NFT market. According to reports from the Information and the Financial Times, Meta Platforms (FB) is considering launching a marketplace for non-financial tokens on Facebook and Instagram.

Additionally, it represents Twitter’s most recent foray into “decentralized” technologies. In July, Jack Dorsey, the founder and former CEO of Twitter, stated that bitcoin would play a “significant role” in the company’s future. The company introduced the ability for users to tip creators using bitcoin in September. Additionally, Twitter announced last year that it was establishing a cryptocurrency team to focus exclusively on cryptocurrencies, blockchain, and related technologies.

For the time being, the rollout of the new NFT profile pictures is fairly limited. The feature is available to Twitter Blue subscribers in the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand who use the iOS app, although all Twitter users on any platform will see the new avatars.