Checkout.com enables Tokapi to open up the world of NFTs

Tokapi is Europe's first dedicated Non-Fungible Token (NFT) marketplace. Billed as the NFT marketplace for anyone, Tokapi makes it simple for anyone to collect NFTs and participate in drops, even if they have no blockchain knowledge or experience.

To achieve this goal, Tokapi is focused on removing all barriers to entry, including payments. That's why it's leveraging Checkout.com's payments platform to allow its customers to buy NFTs using cards and various alternative payment methods. Esteban Sadurni, Director of Crypto and Digital Assets at Checkout.com spoke with Daniel Lenikus, CEO and Co-Founder of Tokapi, to find out more about the partnership and what's in store for the NFT marketplace.

Esteban: What's your story? Where did the idea for Tokapi come from?

Daniel: My introduction to NFTs came in 2019 through the gaming industry. NFTs were far from mainstream at the time, but I instantly recognized the potential that proof of digital ownership could bring to many industries. From there, I went further down the NFT 'rabbit hole'—playing games, collecting art and immersing myself in the space.

As NFTs became more mainstream in the subsequent years, I noticed a pattern emerging. Individuals with no experience in crypto or Blockchain wanted to buy digital assets, but the barriers to entry were too high. That was why I founded Tokapi, to remove those barriers to entry and be the destination where people would start their NFT journey.

Esteban​​: What has been the evolution of Tokapi to date?

Tokapi is the first compliant marketplace for NFTs in Europe, and we want to offer the easiest way to buy and sell NFTs. Our marketplace removes all technical hurdles and security risks involved for the customer. This is where we see our role and how we differentiate ourselves.

We are now live on the Polygon and Ethereum networks, and we're going from strength to strength. We just launched a massive Airdrop with the Austrian Post, which generated €200,000 in the first 24 hours.

And we're super excited to see what comes next.

Esteban: What were you looking for in a payments partner? Why did you choose Checkout.com?

Daniel: I cannot overstate how much importance we placed on finding a payments partner. To make NFTs accessible, we need to ensure people can buy them easily, using payment methods they are familiar with. For most users and collectors, this is via traditional methods like credit and debit cards or Sofortüberweisung — a popular payment method in some European countries.

We were very selective, given how vital this partner would be. They needed to be fluent in crypto and fiat—these are very few and far between. We also sought a payments partner who could meet our needs today processing across Europe, but that could scale seamlessly to match our global ambitions.

There is only one choice based on these requirements: Checkout.com.

Checkout.com has a wealth of experience processing payments for the biggest crypto business. And it's shown a genuine commitment to developing crypto and Web3, even launching its own crypto solutions.

Checkout.com is a payment solution built for the digital economy. It enables us to process payments across Europe using various payment methods, including all major cards, Google Pay, Apple Pay and Sofort. Tokapi is one of the first NFT marketplaces to offer these payment methods.

Additionally, Checkout.com is proving itself as a true partner. Not only does it have support teams available 24/7 – a must in our fast-moving industry – our dedicated CSM also works with us to understand the data provided by the platform to optimize our payment flows. This ensures our customers get the best experience when buying NFTs.

I summarize the development of the NFT market in one word: hypergrowth. This growth has happened in every aspect—from volume and users to brands that have entered the space. Regardless of the current market situation, we are preparing for the next boom phase.

Esteban: What does the future look like for Tokapi?

Daniel: Our vision is to onboard new people into the space and to make this journey as safe and easy as possible for them. To achieve this, we are constantly improving usability and the user journey. And, of course, we are always focused on bringing in new brands and artists.

Checkout.com will play a huge role in our future, enabling us to expand and accept payments globally. Having a partner like Checkout.com helps us to focus on the future as they develop products for crypto settling and accepting crypto payments.

We're all about making NFTs more accessible, and Checkout.com is helping us achieve that.

See how Checkout.com can ready you for the future of payments.