Twitter has been actively pushing into the crypto space, with its latest move being the rollout of NFT profile pictures for Twitter Blue subscribers.
The subscription service gives users access to “power features,” such as the ability to undo Tweets, and now use NFT artworks as profile pictures.
“Twitter is where people go to talk about things they care about, and often where people have their first experience with crypto and NFTs,” the company said. “We’re now seeing people use NFTs as a form of identity and self-expression, and as a way to join the thriving community and increasingly active conversation on Twitter.”
“Twitter is where people go to talk about things they care about, and often where people have their first experience with crypto and NFTs.”
Replacing the standard circle profile picture is a soft hexagon shape framing the NFT. Users are able to directly connect their crypto wallets to Twitter and select an NFT from their collection as their new avatar.
Currently, Twitter is only supporting crypto wallets from Argent, Coinbase Wallet, Ledger Live, MetaMask, Rainbow, and Trust Wallet.
Canada was one of the first countries to have Twitter Blue, along with Australia, when it was first launched in June last year. The subscription service was later made available to New Zealand and the United States.
The social media networking site launched Twitter Blue as its first-ever subscription offering, allowing users to have access to features like the ability to organize bookmarked Tweets into folders and turn Threads into easy-to-read text via reader mode.
When it comes to the NFT profile pictures, people can tap on the image and are presented with more information about the art, its collection, provenance, and more.
RELATED: Twitter eyes Canada as product launchpad amid developer hiring spree
The feature is powered by OpenSea, a marketplace for crypto goods, based in New York.
In addition to its launch of NFT profile pictures, Twitter also previously released a feature that enables content creators to receive tips using Bitcoin. This service is powered by Strike, a payments application built on the Bitcoin Lightning Network.
Canadian Twitter has been the launchpad for the first iterations of a number of new features. Twitter Canada’s managing director, Paul Burns, previously told BetaKit that the country has specific qualities that make it a suitable “first stop on the train to broader global product development.”
“[Canada has] a user base that is incredibly leaned in and active on Twitter, but it also is not at the size and scope that it would essentially introduce significantly more complexity,” he said.
In an effort to ramp up its Canadian presence, Twitter established an engineering hub in Canada last year, led by Vivek Trehan and Tristan Jung, two University of Waterloo graduates. Twitter’s current head of engineering, Mike Montano, is also Canadian.