X Launches Handles Marketplace, Rare Usernames Valued $1M
X Handles Marketplace is now live for Premium subscribers, offering auctions and priority requests for inactive usernames. The X Handles Marketplace positions rare handles as valuable digital assets, with prices ranging from $2,500 to over $1 million. In beta since early 2025, premium users can bid in handle drop events, join a waitlist, or submit priority requests.
The platform treats usernames as online real estate, echoing Ethereum-based naming systems like ENS. With 557 million active users, demand for short, unique handles could surge, creating a new revenue stream for X beyond advertising. This centralized feature reflects growing Web3 identity trends and may reshape digital branding strategies for traders.
Bullish
The launch of the X Handles Marketplace taps directly into demand for digital identity and naming services, echoing Ethereum-based systems like ENS. In the short term, increased attention on online naming protocols may spur speculative trading of ENS tokens as traders anticipate greater on-chain adoption. Over the long term, sustained demand for decentralized naming services could strengthen ENS’s utility and token value, creating a positive feedback loop. While the feature is centralized, the shift in digital asset valuations underscores broader Web3 trends that often benefit native blockchain naming projects. As a result, trader sentiment towards ENS is likely to turn bullish.