POAP shuts down after five years, with more than 6.7 million badges remaining on-chain

Proof of Attendance Protocol, better known as POAP, has formally ended operations after five years, closing a product that became closely tied to the rise of NFT culture. The project had already paused services and entered maintenance mode on March 16 this year, and its latest announcement confirms that the shutdown is final. POAP began at ETHDenver in 2019 as a way to issue blockchain-verified digital badges to prove attendance at events. As NFTs surged in 2021, the product expanded across crypto conferences, DAO governance meetings and community gatherings, eventually issuing more than 6.7 million badges on-chain. According to the project, those previously minted badges will remain as permanent records on the blockchain, and existing user rights will not be affected. The team said it will continue user support but stop issuing new attendance badges. ABMedia reported that the developers will now shift their focus to a new initiative called Open Collectibles Standard. The report also noted that POAP had raised $10 million in January 2022 to upgrade its product architecture and address issues such as spam, but analysis cited in the article said the project struggled to build a lasting business model without a native token.