NFT Paris has reportedly cancelled an event but refused to refund sponsor fees, potentially exceeding €500,000.
TL;DR
NFT Paris cancelled its 2026 events due to financial issues, citing depleted funds and high costs. Sponsors, who paid over €500,000, are being denied refunds based on contract terms, sparking allegations of potential misconduct.
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ChainCatcher reports that Neks, a member of the Funkari team, posted that "NFT Paris has announced the cancellation of the 2026 NFT Paris and RWA Paris events, which have been held annually since 2022. The reason given is that funds have been depleted, and organizational costs have exceeded sponsorship and ticket revenue. Ticket holders have been promised a refund within two weeks."
Below the announcement, sponsor @serc1n shared an email they received: "According to Article 12 of our agreement, non-refundable fees related to the event exceed the total amount of sponsorship fees received, therefore we are unable to provide a refund." Another sponsor, Kais, founder of Okay Bears, also confirmed receiving the same message.
Sponsors pay for exposure at events. The primary goals are usually to generate revenue, sell products, acquire users, or increase brand awareness. Now the event is canceled, and the sponsorship fees are gone. NFT Paris listed 61 sponsors for 2026. It's estimated that sponsors paid over €500,000 in total. One more detail: it's rumored that the core team that had been running NFT Paris for three years left shortly before this happened. If true, this is pure criminal activity.