Nike Sells Digital Studio RTFKT as XRP Emerges as Top-Performing Cryptocurrency

Nike Divests RTFKT Digital Asset Studio

Athletic footwear and apparel company Nike has sold its digital asset incubation studio RTFKT, according to a January 6 blog post from Oregon Live ^[1]. The transaction was completed on December 16, 2025, though Nike has not disclosed the buyer or specific terms of the sale ^[1].

The divestment comes as second-year CEO Elliott Hill works to refocus the company on sports while rebuilding relationships with wholesale partners including Dick's Sporting Goods and Foot Locker ^[1].

Established in 2021, RTFKT positioned itself at the intersection of fashion, technology, and gaming, creating digital fashion items primarily for use in video games and virtual environments rather than physical products ^[1]. The studio launched several NFT collections during its three-year operational period, including Clone X—a limited edition of 20,000 NFTs on the Ethereum blockchain created in collaboration with digital artist Takashi Murakami ^[1]. RTFKT also developed the Nike Air Force 1 and Animus NFT collections ^[1].

Nike initially shut down RTFKT operations in January 2025, though the company indicated it would continue partnerships with video game companies to develop virtual products and in-game wearables ^[1].

Clone X NFT Market Reacts Sharply

The Clone X NFT collection experienced dramatic market activity following news of the RTFKT sale. The collection generated trading sales volume of 201 ETH over 24 hours, representing an 8,000% increase from the previous day ^[1]. During the same period, the floor price surged 200%, climbing from 0.09 ETH to 0.31 ETH, with 702 sales recorded ^[1].

"CloneX is up 220% from 0.10Ξ FP to 0.30Ξ FP since the news that Nike sold RTFKT to an 'undisclosed buyer,'" noted one market observer on social media, speculating about potential new team direction and vision ^[1].

XRP Outperforms Major Cryptocurrencies

In separate cryptocurrency market developments, Ripple's XRP token has emerged as what CNBC's MacKenzie Sigalos called the "new cryptocurrency darling" ^[2]. The payment token rallied 22% in the first week of 2026, significantly outperforming Bitcoin's 5% gain and Ethereum's 10% increase over the same period ^[2].

XRP reached $2.42 on January 6, marking its highest price level since mid-November 2025, before settling around $2.26 ^[2]. "The hottest crypto trade of the year is not Bitcoin, it is not Ether, it is XRP," said CNBC's Power Lunch host Brian Sullivan ^[2].

ETF Inflows Drive XRP Momentum

The token's strong performance appears linked to sustained spot exchange-traded fund inflows and positive social sentiment ^[2]. According to Sigalos, "during the doldrums of Q4, a lot of people were piling into XRP ETFs, which is the exact opposite of what happens with spot Bitcoin and Ether ETFs, where people move in tandem with the price of the coin" ^[2].

US Spot XRP ETFs from Canary, Bitwise, 21Shares, Franklin Templeton, and Grayscale have recorded cumulative total net inflows of approximately $1.25 billion, with daily total inflow around $19.12 million—higher than Bitcoin's $243 million outflows, according to SoSoValue data ^[2].

Vincent Liu, Chief Investment Officer at Kronos Research, observed that ETF inflows combined with XRP breaking key resistance levels on substantial volume have heightened traders' risk appetite ^[2]. Meanwhile, Glassnode data indicates XRP exchange reserves have reached their lowest levels in two years, suggesting bullish social sentiment ^[2].