The NFT market just got a powerful signal that its slumber is over.
RARI Foundation, a nonprofit focused on decentralized NFT infrastructure, and Espresso Systems, the developer behind the Espresso blockchain confirmation layer, have teamed up to deliver a hit collection: “The Composables.” This 5,000-piece profile picture (PFP) NFT drop sold out in seconds, sparking over 500 ETH in secondary sales and driving $10 million in total value locked (TVL) on the newly established RARI Chain.
But this wasn’t just another PFP mint. “The Composables” represents a broader pivot in Web3—where NFTs are once again a serious use case for blockchain infrastructure innovation, community governance, and cross-chain composability.
A Cultural and Technical Flashpoint
The mint marks a major milestone for both RARI Chain and Espresso. Built as the first Arbitrum Orbit chain to go live on Espresso mainnet, RARI Chain benefits from Espresso’s decentralized sequencing and confirmation layer, ensuring efficient onchain transaction throughput and security without compromising decentralization. This new architecture was on full display during the launch of The Composables, which saw both whitelist and public phases evaporate in minutes—without gas wars or performance bottlenecks.
“This is the beginning of a new era,” said Jana Bertram, Head of Strategy at RARI Foundation. “The Composables is more than a collection—it’s a cultural and technical milestone for what Web3 creators can build together.”
The broader NFT community appears to agree. In less than a week, the drop led to a $10 million increase in TVL on RARI Chain and sustained buzz across Ethereum-adjacent NFT markets. Over 500 ETH in secondary trading suggests that speculative energy is returning—but with more robust infrastructure this time.
Espresso Systems: Behind the Tech
Espresso Systems, backed by heavyweights like a16z Crypto, Greylock, and Electric Capital, built the network’s confirmation layer to enable rollups to function composably and securely. The firm’s approach addresses one of the biggest pain points in the L2 ecosystem: fragmented liquidity and finality risks.
“RARI Chain has been an exceptional partner,” said Jill Gunter, Co-Founder of Espresso Systems. “By integrating with Espresso, RARI is pioneering the infrastructure that will enable Rarible to explore crosschain NFT marketplaces and bridgeless interactions.”
Espresso’s mainnet is still in an early release phase (Mainnet 0), but its growing list of partners—including Polygon, Offchain Labs, and Cartesi—suggests a broader adoption push is underway.
Full DAO Ownership, New Governance Incentives
Following the drop, RARI Foundation unveiled a major governance shift: RARI Chain contracts and protocol governance are now entirely under community control through the RARI DAO.
In a significant decentralization milestone, RARI Chain’s sequencer revenue will now be split 50/50 between the DAO and RARI Foundation. Additionally, a new Security Council will be responsible for technical upgrades and emergency interventions—mirroring the decentralized operational models emerging across Ethereum L2s.
To fuel community participation, the Foundation has also launched RARI Staking, enabling $RARI holders to stake tokens, delegate voting power, and earn rewards—finally resolving the long-standing friction between governance and DeFi.
Highlights of the staking program include:
- Stake-to-Delegate: Stake tokens, vote or delegate, and earn.
- $50,000 Rewards Pool: Spread across three seasons for early participants.
- $10,000 Leaderboard Quests: Incentivized onchain participation.
- Creator Fund: A portion of protocol revenue will be allocated to fund creators building on Rarible Protocol and RARI Chain.
“This isn’t just a product update—it’s a reawakening of RARI DAO,” added Bertram. “We’re enabling token holders to finally accrue value by participating in governance.”
Bringing Back the Fun: Quests and NFT Drops
To celebrate, RARI Foundation kicked off a month-long onchain quest campaign starting June 18 through July 2. Participants who complete tasks can climb a leaderboard, win part of a $10,000 prize pool, and even earn a rare Composables NFT.
And that’s not all. Those who stake by July 2 will receive early access to a limited-edition NFT by Amber Vittoria, a well-known contemporary artist who previously partnered with MoonPay and TIMEPieces.
This focus on creator rewards and community engagement echoes the ethos that fueled the first NFT boom—but now with more mature infrastructure and real decentralization mechanisms in place.
Rebuilding Trust in NFT Infrastructure
The NFT market has undergone a steep correction since its 2021 highs, but the success of “The Composables” is a strong indicator that real interest still exists—provided the tooling, governance, and community economics are aligned.
The combination of:
- purpose-built chains like RARI Chain,
- confirmation layers like Espresso,
- and token-incentivized decentralized governance
…shows that NFT infrastructure is evolving beyond simple JPEG speculation.
“The incredible community response to The Composables mint demonstrates that users are ready for truly composable crosschain experiences,” said Gunter.
“The Composables” Could Mark The Next Era for NFTs
The collaboration between RARI Foundation and Espresso Systems may signal the first high-impact partnership in a broader NFT infrastructure renaissance. While the bear market forced many projects to reconsider fundamentals, it also laid the groundwork for this new wave—one defined by interoperability, real-time governance, creator-centric incentives, and gas-efficient execution.
As rollup ecosystems grow more mature and infrastructure like Espresso gains adoption, NFT platforms like RARI Chain are poised to lead the way in reshaping how digital ownership, governance, and economics work on the blockchain.
For collectors, builders, and Web3-native communities, “The Composables” could mark the moment NFTs stopped being a trend—and started being infrastructure.
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