NFT Paris reportedly cancels the event but does not refund sponsors' fees, involving over 500,000 euros

On January 7th, Funkari team member Neks posted that “NFT Paris announced the cancellation of the 2026 NFT Paris and RWA Paris events, which have been held since 2022. The reason is depletion of funds, with organizational costs exceeding sponsorship and ticket revenue. Ticket purchasers have promised refunds within two weeks. Below the announcement, sponsor @serc1n shared an email they received: ‘According to our agreement, clause 12, the non-refundable costs related to the event exceeded the total sponsorship received, so we are unable to provide refunds.’ Another sponsor, Kais, founder of Okay Bears, also confirmed receiving the same message. Sponsors paid for exposure opportunities at the event. Most of the purpose was to make a profit, sell products, acquire users, or enhance brand awareness. Now that the event is canceled, the sponsorship fees are gone. NFT Paris listed 61 sponsors for 2026. It is estimated that sponsors paid a total of over 500,000 euros. One more detail: it is heard that the core team operating NFT Paris for the past three years left shortly before this incident. If true, this is purely criminal behavior.”