Animoca Brands, the company driving digital property rights to help establish the open metaverse and its associated network effects, and its affiliates (collectively, referred to as “Animoca Brands”) announced the completion of its strategic investment in Cool Cats Group, owner of the iconic Cool Cats NFT brand. Following the investment, Animoca Brands and Coin Operated Group own a majority interest in Cool Cats Group. Animoca Brands and Coin Operated Group aim to foster innovation and growth, enhance community engagement, and develop new market opportunities for Cool Cats within the rapidly evolving NFT landscape.
Cool Cats is a collection of 9,999 randomly generated and stylistically curated NFTs on Ethereum, and originates from the beloved comic character “Blue Cat” created in 2013 by artist Colin Egan (also known as Clon).
Since April 2025, NFTs have experienced a significant increase in market valuation, reaching a global market capitalization of around US$7 billion (source: CoinGecko), with monthly sales volumes of around US$600 million (source: CryptoSlam). Cool Cats is one of the most historic and recognizable NFT collections, having traded over US$410 million to date, which ranks it 19th among the top NFT collections by all-time trading volume (source: CryptoSlam).
Following the investment, Animoca Brands will appoint two new board members to advance Cool Cats: Yat Siu, co-founder and executive chairman of Animoca Brands, and Kenneth Shek, project lead of Mocaverse and Moca Network.
Animoca Brands plans to create synergy between the two popular NFT collections, its Eastern-origin Mocaverse and the Western-origin Cool Cats, uniting both communities through shared intellectual property, utility, and rewards. In addition, Moca Network, the Animoca Brands project that is building the world’s largest chain-agnostic decentralized identity network, is also planning a collaboration with Cool Cats. The collaboration will bring the two brand ecosystems closer and facilitate the growth and expansion of Cool Cats via the interoperability enabled by Moca Network’s digital identity infrastructure.
Yat Siu, co-founder and executive chairman of Animoca Brands, said: “We are thrilled to welcome Cool Cats to the Animoca Brands ecosystem. NFTs thrive on the strength of their communities, and by integrating Cool Cats into Mocaverse and Moca Network, we’re deepening these global connections and offering communities a robust ecosystem that delivers value to its stakeholders. Cats have always been the darlings of the Internet, and Cool Cats is one of the most recognized digital brands out there, perfectly exemplifying the global appeal of digital felines.”
“This investment marks an expansion of the strategic partnership between Cool Cats and Animoca Brands,” said Ken Cron, chairman and CEO of Coin Operated Group. “We share a vision for a future where Web3 fuels creativity and community. With Animoca Brands’ global reach and leadership in the space, Cool Cats is positioned to bring its characters and stories to fans across the world.”
“Partnering with Animoca Brands is a dream come true for Cool Cats,” said Clon. “Blue Cat has always been a character with a global heart, and I’ve long believed his story was destined to connect with audiences in the East. With Animoca Brands’ reach and passion, we can bring that vision to life on a truly global stage.”