Buddhist Digital Amulets Mark Thai Entry Into Crypto Art Craze

BANGKOK - Karmic fortune has arrived to the digital art market, with a kaleidoscopic splash of colors and the face of a revered Thai monk offering portable Buddhist good luck charms to tech-savvy buyers.

Sales of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) -- virtual images of anything from popular internet memes to original artwork -- have swept the art world in recent months, with some fetching millions of dollars at major auction houses. CryptoAmulets is the latest venture to chase the craze, with founder Ekkaphong Khemthong sensing opportunity in Thailand's widespread practice of collecting talismans blessed by revered monks. "I am an amulet collector and I was thinking about how I could introduce amulets to foreigners and to the world," he told AFP.