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24 October 2026 · Updated at 07:47 GMT FR EN ES Member area Log in
Market

Approved platforms

The 38 digital platforms approved by OIMAP: criteria, list, guarantees and advice for use.

Updated : October 28, 2026· 3 min read

Buying and selling safely

Boy with Cigar (c. 1855)
Boy with Cigar (c. 1855)

38 digital platforms selling works and tokens are approved by OIMAP in 2024. They undertake to verify the identity of their users, to consult the BIOP database and to offer mediation.

The dispute rate on approved platforms is 0.7%, against 6.2% on unapproved platforms. Approval has therefore become a decisive criterion for prudent buyers.

This page presents the approval criteria, the guarantees offered and advice on choosing.

  • Platforms
  • Approval
  • Security

Approved platforms in figures

38Approved platforms
0.7%Dispute rate
6.2%Rate without approval
€540Cost of approval

Source: OIMAP Observatory.

Breakdown

General platforms36%
Platforms for backed tokens31%
Digital art platforms21%
Auction platforms12%

Types of approved platforms.

The approval criteria

To be approved, a platform must prove its financial soundness, present its general terms, describe its identity verification policy, ensure the security of its systems and accept mediation. It undergoes a technical audit by an independent expert.

It also commits to transparency: display of fees, publication of dispute statistics, information on the rights transferred with each token. An approval is valid for three years, with an annual audit.

Arion on a Sea Horse and Bacchante on a Panther (pair), William Adolphe Bouguereau (1855)
Arion on a Sea Horse and Bacchante on a Panther (pair), William Adolphe Bouguereau (1855)
Leaf from a Psalter and Prayerbook: Calendar Page with Labors (recto) (c. 1524)
Leaf from a Psalter and Prayerbook: Calendar Page with Labors (recto) (c. 1524)
Prayer Niche (Mihrab) (c. 1500s or mid-1900s)
Prayer Niche (Mihrab) (c. 1500s or mid-1900s)

Guarantees for the user

On an approved platform, every seller is identified, every backed work is checked, and every transaction is kept. In case of dispute, the user can refer the matter to an independent mediator, free of charge. If mediation fails, the Arbitral Tribunal may be seized.

Platforms are also obliged to respond to requests for information from the authorities, to freeze a token reported as stolen or fraudulent and to warn the buyers concerned.

Evolution of the sector

The sector has cleaned up: the number of platforms has decreased, but the quality of the survivors has increased. The strongest platforms have developed complementary services: expert examination, storage of the physical work, insurance, financing.

OIMAP encourages these services, while ensuring that they respect the separation of roles: a platform cannot be at once seller, expert and lender on the same work.

What an approved platform guarantees

Five guarantees
GuaranteeContentCheck
IdentificationSellers and buyers verifiedAnnual audit
BIOPConsultation before saleConsultation log
TransparencyFees and rights displayedDocumentary check
MediationFree and independentAnnual report
SecurityAccount protectionTechnical audit

Landmarks

  1. First approval

    Twelve platforms.

  2. Extension

    Twenty-five platforms.

  3. 38 platforms

    Coverage of 31 States.

  4. Simplified approval

    For specialised platforms.

Checking approval

General or specialised platform

La Belle Jardinère: le magasin de la rue de la Cité pendant sa demolition, Paris, Charles Marville (1864–66)

General

All types of works
  • Wide choice
  • Large audience
  • Less advice

For a first purchase.

Mirror with Concentric Circles, an Immortal, and Auspicious Animals (25–100 CE)

Specialised

A specific segment
  • Expert advice
  • Targeted clientele
  • Narrower choice

For informed collectors.

Fragment of a Border with Standing and Seated Birds Amidst Vegetation (1500s)
Fragment of a Border with Standing and Seated Birds Amidst Vegetation (1500s)
Historiated Initial (O) Excised from an Antiphonary: The Donor, Gorus Fucci, Kneels before Christ (c. 1300–1350)
Historiated Initial (O) Excised from an Antiphonary: The Donor, Gorus Fucci, Kneels before Christ (c. 1300–1350)
Nowshera, Kashmir (number 1000), Samuel Bourne (1864)
Nowshera, Kashmir (number 1000), Samuel Bourne (1864)

Choosing a platform

  1. Look

    Directory of approved platforms.

  2. Check

    Approval number and audit.

  3. Read

    General terms.

  4. Test

    Make a small purchase.

  5. Assess

    Track its disputes.

Before using a platform

A platform manager

Mirror with Concentric Circles, an Immortal, and Auspicious Animals (100 BCE–100 CE)
« Approval was a constraint, then an argument. Today our clients ask for it. »
Nora Benhamou, platform director

Vocabulary of platforms

Approval
Recognition by OIMAP.
Technical audit
Check of a platform's security.
Freeze
Blocking of a disputed token.
Mediator
Independent person who helps reach an agreement.

Frequently asked questions

Is approval compulsory?

For art tokens, yes since 2022.

What should be done in case of dispute?

Refer to the mediator, then the Arbitral Tribunal.

Where can I see the list?

In the directory of platforms.

Is an NFT bought elsewhere valid?

Its value depends on the soundness of the platform.

Useful documents

Contacts

Roman Ruins, Villa Pamfili, Hubert Robert (1774)
Roman Ruins, Villa Pamfili, Hubert Robert (1774)
OIMAP ObservatoryParis — Headquarters+33 1 00 00 01 00observatoire@oimap.exampleMonday to Friday, 9 am – 5 pm

See blockchain certification

Compass and Sun Dial (1700–1750)

How backed tokens are certified.

Blockchain certification
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