Burnt Banksy burned an artwork by the world-renowned graffiti artist and then sold its digital version for four times its face value | Credit: Burntbanksy/X
Three years ago, Anthony Anzalone drew global attention to himself and NFTs in a way that could only be mindblowing or simply thinking outside the box. He lit a Banksy artwork worth nearly $100,000 and set himself on fire. Fortunately, he suffered no injuries. Today, Euro Weekly News has had the opportunity to interview him to find out more about why he did it and what he’s up to now.
Burnt Banksy, whose real name is Anthony Anzalone, lives in a high-rise in New York City. He recalls livestreaming a video over three years ago, on March 2 or 3, 2021, of himself burning Morons, which in itself is a critique of the art market, depicting an auctioneer at Christie’s. We asked him his interpretation of art, and although he made a hefty $282,000 profit from the stunt, it might still be “sacrilege”.
“Art is whatever you want it to be,” Burnt Banksy said. “Do I think I’m an artist? Yes and no. I don’t think it’s even remotely fair to compare me to someone like Banksy. I’m just trying to make a message.” Anzalone ignited global discourse on NFTs and web3, while exposing its flaws. He got on most of the major news outlets, including BBC, The Guardian, The Block, Coindesk, VentureBeat, The New Yorker, CBS, and Artnet News, among many others. Some applauded his action. “I didn’t see this as destroying the artwork and creating a new one,” he said. “Essentially, I was ‘transferring’ it to the NFT. space.”
At the time, Anzalone raised funds for his next project — a decentralised auction house specialising in N.F.T.s — Burnt Banksy raised about two million dollars from cryptocurrency venture capitalists in Hong Kong, mainland China, and Singapore. “It’s a bitch to go through Sotheby’s,” he said. “You need to be famous. My auction house will allow anyone to buy or sell NFTs online, without being vetted by snooty auction-house personnel. I’m removing every barrier to entry to be an established artist.”
That was three years ago. Anzalone now runs XION. He is the founder. XION is a walletless Layer-1 blockchain that has removed the complexities of crypto wallets. “I am disappearing crypto into the background on the protocol level.”
What he means is that XION is for consumers who find blockchain and crypto wallets too complex, so what Anzalone has done is remove the seed phrases, the public and private keys, and the need to understand or deal with crypto swaps, conversions or cross-bridges.
The XION accounts work just like a bank account, and that’s why hundreds of top brands, including Uber, Amazon, BMW, Perroni, Baskin-Robbins, and so many more, are using it for loyalty and reward programs and other stuff as well.
He raised a sweet $36 million from some of the biggest names in Web3, including Animoca, Circle, Multicoin, Draper Dragon and others.
And ahead of the global release of iPhone 17, he has unveiled a world-first: native Apple ID login integration.
This isn’t a clunky app-level workaround — it’s a protocol-level breakthrough that lets over 3 billion Apple device users create blockchain accounts with a single tap, as demonstrated in this video. Imagine seamless access to Web3, no wallets, no seed phrases, no crypto jargon — just pure, intuitive simplicity. XION’s bold move could redefine blockchain adoption, and it’s poised to go viral.
“Apple puts the user first, and their technology disappears into everyday life. XION shares that vision by removing barriers to mass adoption, first at the protocol level, then at the user level,” the visionary founder of XION told us. He likens this leap to Apple’s iconic “10,000 songs in your pocket” iPod moment, transforming something complex into something so effortless it “just works.”
With XION, users sign in via Apple ID on their iPhone, iPad, or Mac, instantly accessing a “meta account” for ticketing, loyalty schemes, collectables, and more — without ever realising they’re on-chain. “We’re looking at integration with other platforms as well because we want to ensure anyone can sign in from the apps they use every day,” Anzalone adds.
What makes XION electrifying is its walletless design, a first for a Layer-1 blockchain. By embedding abstraction into its core, XION eliminates the headaches of wallet creation, token acquisition, token volatility, mobile device incompatibility, gas fees, and much more. Users pay in familiar and stable currencies (USDC) from any device, with transactions settled invisibly, slashing the typical 95 per cent crypto wallet drop-off rate to a mere 3 per cent.
This frictionless experience, paired with interoperability across more than 70 blockchains, positions XION as a gateway for mainstream adoption. “Just like the internet, users shouldn’t need to know which infrastructure applications they are using are built on. All that matters is that it works,” Anzalone emphasised
XION’s credentials are staggering. It’s the first Layer-1 to integrate USDC as a gas token and publish a MiCA-compliant whitepaper, aligning with Europe’s new regulatory framework. Partnerships with Uber, BMW, Amazon, and 100+ global brands underscore its real-world clout, while its EarnOS app onboarded 100,000 users in 72 hours. With 4 million registered accounts via giants like Disney and Santander, and 800,000 monthly active users, XION’s ecosystem is a juggernaut. Its $36 million funding, with backers like Multicoin and Circle, proves the market’s belief in its vision.
“We’re in the process of expanding the ecosystem and are bringing together the right partners to set the groundwork,” he said, hinting at XION’s ambition to integrate with platforms beyond Apple. His mission? “Making crypto disappear” so everyday users reap blockchain’s benefits without the complexity.
As Apple prepares to dazzle with its “awe-dropping iPhone 17,” XION’s timing is impeccable. By making Web3 as intuitive as checking email, XION isn’t just a blockchain — it’s a cultural shift. Share this story because XION’s revolution could bring 3 billion Apple users on-chain, and that’s a spark worth igniting.
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