Anthony Anzalone, from Burnt Banksy gamer to invisible crypto revolution

 In the frenetic world of blockchain innovation, Anthony Anzalone stands out as a visionary who doesn’t just build technology—he reshapes how we interact with it. Anzalone, as the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of XION (the first consumer-centric Layer-1 Blockchain), is removing crypto’s complex to make Web3 seamless and intuitive.

“Gaming has taught me that mastery is achieved through repetition, failure, showing up, and being consistent,” he said. This same grit fuelled his next obsession: building computer from salvaged components. In no time, he was mining cryptocurrency, in overheated and tangled rooms. “It wasn’t glamorous,” he laughs. “But possibility is addicting.”The addiction was a risk. His rigs caused dorm breakers to trip while he was mining Ethereum at college. This drew attention. He initially dodged questions by claiming that he was only streaming.

Burnt a Banksy worth $95k and ‘lit myself’ on fire

Anzalone, who was expelled, was expelled because administrators mistook the mining as hacking. He says, “It was the end.” Failure is fertiliser. It forces you into a choice: Are you done or will you continue to grow? The growth came in a firestorm of controversy. Anzalone, on March 3, 2021, burned a Banksy photograph live in front of a camera. The act was considered ‘NFT. The stunt was reported by BBC, Bloomberg and other media outlets, earning him the nickname of “Burnt Banksy.”

Some thought it was vandalism, while others saw it as a revelation. He insists that he wasn’t destroying any art. “I was sending a message: The old rules of ownership no longer apply.” Anzalone was thrust into the spotlight for his provocative and innovative act, which proved that digital scarcity can rival physical value. But he wasn’t satisfied with mere symbolism. Burnt Finance is a decentralised Solana auction protocol that he launched in May of 2021. It was backed by Multicoin Capital and Mechanism Capital with $3 million. In 2023 he founded Vessel Capital – a $55m Web3 venture capital fund to support bold startups. “We empower builders to rewrite responsible rules,” he says.

Anzalone’s dream became reality with XION. The company was launched in 2024 and raised $25 million led by Animoca Brands. Spartan Group also contributed. By 2025, XION had raised $36 million and boasted 100,000 daily active users, as well as partnerships with companies like Uber, Amazon BMW, The North Face and Lego. What makes XION different? It hides the blockchain’s complexity. Anzalone says that most people do not want to deal crypto wallets and gas fees.

They want to see things work.XION achieves this with user-friendly sign-ins—email, passkeys, or biometrics—eliminating clunky seed phrases. It offers brands fraud-resistant campaigns based on real results. Users are in control of their credentials and data. It simplifies the building of consumer apps for developers. He says that blockchain should be an invisible infrastructure, like trust in daily life.

From coders to global disruptors

Anzalone’s journey—gamer to coder to global disruptor—feels cinematic, but his insights are grounded. “Obsession” is an advantage, he says. He links gaming leaderboards and late-night programming marathons. Even failure is not negotiable. “Getting expelled wasn’t the end—it was the start.” He attributes storytelling, like Banksy’s stunt, as a catalyst for movements. He notes that “symbols are just as important as code.” Resilience is more important than hype. He says that “markets crash, and trends fade away.” “Those who are winning keep coming back.”

Anzalone, as XION redefines Web3, remains a provocateur in his heart. “Burning Banksy didn’t mean destruction,” he says. It was about creating a new, unrestricted world without having to wait for permission. Through XION, he’s doing just that—creating a future where crypto vanishes into seamless utility, trust is infrastructure, and everyone can participate. Anzalone’s revolution isn’t digital. It is invisible, inevitable and already here.