• A handful of cryptocurrency industry players who took part in workshops at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos painted a picture of increased collaboration within the space in 2023.
• Key figures from the wider cryptocurrency space painted a picture of increased dialogue and collaboration at the WEF annual meeting.
• Ripple and USD Coin stablecoin firm Circle highlighted the importance of embracing solutions and systems that are creating tangible utility and value.
Cryptocurrency and blockchain technology had an increasing presence at the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland. A handful of industry players who took part in workshops at the event painted a picture of increased collaboration within the space in 2023. This suggests that the wider world is looking for synergies between traditional finance and decentralized finance.
Ripple and USD Coin stablecoin firm Circle were two of the key industry players present at the event. Ripple had a bird’s eye view of the wider crypto and blockchain conversation in Davos, given their participation outside the WEF conference at a myriad of crypto-focused events like Blockchain Hub Davos and GBBC’s Blockchain Central. The company also rented out office space in Davos to conduct meetings and business during the WEF conference.
Ripple’s APAC managing director, Brooks Entwistle, highlighted the importance of embracing solutions and systems that are creating tangible utility and value. He said that Ripple is focused on creating a “utility-driven products and services ecosystem” that will help people and businesses move money between different countries. He also noted that this is a “massive opportunity” for Ripple to continue to grow and expand its network and capabilities.
Circle’s relationship manager for Asia Pacific and Japan, Rohan Haggiag, also discussed the importance of collaboration between traditional finance and decentralized finance. He said that there is a need for the “right regulatory framework” to be in place in order to facilitate the growth of the crypto and blockchain industry.
These conversations in Davos suggest that the World Economic Forum is taking cryptocurrency and blockchain technology more seriously. This is a sign that the sector is maturing and that there is an increasing understanding of the potential benefits of the technology. It will be interesting to see how the sector develops over the next few years and what new collaborations and initiatives will arise from the conversations in Davos.