•Pantera Capital, a venture capital firm with $3.8 billion in assets under management, has released its 2023 forecast: the future is DeFi.
•The bear market was worsened by a wave of exploits and bankruptcies, including the FTX implosion and Genesys Capital filing.
•Ripple’s SVP of Global Customer Success, Brooks Entwistle, joins „First Mover“ to discuss the payment protocol’s crypto and blockchain predictions for 2023, with a focus on the real-world utility from NFTs to CBDCs.

Crypto-focused venture capital firm Pantera Capital is predicting the future of the blockchain and digital asset industries, and the forecast is DeFi. With $3.8 billion in assets under management, the firm has issued its 2023 crypto forecast, emphasizing the need for transaction fees, liquidity and usability.

The bear market that began in early 2020 was further exacerbated by a wave of headline-grabbing exploits and bankruptcies, ranging from the implosion of the multibillion-dollar centralized exchange FTX to the filing by crypto lender Genesys Capital last week. The news has done little to dampen the enthusiasm for the DeFi sector, however, as it continues to evolve and attract new users.

In order to better understand the current state of the blockchain and digital asset industries, and the potential for future development, Ripple’s SVP of Global Customer Success, Brooks Entwistle, recently joined „First Mover“ to discuss the payment protocol’s crypto and blockchain predictions for 2023. Entwistle highlighted the importance of the real-world utility of digital assets, from NFTs to CBDCs, and how these can help drive the industry forward. He also discussed the SEC lawsuit against Ripple, as well as Ripple’s partnership with Solana and Global Blockchain Business Council to explore crypto-based solutions for climate change.

Pantera Capital’s prediction of a future in decentralized finance is an exciting one, and one that the firm believes is well on its way to becoming a reality. With the increasing focus on real-world utility, the rise of NFTs, CBDCs and other digital assets, as well as the continued development of the DeFi sector, the future of the blockchain and digital asset industries looks to be a bright one.