Circle, Ripple reflect on Davos 2023

Key figures from the wider cryptocurrency space painted a picture of increased dialogue and collaboration at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos.

Cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology remained but a small part of the projects and initiatives discussed and workshopped at the annual WEF conference high in the Swiss Alps. However, an increased number of sessions focused on the sector suggests that the wider world is looking for synergies between traditional finance and decentralized finance.

This theme emerged from a number of interviews conducted by Cointelegraph during January’s conference in Davos. Senior executives from XRP issuer Ripple and USD Coin (USDC) stablecoin firm Circle highlighted the importance of embracing solutions and systems that are creating tangible utility and value.

Circle and 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.

More than a Ripple

Ripple’s team rented out office space in Davos to conduct meetings and business during the WEF conference. Cointelegraph met Ripple’s APAC managing director, Brooks Entwistle, inside their Davos hub to discuss the firm’s involvement at this year’s conference.

Entwistle painted an interesting picture as an individual who has been to past WEF Annual Meetings in different roles for different companies and organizations from as early as 2009. The presence of crypto and blockchain industry participants has come to the fore in recent years, as Entwistle explained:

“What you notice over time is the crowd changes, the promenade changes and, certainly with crypto over the past few years, that has been the case. In May [2022], you could not walk down the promenade without being offered a Bitcoin pizza.”

However, the prolonged downturn across conventional and cryptocurrency markets, coupled with seismic events like the collapse of FTX late last year, has made a noticeable mark on the number of crypto ecosystem participants that set up shop at the conference in 2023.

The Managing Director of @Ripple, @BrooksEntwistle, took a moment to speak to our reporter @gazza_jenks about what’s to come for the company and $XRP in 2023.#CTWEF23 #davos2023 pic.twitter.com/kxmLMIxz03

— Cointelegraph (@Cointelegraph) January 20, 2023

The likes of FTX, who had a stall at the conference last year, were nowhere to be seen. Instead, blockchain infrastructure providers like Filecoin and Hedera had a notable presence, alongside the likes of Circle. Other firms maintained a presence outside the conference at their own event, like CV Labs’ Blockchain Hub and, at Davos’ Hotel Europe, GBBC’s Blockchain Central.

Related: TradFi and DeFi come together — Davos 2023

But Entwistle drew a silver lining around the decreased number of crypto stalls along the promenade, suggesting that more fruitful dialogue has been possible at the WEF conference:

“It’s definitely more muted now, but we’re actually having a really good WEF. With some of the noise and hype gone, the conversations and ability to go deep present more of an opportunity.”

Ripple’s APAC head highlighted his belief that progress was being made in terms of dialogue and understanding of crypto given that the number of panels within the event had increased from two sessions in 2022 to seven in 2023, stating:

“If you think about the two parallel tracks, the industry pushing the agenda outside on the street, around Davos and around the region and then what’s going on inside. That infiltration over time, why it’s important, why regulators and banks need to talk about it, and why it should be a broader topic than just what’s happening at a night cap here or a panel there along the promenade.”

Whether there should be more representation from the crypto and blockchain ecosystem inside WEF is a more complex question to consider. Entwistle believes topics with a broad reach outside of the crypto ecosystem need wider representation with projects, protocols and tools that offer value and insights into vexing global issues. He added:

“You need all those different forms represented, but I also think we have to use those slots wisely, use the panels wisely when you do get in front of this group and make sure that people understand real-world utility.”

Entwistle said the “general thrust” of crypto conversations inside the WEF Annual Meeting was focused on why the industry exists and what it’s building. For Ripple, that has been cross-border payments and liquidity provision. Other crypto proponents have been driving conversations around blockchain-based CBDCs and carbon credit initiatives.

While a more specific discourse took place at the WEF Annual Meeting, conversations and business between TradFi and DeFi flowed freely along the Davos promenade. Cointelegraph moderated a number of panels during the week,…