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WEF 2023: The Biggest Crypto Events

The crypto industry's elite is gathering for Crypto Summit 2023 in Switzerland.

By Mike Hesp
• 2 min read
WEF 2023: The Biggest Crypto Events

The crypto industry's elite is gathering for Crypto Summit 2023 in Switzerland. While Cardano and Filecoin reveal new projects, Ripple offers a view of the future.

While the top lawmakers and business leaders debate war, the climate crisis, and stubborn inflation at the World Economic Summit of 2023, at 1,600 meters above sea level, Davos and Zurich also give a stage to tech bosses. It’s also a chance for developers in the crypto world. This year, the “longest-running high-quality crypto conference in Europe” is taking place: Crypto Summit. The event’s motto: "Regain trust and drive technology forward".

Charles Hoskinson introduces - Cardano unveils new project

Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson opened the first day of the conference. In his keynote, the 35-year-old spoke about Bitcoin and Ethereum development, Layer 2 scaling solutions, DeFi, Web3, and applications in the banking sector.

Cardano is seizing the moment and unveiling a new project: the world’s first auto protocol on its own blockchain — View post on X in Sri Lanka. The three-wheeled motor vehicles run on electricity. Across the island, charging stations will be installed. The low-cost, fast Cardano blockchain acts as the manager and aims to maximize efficiency of the eTukTuks.

Altcoin dominance and an orange Mercedes

The town in the canton of Graubünden is the meetup spot for the crypto industry’s elite. Members from Polygon, Circle, as well as Meta (Facebook) and Zoom are all on hand. Meanwhile, Filecoin, the data storage protocol, came in strong. Working with the U.S. defense and tech company Lockheed Martin, they’re pursuing a mission to deliver the InterPlanetary File System (IPFS) in space. The mission is slated to launch in 2023 aboard the LM 400 defense satellite, per the statement.

Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse shared his view on the legal fight with the SEC during the event. He said a ruling could come in June. A settlement would only be possible if Ripple’s cryptocurrency XRP isn’t regulated as a security, Garlinghouse noted. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has accused Ripple since December 2020 of selling unregistered securities. Whether a final decision will actually be reached in the next five months remains to be seen.

As always, Bitcoin steals the show. A Mercedes — BTC-orange — parked in the snow in Davos. Instead of the iconic star, the Bitcoin "B" graces the hood. The words "in crypto we trust" appear on the wheels of the sports car, which sports an Ukrainian license plate. Michael Chobanian, founder of Ukrainian exchange Kuna, has publicly identified himself as the owner of the vehicle to CNBC. CNBC.

World Economic Forum without crypto

Meanwhile, the WEF halls are quiet on crypto: just earlier this year, Bitcoin and friends were spoken about in grand terms. This January, the tone shifted. The turbulence of the past months likely contributed to the decline of the previous euphemism. The Terra ecosystem implosion, Celsius’s downfall, and the FTX debacle have sown distrust in the market. The call for regulation is getting louder. Circle CSO Dante Disparte is urging the WEF to take action.

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