What the a16z & IMF reports reveal about cryptoassets

What the a16z & IMF reports reveal about crypto assets

Renowned Silicon Valley VC Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) just released its 2023 State of Crypto report. The topline analysis from the world’s largest venture capital firm strongly suggests that adoption of crypto assets is growing, despite market changes. Overall, the world's largest venture capital firm shares throughout this report that the current bear market is ideal for building, especially for blockchain infrastructure projects.

This article will examine the key highlights from the a16z report and discuss the consensus concerning crypto at this year's IMF Annual Spring Meetings.

Highlights of the a16z Report 2023

According to the report, recent scandals and failures in the crypto economy have shown that centralized systems fail compared to open, resilient, decentralized architectures. According to a16z, Web3 is "more than a financial movement, it's an evolution of the internet," and it's evolving the internet through "crypto computers, not crypto casinos."

Some of the top findings of the report included:

The Power of Web3

The use of Web3 is still in its infancy, and indicators for non-fungible tokens (NFT) and decentralized finance (DeFi) have stabilized after declining from record highs in 2021. In addition, the blockchain gaming sector has shown particular strength, with 700 Web3 games released last year.

It was also noted that while the media painted a fairly negative picture, mainly reporting on the major crypto controversies such as FTX and others during the last year, it did not show the whole picture. The last twelve months have also shown the industry's resilience through decentralization and the survival of traditional financial failures.

Huge Building Potential in Web3

The number of active addresses across the cryptocurrency market surpassed 15 million last month, more than double the amount in March 2021 and the largest amount the company has ever tracked.

According to the price innovation cycle, market downturns encourage more talented developers to enter the cryptocurrency industry. Later, the hype surrounding the launch of these new initiatives plays a role in increasing asset prices.

A16z emphasized the continuous development of the technical foundation of blockchain, such as new layer-one chains that improve scalability and programmability, as well as layer-two scaling techniques, such as zero-knowledge roll-up (an efficient method for determining the legality of a transaction).

State of Crypto Index Tool

Additionally, a16z unveiled the State of Crypto Index. This interactive tool assesses the condition of the cryptocurrency market from a technological rather than a financial perspective. The index tracks the weighted average monthly growth of 14 market indicators, including verified smart contracts and active wallets. Users also have the option to customize the tool's parameters.

Other Key Findings from a16z Report

Some of the other key findings from the a16z report were:

1. Scaling progression: Blockchain scaling initiatives are progressing, with Layer 2 scaling solutions now accounting for 7% of Ethereum's total fees, up from 1.5% last year.
2. Less US developers: Between 2018 and 2022, the percentage of crypto developers in the US decreased by 26%, showing the necessity for regulation to support innovation in the nation.

IMF Annual Spring Meetings

Although the a16z report was very optimistic about the future of crypto, comments from the IMF Annual Spring Meetings were in stark contrast. For example, in the "New Economy Forum: The Future of Crypto Assets: Pains, Policies, and Possibilities" discussion that took place on April 12th, Rupert Thorne stated:

"We're moving toward a world of programmable money. But many problems with cryptocurrency are identical to those that have existed for decades. We're painfully relearning the same lessons we learned in traditional finance - problems with old-fashioned types of risk, such as inappropriate business models, liquidity and maturity mismatches, extensive leverage, and inadequate consumer and investor protections."

The discussion generally focused on the turbulence in the crypto industry over the last year and how regulators worldwide are paying increasing attention to crypto assets. It also covered how standard-setting bodies consider the next regulatory response to crypto assets.

Wrapping Up: What Does the Future Hold for Crypto?

Although the IMF outlook is quite bleak, many markets and assets within crypto still hold incredible promise. Namely, crypto assets, whose growth and price volatility represent an opportunity for exchanges, price floors that suit new entrants like family offices, and continued stability of bitcoin that makes an increasingly strong case for even more connections (such as on/off-ramps) between the "IMF world" and "a16z world."

On/off ramps, in particular, are critical to the crypto ecosystem because they enable full, two-way integration between cryptocurrencies and today's global financial system. Without full integration into today's global financial system, it will be difficult for cryptocurrencies to gain mainstream acceptance and realize their full potential. These ramps also provide more convenience for crypto holders and prevent users from feeling "locked in."

Just like in the a16z report, we expect plenty of innovations from Web3 builders in the near future that will be geared towards deeper decentralization while supporting mass adoption. Of course, there is likely to be more regulation coming down the track, but there are also jurisdictions with more crypto-friendly regulations.

Overall, there are many reasons to remain optimistic about the future of cryptocurrency!

If you would like to learn more about XEROF's on/off-ramp solutions or have any other questions, please schedule a meeting with a team member here.