Research institution Messari | 2022 Predictions Report Summary Part.2

Research institution Messari's 2022 prediction report is divided into ten chapters, spanning over 130 pages. Many sections are written in an emotional and colloquial style. Here are the key points:

• Top 10 Events and Investment Themes
• 10 Key Figures to Watch
• Top 10 Bitcoin Thoughts
• US Cryptocurrency Policy
• Market Infrastructure
• NFTs and Web3 Systems
• DeFi 2.0
• Ethereum, Layer 2, and Cross-Chain Bridges
• DAO within DAO
• Additional Inclusions: Speak Freely

1. WAGMI

WAGMI stands for "We All Gonna Make It," a slogan that Messari has favored in the crypto community for many years.

WAGMI also signifies "We Are Going in Early," which embodies more mission and altruism than the slogan "Up Only."

The emergence of WAGMI represents a cultural transformation in the crypto community from being "anti-government" to "let's build the future with better technology and fair economic incentives."

WAGMI includes you, but it's also okay to be skeptical about cryptocurrencies. Just don't default to hostility and a closed mindset toward them. Criticizers like Jamie Dimon, CEO of JPMorgan Chase, won't succeed with a mindset of "NGMI."

2. The Big Shots: Samani, CMS, Su Zhu

Messari applauds these founders for enduring the long bear market of 2018 and persevering until 2021, achieving great success, making it a bountiful year for them.

For Kyle Samani, co-founder of Multicoin Capital, it was a historic year with substantial growth in his investments like The Graph, Helium, Arweave, and Solana.

Additionally, Su Zhu, co-founder of Three Arrows Capital, became one of the largest funds in Asia. Their investments in Solana, Avalanche, and Polkadot surged, and Su Zhu later shifted his loyalty from Ethereum without hesitation.

Messari finds CMS Holdings to be the most intriguing presence in the crypto space, with notable activities such as the meme "Hot ball of money," buying $5,000 worth of Girl Scout cookies to gift to Messari analysts, and mocking the bear market and those paper traders.

Moreover, CMS is possibly one of the quickest responders in the market, benefiting from not managing other people's funds.

3. Coinbase COO Emilie Choi

Messari notes that despite early employees leaving Coinbase in recent years, the company has continued to grow rapidly, attributed not only to the contributions of CEO Brian Armstrong but also to COO Emilie Choi's adeptness at acquiring companies.

Running Coinbase Ventures without full-time employees, Emilie Choi has played a crucial role in the exchange's success by investing in startups like Earn.com, blockchain infrastructure Bison Trails, custodian Xapo, and many other crypto projects.

4. OpenSea CEO Devin Finzer

OpenSea has been one of the biggest winners in the NFT market this year, with CEO Devin Finzer as a co-founder and early investor, despite facing competition from platforms like Coinbase, FTX, Gemini, and even Fantom's NFT platform Artion.

Messari believes that OpenSea will eventually become a hundred-billion-dollar company, as critics underestimate their leading advantage, similar to Coinbase's rise.

5. Paradigm Researcher Dan Robinson and Protocol Engineer Dave White

Aside from being a prominent venture capital firm, Paradigm delves into DeFi research, with Dan Robinson deeply involved in designing Uniswap v3.

In addition, Dave White, who joined in January, has collaborated on NFT derivative solutions like "Floor Perps" and sustainable derivatives like "Power Perps."

Messari acknowledges the remarkable research contributions from the Paradigm team and looks forward to their performance in 2022.

6. Axie Infinity Co-founder Jeff Zirlin The Jiho

Axie Infinity has become a top blockchain game in the cryptocurrency space over the past year, with innovations including:

• 40% of users from the Philippines
• Sky Mavis, the developer, surpassing 1 million users
• Sidechain Ronin generating $1 billion in revenue
• Securing a $152 million Series B funding round led by a16z

7. Bluesky Lead Jay Graber and Crypto Affairs Head Tess Rinearson

Messari acknowledges the capabilities of Jay Graber and Tess Rinearson, but after comparing their activities on GitHub with Diem, they observe a slow movement toward decentralization and open-sourcing on Twitter.

Furthermore, given the current low throughput in the crypto space, full decentralization may not be suitable for social platforms. However, CEO Jack Dorsey's resignation opens the door for a "non-Bitcoin" approach, and Messari is eager to see Bluesky's performance next year.

8. Blockchain Association Kristin Smith and a16z Katie Haun

The US recently passed a $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill, with related crypto provisions that could be catastrophic for the crypto industry. Therefore, the lobbying efforts of Kristin Smith's Blockchain Association may be crucial in the future.

Katie Haun, a former federal prosecutor, Coinbase board member, and now a general partner at a16z, can wield significant influence in policy communications.

Messari believes that the Blockchain Association and a16z will play a significant role in legislative proposals in the future.

9. SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce

Messari points out that Hester Peirce's nickname "Crypto Mom" may be more fitting during former Chairman Jay Clayton's tenure, whereas in the current Chair Gary Gensler's era, Hester Peirce is the crypto industry's last line of defense.

Messari's founder Ryan Selkis has a strong bias against Gensler, believing that during Clayton's time, the SEC at least avoided overregulating a market it didn't understand. However, Gensler seems to be resorting to any means to achieve his lifelong goal of becoming Treasury Secretary, setting back the emerging crypto industry by a decade.

Messari will cover more about Gensler in Chapter Four.

10. Terraform Labs Founder Do Kwon

• Terra is one of the largest crypto projects in Asia
• Among the top ten public chain projects
• Extensively used for collateralizing the stablecoin UST
• Encompassing protocols for lending, derivatives, securities, AMM, and more
• Multi-chain prospects

Messari emphasizes that no one on the top ten watch list is repeated annually, with some exceptions.

Balaji Srinivasan's extensive knowledge is continuously referenced in the text, SBF being reported as the richest individual under 30 multiple times, and Michael Saylor appearing more and more like the person who made the most significant trade in history and stands on the victorious side.