DeFi - CeFi Convergence & 'Explosive' Growth Are Coming
Decentralized finance (DeFi) and centralized finance (CeFi) are heading towards convergence as we are entering a period of rapid development for DeFi applications worldwide, according to the participants of a panel discussion at this years BIS Innovation Summit, an event hosted by the Bank for International Settlements (BIS). The panel, entitled CeFi to DeFi: can global finance be de/re-constructed?, featured a mix of private and public sector participants who voiced their ideas and concerns related to how the opportunities and risks inherent to DeFi could transform the global financial landscape. David Puth, CEO at Centre, the company that manages USD Coin (USDC), said that “the promise of what can happen in decentralized finance” is increasingly appreciated by the world of legacy finance. The world is heading toward a “convergence” of centralized finance and DeFi, according to the CEO, who said “theres an explosive period of growth ahead of us”. Asked about the potential coexistence of central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) and stablecoins, Puth argued that, while “every central bank is going to move at its own pace accordingly,” he was confident that “stablecoins and CBDCs are going to be peacefully co-existing for an indefinite period of time.” Joseph Lubin, Founder and CEO of blockchain company