Ripple CTO David Schwartz predicted earlier this year that the second wave of tokenized assets would shift to utility-based NFTs. In fact, every Ripple executive that weighed in on 2023 crypto trends for the year predicted that 2023 will be the year of real-world utility.
It appears as though those predictions are already coming true. One of the top trends in Web3 that has emerged over the past year is the bridging of physical products, services, and experiences with the digital world—also known as ‘phygital NFTs’. From bringing IRL concerts to the metaverse; to token gating with utility; brands, musicians and creators can offer exclusive products and content to their followers—powered by blockchain. It’s no surprise some of the biggest household names in the fashion and food and beverage industries including Starbucks, Nike, Adidas, and Balmain have adopted a tokenization strategy as a way to cultivate relationships directly with their audiences and offer new content distribution channels.
Last October, Ripple brought a wave of NFT creators transforming the…