"Redefining the Future of NFTs: Beyond Art and into Everyday Life - A Conversation with Jana Bertram, Head of Strategy at the RARI Foundation"

In the wake of the 2023 crypto market rebound, a revitalized interest in the future of nonfungible tokens, or NFTs, began to emerge. As we left a challenging winter for cryptocurrencies behind, sales volumes began to warm up again. Throughout this landscape, NFT technology remained resilient and innovative. One such ecosystem that persevered during these times was the Rarible community, comprising of the Rarible Protocol, Rarible marketplace, RARI token, Rarible DAO, and the RARI Foundation — with their new layer 3 mainnet, RARI Chain, on the horizon.

On Episode 26 of The Agenda podcast, hosts Jonathan DeYoung and Ray Salmond talked with Jana Bertram, Head of Strategy at the RARI Foundation. This conversation unveiled insights into the NFT market, its future, and how it could become sustainable by exploring alternative and exciting use cases.

Bertram tackled the ‘branding issue’ NFTs have encountered since their rise in popularity. While some perceive them simply as speculative assets bad for the environment, or even a complete waste of money, Bertram disagrees. She advocates for the possible rebranding and eventual evolution of how we perceive NFTs.

More interestingly, she calls for a shift in perspective, imagining a world where a user doesnt need to recognize their item as an NFT. Instead, it could be translated into commonplace terms like a membership ID, making it more relatable and less alienating to the end-user.

Bertram then addressed the well-known case for NFTs associated with digital art. While some argue that owning a simple JPG of an artwork is just as valid, Bertram highlighted the possibility of merging the physical and digital aspects to offer collectors the benefits of both. She introduced the concept of making NFTs more tangible, alluding to her personal experience of purchasing an NFT and receiving a physical painting.

Beyond the art world, Bertram expanded the horizons for NFT use, envisioning a world where elements like homeowners association memberships and rental contracts could be represented as NFTs. She also pointed out the potential of using NFT technology for ensuring intellectual property rights are respected.

When asked about the societal impact of NFTs, Bertram acknowledged the instrumental role of Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs) and the revolutionary potential of a borderless payment system in shaking up traditional societal operations. Here, she sees NFTs as a significant piece of this transformative puzzle.

For investors, these developments characterize several crucial aspects: resilience amidst market downturns, the potential for a broadened perspective on NFT utility, and the exciting possibilities for integrating the digital and physical worlds. From a market sentiment perspective, this reflects a maturing and evolving outlook. A shift from the initial speculative-phase to a more use-case driven approach.

So as we journey into the 2020s, whats clear is that while the headlights are firmly on crypto prices, in the backroom, development and evolution continue. The trading floors may bask in the warmth of the recent crypto spring, but its in the furnace of adversity and cold crypto winters that the future, as Bertrand sees it, is being forged. NFTs may well become an essential part of our everyday lives, from art and memberships to intellectual property rights and beyond.