Clifford Chance

Jonathan Kewley, Partner and co-head of our Tech Group, shares his key predictions for tech crises in 2023. Jonathan thinks that tech will move from something that we love to something that we live in fear of going wrong: the proliferation of deepfakes and their impact on democracies; the impact of AI bias in hiring; cyber-attacks on critical infrastructure and insurance against cyber risk. Read more about data and technology trends to watch in 2023.

Devika Kornbacher, Partner and co-head of the Clifford Chance Tech Group, discusses the evolution of the metaverse in 2023, predicting that while the 'consumer metaverse' adoption continues to be slow, the 'industrial metaverse' will boom this year. Expect to see more digital twins, digital replacement instead of transformation for testing, and smart hands for onsite maintenance.

Paul Landless, Partner, and co-head of Clifford Chance Tech Group, shares his predictions for fintech trends in 2023. Paul expects to see a consolidation of fintech platforms, particularly in the digital trade space and tokenization of financial instruments. He also discusses the convergence of DeFi and TradFi and what it will mean for the financial markets. With more regulatory scrutiny and guidance expected as well, the increased legal certainty will drive continued innovation in the market.

Ling Ho, Partner, predicts a rise in disputes and litigations in the digital assets space as a new regulatory framework emerges in 2023.

Young Kim, Counsel, discusses his top predictions for the regulation of stablecoins in the US in 2023. Young expects the emergence of a clear regulatory framework from Congress but doesn't see stablecoins becoming a reliable alternative for payments at scale yet. He also explores the possibility of traditional banks issuing their own stablecoins and other innovations in the crypto economy.

Dessislava Savova, Partner, discusses the new universe of EU regulations coming into effect in 2023 and how it will impact the businesses and consumers in the EU and beyond.

Arun Visweswaran, Senior Associate, predicts positive developments for the tech industry in the Middle East in 2023. Arun explains why 2023 will be a year of growth for the tech sector in the Middle East with better data regulation and tech businesses growing across the region.

Zayed Al Jamil, Partner, discusses the challenges and opportunities arising from the economic downturn and how technology will transform the business environment in 2023. Zayed expects several major tech driven transformations. One is distress in the tech supply chain as companies have more complex tech stacks than last time we were in a downturn. Another is AI becoming incorporated into standard products and services, so buyers will need to be aware of the risks. Lastly, Zayed sees an uptick in carve-out transactions with technology being a real driver of deal complexity.

Katrin Schallenberg, Partner, discusses her top predictions for the big tech focus of the antitrust agencies in 2023. Global tech companies will have to navigate an increasingly complex environment around the world which will require them to spend more resources engaging with the regulators across jurisdictions. EU, UK, US and China are some of the regions where antitrust agencies will be most active but other countries are also developing new regulations. Katrin expects to see more cooperation between authorities in different countries beyond 2023.

Alexander Kennedy, Counsel, predicts exciting developments in space tech in 2023. Alexander expects a boom in satellite constellations, space travel and mining and discusses why space traffic and debris management will need a global framework. He also explores how the worldwide appetite for space expansion raises critical issues around states sovereignty and strategic autonomy.