While 2022 was coming to a close, companies and professionals from various fields did their best to predict what trends shape the year 2023. In order to step into the new year adequately prepared and informed, we read up to 30 analysed forecasts of 2023 so you don’t have to:

Most of the leading actors in Brussels predict that the war in Ukraine will still define the political situation in Europe. The energy crisis will remain in focus for most of the decision-makers on the national as well as EU levels. Energy market dynamics for Europe in 2023 will be as challenging as in 2022. Natural gas storage will be completely depleted by the spring while little new import capacity will be available. Consequently, momentum has shifted from phasing out natural gas to reducing emissions from natural gas while cleaner alternatives are developed and deployed. Increases in natural gas investment are expected in 2023, including investments that reduce the greenhouse gas (GHG) intensity of natural gas and related infrastructure. Read more about the oil and gas industry outlook here.

Another Important political trend to follow in Brussels will be the EU decision to eliminate the unanimous vote and veto power of member states. Hungary and Poland have been pointed out as one of the reasons for this push,  while Emmanuel Macron and Ursula von der Leyen have been wary of EU voting mechanisms and have called for change. Orban’s ties with Putin are problematic — and even a single actor in the EU can continue to widen internal divisions at a time when unity and solidarity are of utmost importance.

The topic of cyber-security is expected to dominate the business environment in 2023. Cyber-security threats will continue to evolve and remain a prominent danger for public and private sector organisations. The speed and sophistication of cyberattacks in general will likely continue accelerating. According to the Kroll institute, we should particularly watch out for ransomware attacks (a fast-evolving cyber attack that blocks access to a computer system until a ‘ransom’ is paid). As a result, having networks subject to continuous security monitoring by experienced specialists are moving from being a good idea to a clear best practice. Developments in the previous year showed that cryptocurrency and decentralised finance (DeFi) are likely to be targets of cybercriminals so keeping networks up to date on security patches will continue to be a vital part of 2023.

2023 is expected to lead to even larger adoption of Web3 as many will realise the benefits of the system. With the ‘crypto winter’ and industry scandals rounded out the previous year, legislators are working on how to regulate the market while making sure not to stifle Web3 innovation. Similarly, the metaverse continues on the rise, captivating people around the world. As per Grand View Research, the global metaverse market is forecast to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 39.4% from 2022 to 2030. From gaming to socialising, many are tapping into the growing market to explore the endless possibilities that the virtual world can offer.

Influencers will continue to dominate the world of online marketing in 2023. As described by Coegi, influencers are becoming the new word-of-mouth marketing. Social media creators drive full-funnel results for brands and organisations, and they’re expected to continue growing larger in this upcoming year. It is predicted that TikTok will hold the largest share of influencer marketing.

Still curious to know more about the year ahead? We compiled a selection of over 20 reports for 2023, which you can find by following this link.

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