Product Keynote: Worm

The prediction market landscape just got significantly more exciting. At Breakpoint 2024, Form co-founder and CEO Nass Diba unveiled a game-changing feature that could reshape how traders interact with prediction markets: leveraged positions up to 3x, allowing users to dramatically amplify their potential returns on market predictions.

Summary

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Prediction markets exploded into mainstream consciousness in 2024, demonstrating their remarkable ability to aggregate collective wisdom and forecast future events with impressive accuracy. However, according to Diba, what we've seen so far is merely "version zero" of what prediction markets can become. The current landscape is dominated by centralized players who control which markets get created and deployed, creating a bottleneck that prevents the technology from reaching its full potential.

Form is positioning itself as the solution to this scalability problem by building a permissionless protocol on Solana. The platform enables users to create prediction markets simply by prompting the system with their desired market topic. Form has developed its own proprietary large language model (LLM) that generates prediction markets with robust rules designed to ensure proper resolution. Users can deploy their own capital, and AI agents can assist in resolving markets once outcomes are determined.

The headline announcement, however, was the introduction of leverage for prediction markets—a first in the space. This addresses a fundamental limitation of prediction markets: when outcomes appear highly likely, the potential upside for bettors becomes minimal. With leverage, users can multiply their exposure and potential returns, transforming prediction markets from simple betting venues into sophisticated financial instruments.

Key Points:

The Scalability Problem with Current Prediction Markets

Today's prediction market ecosystem faces a significant scaling challenge. The major platforms are centralized, meaning a small team decides which markets to create and when to deploy them. This creates an inherent bottleneck as demand for prediction markets grows. Diba envisions a future where "prediction markets on everything" exist, but achieving that vision requires a fundamentally different approach—one that removes gatekeepers from the market creation process.

Form's permissionless architecture addresses this by allowing anyone to create markets. The protocol's AI-powered system handles the complex work of establishing market rules and resolution criteria, democratizing access to prediction market creation. This shift from centralized control to permissionless infrastructure represents a major evolution in how prediction markets can operate and scale.

AI-Powered Market Creation and Resolution

Form has built its own large language model specifically designed for prediction market creation. Users simply describe the market they want to create in natural language, and the LLM generates comprehensive market rules. These rules are crucial because they determine how markets are resolved—poorly defined rules can lead to disputes and confusion about outcomes.

The AI integration extends beyond market creation to include resolution assistance. Form's AI agents can help determine market outcomes, streamlining the entire lifecycle of a prediction market from creation to settlement. This automation reduces friction and makes it feasible to support thousands of concurrent markets without requiring manual oversight for each one.

Leveraged Prediction Markets: A New Financial Primitive

The most significant announcement was Form's introduction of leverage for prediction markets. This feature addresses a fundamental limitation: when markets show high confidence in a particular outcome, the potential returns for betting on that outcome become unattractive. Diba provided compelling examples to illustrate the impact.

For an upcoming boxing match between Anthony Joshua and Jake Paul, the market currently prices Joshua's chances of winning at 86%. Without leverage, betting on Joshua offers just 14% upside—not particularly compelling for a near-term event. However, with Form's 3x leverage feature, that 14% upside transforms into approximately 48%, making the opportunity significantly more attractive for those with high conviction in the outcome.

Real-World Applications and Use Cases

Diba highlighted how leverage changes the calculus for prediction market participants across various domains. Beyond sports betting, he pointed to financial and political markets as prime examples. The question of who President Trump might select as the next Federal Reserve Chair currently shows Kevin Hassett as the frontrunner with roughly 72% odds.

For someone confident in Hassett's selection, the standard 23% upside might not justify tying up capital. With 2x leverage on Form, however, that upside approaches 50%. This is particularly important because it allows traders to express strong convictions without being limited by their available capital. Form's position is that prediction markets represent "new financial primitives," and like traditional finance, they need the full suite of financial tools—starting with leverage.

Facts + Figures

• Form is building a permissionless prediction market protocol on Solana
• The platform features a proprietary LLM for AI-powered market creation
• Leverage up to 3x is now available for prediction markets—a first in the industry
• The Joshua vs. Paul boxing match shows Joshua at 86% odds to win
• Standard betting on Joshua offers 14% upside; with 3x leverage, this becomes approximately 48%
• Kevin Hassett leads Federal Reserve Chair prediction markets at 72% probability
• Standard upside on Hassett selection is 23%; with 2x leverage, this approaches 50%
• Form's AI agents can assist in resolving prediction markets automatically
• Users can deploy their own capital when creating markets or inject liquidity
• Current prediction market leaders are described as centralized, creating scalability limitations

Top quotes

• "Last year, the entire world saw how powerful prediction markets are in aggregating the wisdom of crowd and predicting the future. However, what we see with prediction markets today is just V zero."

• "There are going to be prediction markets on everything and we need scalable solutions."

• "I'm very excited to announce leverage for prediction markets for the very first time."

• "There is a problem with prediction markets. The upside for them is very low."

• "We believe prediction markets are new financial primitives and like classic finance, we need all the financial primitives for them. That's why we started with leverage."

• "When people have high conviction on something, they shouldn't be limited on their end of cash they have on hand."

Questions Answered

What is Form and what problem does it solve?

Form is a permissionless prediction market protocol built on Solana that addresses the scalability limitations of current prediction market platforms. Today's major prediction market players are centralized, meaning small teams decide which markets get created. This creates a bottleneck that prevents prediction markets from scaling to cover the vast range of topics people want to bet on. Form's protocol allows anyone to create markets using AI-powered tools, removing gatekeepers and enabling the ecosystem to grow organically based on user demand.

How does Form's AI-powered market creation work?

Form has developed its own large language model specifically designed for prediction market creation. Users simply describe in natural language what market they want to create—for example, "Who will win the next presidential election?" The AI then generates comprehensive market rules that ensure the market can be properly resolved when the outcome becomes known. This includes defining clear resolution criteria, potential edge cases, and settlement procedures. The AI can also assist in resolving markets once outcomes are determined.

What is leveraged prediction market trading and why does it matter?

Leveraged prediction market trading allows users to multiply their exposure and potential returns on a position. When a market shows high probability for one outcome (like 86% for a boxing favorite), the potential upside for betting on that outcome is minimal. With leverage, traders can amplify their returns—3x leverage turns a 14% potential gain into approximately 48%. This is significant because it allows traders with strong convictions to express those views more efficiently without being limited by their available capital.

Why is Form building on Solana?

While not explicitly detailed in the presentation, Form chose Solana for its prediction market protocol likely due to the blockchain's high throughput and low transaction costs. Prediction markets require frequent trading activity and quick settlement, making transaction speed and fees critical factors. Solana's architecture supports the kind of rapid, high-volume trading that sophisticated prediction markets with features like leverage require.

How does leverage change the economics of prediction market betting?

Leverage fundamentally transforms the risk-reward profile of prediction market positions. In the boxing match example, betting $100 on Joshua without leverage would yield about $14 profit if he wins. With 3x leverage, that same $100 position could yield roughly $48 profit. This makes betting on high-probability outcomes economically viable and allows traders to achieve their return targets with smaller capital commitments. However, leverage also amplifies potential losses, making risk management more important.