YugabyteDB 2.13 is a major release that delivers better control over where geo-distributed deployments store and access data, allowing enterprises to lower data transfer costs, improve performance, and ensure compliance with regulatory requirements. The new release includes features such as locality optimized reads, improved backup and recovery capabilities, and enhanced security and compliance features. Additionally, YugabyteDB 2.13 provides a more developer-friendly experience with the introduction of Cloud Shell, CDC, simplified application deployment, and new developer tools like MyBatis and Dapper ORM support. The release also includes several planned features for upcoming releases, including database-level multi-tenancy, faster bulk-data loading, and support for pessimistic locking.