Finextra Research: Latest fintech news, analysis, interviews, features and opinion by industry experts

Metaverse to place new demands on payment services - BIS

The metaverse could place new demands on payment services that may be better met by central bank digital currencies and retail faster payment systems than by crypto, according to a Bank for International Settlements report.

08 February 2024

Company update/payments

Worldline expands reach of Metaverse shopping hub

Worldline [Euronext: WLN], a global leader in payments services, has released the Worldline Metaverse Shopping Hub within Spatial, a significant upgrade to its white-label solution for merchants seeking access to the Metaverse.

12 December 2023

News/crypto

COP28: Ethereum pre-Merge carbon emissions estimated to be 27.5m metric tonnes

Research from the Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance (CCAF) and the Ethereum Climate Platform (ECP) reveals that the Merge – the upgrade that switched the ETH consensus mechanism from a proof-of-work protocol to a proof-of-stake system – ensured that Ethereum now has a much lighter greenhouse gas footprint than other high carbon-emitting blockchains.

01 December 2023

Company update/crypto

Laser Digital makes Metaverse debut

Laser Digital Holdings AG, in cooperation with Nomura Holdings, Inc., is delighted to announce its debut of the ‘Nomura & Laser Digital Botanical Garden’ in The Sandbox metaverse.

30 October 2023

Company update/crypto

US metaverse app Upland extends Series A funding

Upland, the web3 Metaverse Super App, announced an extension to its Series A funding, securing an additional $7 million. This recent investment further positions Upland as one of the most widely-used web3 apps, with over 3 million registered accounts on the EOS blockchain and nearly 300,000 virtual property owners, greatly outpacing its competition. The Series A extension adds EOS Network Ventures as a new investor, alongside participation from existing investors C3 Venture Capital, Animoca Brands, and angel investors.

20 October 2023

News/retail

UK politicians address blockchain and web3 via the metaverse

Natalie Elphicke MP OBE and other UK politicians addressed a forum of 51 nations to set out the UK’s national priorities for blockchain and web 3 through an appearance in the metaverse.

20 September 2023

News/sustainable

UK banks ditch the Metaverse

The number of UK banks investing in technologies such as virtual reality and augmented reality is falling as the Metaverse hype fades away.

13 September 2023

Company update/retail

DBS creates Mateverse adventure to spotlight global food waste

DBS today unveiled its metaverse concept for DBS BetterWorld, a gamified adventure to demonstrate how the metaverse can be leveraged as a force for good.

29 August 2023

Company update/sustainable

DBS unveils Metaverse adventure to spotlight global food waste challenge

DBS today unveiled its metaverse concept for DBS BetterWorld, a gamified adventure to demonstrate how the metaverse can be leveraged as a force for good.

25 August 2023

Company update/startups

Sella Group selects four startups for metaverse incubation programme

The four startups selected by dpixel - the Sella group Venture Incubator - as part of “Metaverse 4 Finance”, the first Italian acceleration program aimed at identifying and supporting the growth of national and international startups for the development of innovative, economically sustainable, inclusive, and secure solutions in the field of metaverse applied to finance, come from the USA, United Kingdom, Romania, and Switzerland.

03 July 2023

News/retail

PKO Bank Polski to run jobs fair in the metaverse

PKO Bank Polski is to run a virtual jobs fair in the metaverse in a search for new tech talent.

30 May 2023

News/crypto

NextGen Nordics: Retail CBDCs could jeopardise commercial banks’ deposit base

Exploring CBDCs and the future of technology in the Nordics and across Europe, Paige McNamee, senior reporter at Finextra discussed the painpoints central bank digital currencies could help to alleviate and what level of cybersecurity, AML and KYC is required.

25 April 2023

Research/Metaverse

Embracing Technology to shape the Future of Digital Banking

20 April 2023 602 downloads

News/retail

CaixaBank launches environment-based metaverse experience

CaixaBank is taking to the metaverse for World Earth Day, offering customers a virtual tour designed to raise environmental awareness.

18 April 2023

Finextra TV/identity

Digital identity in the metaverse

Speaking at LexisNexis® Risk Solutions Trust:Live 2023, Tom Ffiske, Editor, Immersive Wire, discusses how the metaverse is the natural evolution of our current version of the internet and how digital ID technology is keeping up with innovation.

17 March 2023

News/identity

Trust:Live 2023: Evolving digital identity, intelligence and innovation

This week, LexisNexis® Risk Solutions and Finextra Research held Trust:Live 2023, the exclusive in-person event for all fraud and identity decision makers focusing on the latest challenges in establishing trust to protect customers, defend brands, or meet the needs of evolving business models.

15 March 2023

News/payments

JPMorgan-backed metaverse payments platform Tilia extends funding round

JPMorgan-backed Tilia, a Linden Labs spin off that is building a payments platform for virtual economies, has secured fresh capital from new backer Seoul-based fintech Dunamu.

15 March 2023

News/crypto

Worldline opens Metaverse shopping mall

Payments firm Worldline is making it easier for firms to enter the metaverse with a white-label shopping mall.

10 March 2023

News/identity

Banks back 'Japan Metaverse Economic Zone'

Major Japanese banks and tech firms have banded together on a metaverse infrastructure project that will, among other things, provide payments, authentication, and insurance services for users across platforms.

28 February 2023

News/payments

NextGen Nordics 2023: Back and better than ever

Finextra will be back in Stockholm to bring the new world of Nordic banking to life for the NextGen Nordics 2023 conference on the 25th of April.

03 February 2023