Virtual worlds are in vogue: Metaverse and gaming are currently considered the largest growth market in the blockchain sector, along with Decentralized Finance (DeFi). Many observers see the metaverse as the logical further development of social networks and our current Web 2.0. The world’s largest crypto asset manager Grayscale expects annual revenues of USD 1 trillion from metaverse projects in the near future. In the long term, the new digital space is even expected to rival Internet companies like Alphabet, which represent a combined market value of around $15 trillion. Even if a lot of time is likely to pass before then, it is already clear who is playing at the very front in the battle for the metaverse.

With a market capitalization of around 2.5 billion U.S. dollars, the virtual reality platform Decentraland (MANA) is one of the frontrunners in the metaverse. In the virtual world, users buy land that they can build on or resell with digital real estate. The potential of the brave new blockchain world has also been quickly discovered by large and well-known brands. For example, the South Korean cell phone manufacturer Samsung opened its first virtual flagship store in Decentraland and the fashion house Dolce & Gabana celebrated its first digital Fashion Week there.