This week in metaverse - 1/30/2022

VentureBeat published a series on MetaVerse, The MetaVerse: How Close Are We?. It covers various facets of the MetaVerse that often do not get talked about, e.g. identity and authentication, simulations, regulation, security, and many more. Many of such issues are currently being worked on and are in different stages of readiness.

Matthew Ball had published primer on MetaVerse ( (The Metaverse Primer)[https://www.matthewball.vc/the-metaverse-primer]) around mid 2021 that went into a lot of details on framework, payment and many other technical stuff. This is a fascinating read. If you don't know who Matthew Ball is, he is the co-founder of The Ball Metaverse Index which is behind NYSE traded META ETF. The ETF tracks the companies actively involved in Metaverse and they are classified as follows:

Compute: companies enabling and supply of computing power to support the Metaverse

Networking: companies providing real-time connections, high bandwidth, and data services to consumers

Virtual Platforms: companies developing and operating immersive digital and often three-dimensional simulations, environments and worlds wherein users and businesses can explore, create, socialize and participate in a wide variety of experiences.

Interchange Standards: companies building tools, protocols, formats, services, and engines which serve as actual or de facto standards for interoperability, and enable the creation, operation and ongoing improvements to the Metaverse.

Payments: The support of digital payment processes and operations, which includes fiat on-ramps to pure-play digital currencies and financial services.

Content, Assets, and Identity Services: The design/creation, sale, re-sale, storage, secure protection and financial management of digital assets, such as virtual goods and currencies, as connected to user data and identity.

Hardware: The sale and support of physical technologies and devices used to access, interact with or develop the Metaverse.

The META Investors Deck provides the details on various investment opportunities and forecasts on what the future may hold for the MetaVerse. If you want to what is in the ETF, META Holdings provides the information on the exposure of the ETF. Facebook, Nvidia, Microsoft and the usual suspects are in the ETF at this point. This will most likely change as we get more clarity on what the Metaverse will look like as we move into the future.

On the other hand, Ori Inbar, the founder of AWE and Super Ventures, thinks that the term 'MetaVerse' is overused and has lost its meaning. Why should we pay attention to what Ori Inbar thinks? First of all, he is the Co-Founder and CEO of AugmentedReality.org and producer of Augmented World Expo. The expo is dedicated exclusively to AR industry.

It looks like Paris Hilton is also betting on NFT and Metaverse. To be honest, I am not really sure what to make of this. Is this bullish or bearish news? Anyway, the auction house Sotheby had also introduced Metaverse NFT Market where Ms. Hilton's NFTs were also introduced. If you want to checkout the NTFs available from Sotheby's Metaverse market, you checkout this page. Check out this page if you want to know what Ms. Hilton things about NFT.

If you find an enticing land in the Metaverse, how would you go about buying it? Worry no more! There are now mortgage companies that are willing to give you mortage. TerraZero and Vera Financial are two such companies that are willing to lend you money so that you can buy in the MetaVerse.

Finally, if we can play games and socialize in the MetaVerse, why can we not trade weapons and fight wars. Military Metaverse is taking Metaverse to the next level. There are some discussions in the Chinese press around such concept. Miliverse working on this. It is also minting NFTs for such usecases. There was not much information about this on the website itself. Fortunately, Digital Journal has an article that goes into some details on the thinking behind this. Apparently the users will be able to trade the digital replicas of real life weapons. The future plan is to make the historical figures available in Miliverse. We will keep an eye on this development.