BANKING
Are we still light years away from a virtual future ? Despite the promise that the metaverse offers , there are still barriers to overcome . One of the biggest is the apparent disconnect that exists between consumers and banking leaders . According to an Accenture survey of roughly 9,000 consumers released at the beginning of this year , 55 % of consumers are interested in participating in the metaverse – including 90 % of those who want to do so within the next 12 months .
Yet banking executives are far more hesitant . When KPMG took the pulse of 100 senior banking leaders for its 2022 Banking Industry Survey , it found that just 13 % of respondents said their bank already has a presence in the metaverse , while barely half ( 51 %) believe their organisation will be active in the metaverse in the next 18 months .
“ The internet in three dimensions has enormous potential ,” says Opencast ’ s Ciara Conway . “ However , there are still challenges that need to be addressed before the metaverse can be fully embraced by the financial services sector . For example , governance and security is a growing concern , so it is critical that businesses ask themselves whether they have the right regulations and controls to ensure everyone can interact within the metaverse safely .
“ Another barrier to quick adoption is digital identity . As the metaverse opens up more opportunity for fraudsters , more effort will be needed to manage identity authentication . Currency within this virtual space has not yet been fully defined ; while most assume blockchain will be the technology to underpin decentralised commerce , the crypto market currently lacks regulation and stability .”
50 May 2023