Citibank is following through on its big plans for the metaverse with its Global Wealth Centers in Decentraland and Spatial.
They’re also dedicating art, videos, and experiences in their centers to showcase their acknowledgement of a few trendy social causes. The Spatial center looks more like a corporate office, whereas the Decentraland center incorporates more fun into the experience.
And both offices come just in time for Christmas.
Citibank’s Decentraland Global Wealth Center
You’ll be greeted by the familiar welcome bot upon arriving. He’ll give you a quick rundown of what Citi has to offer at their metaverse center. Christmas lights surround the front half of the building, and there appears to be a carnival resting on a platform supported by massive rocks above.
Inside, you’ll find metaverse-inspired art, serving as a possible glimpse into what Citi expects it to become. There’s also a concierge desk with 3D links, with one pointing to Citi Bank’s Hong Kong website and the other, to their Spatial presence. There’s also a Christmas tree in one back corner and a snowman in another.
Of course, this is just the entrance area. You’ll need to walk behind the desk and teleport up to the Sky Garden to see the real substance of Citi’s metaverse efforts.
Citi Sky Garden in Decentraland
There’s a teleport platform just behind the concierge desk. After clicking it, you’ll find yourself on a grassy platform surrounded by lit party streamers (because, why not light up your party streamers in the metaverse?). You’ll also find a small carnival featuring a game, Ferris wheel, and a carousel (although you can’t ride them just yet). A hot air balloon sporting Citi’s logo floats above.
Citi’s Global Wealth Center in Spatial
Like I said, this place definitely has a more corporate feel – although it has been decked out for Christmas.
There’s an entrance lobby, a waiting room, several offices, and a conference room. It’s all perched high in a skyscraper overlooking Hong Kong.
Each office is named after a different natural element, although they largely look the same. The board room has a typical layout, but no meetings took place during my visit.
Surprisingly, Citibank’s Spatial office doesn’t offer much information. There is a video in the lobby, but it just plays a video of the Citi hot air balloon floating over Hong Kong on repeat for about 2 minutes. There’s probably more to come in the future.
Citi’s Plans for the Metaverse
Citibank has expressed interest in the metaverse since it first gained mainstream appeal last year. Back in April, Jelena Zec, Senior Vice President of Venture Investing at Citi Ventures, wrote a piece entitled ‘“Brand” New World: How the Metaverse is Revolutionizing Customer Engagement.’
In it, Zec discussed creative ways that the metaverse could be used to better serve customers and facilitate effective communication, among other things.
Granted, the article was published to Citi Ventures as an opinion piece, and the disclaimer “The opinions expressed in this blog are solely the author’s and do not reflect the views of Citi.”
However, Citi has expressed interest in the metaverse on other occasions. For example, the bank caught the attention of several prominent financial publications earlier this year when it announced that the metaverse economy could be worth $13 trillion by 2030.
That reports included contributions from a slew of leading financial experts. It also featured analysis by leading tech minds. Citi also views the metaverse “as a conceptual next iteration of the internet, supporting a collection of real-time applications and experiences across devices.” That lines up pretty well with our guide to the metaverse.
Needless to say, it seems that Citibank is optimistic about the metaverse’s future. And given the brilliant minds they have utilizing vast global resources, we’re inclined to agree.
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