Finance and Law in the Metaverse World: Regulation and Financial Innovation in the Virtual World

This edited volume examines the impact of the metaverse on finance and law. As the commercial development of the internet and digital technology has done for more than thirty years, the metaverse phenomenon raises questions about the relevance of existing legal rules in dealing with new practices: between the need for adaptation, evolution, or new rules. While the Blockchain ecosystem has developed steadily over the last few years and its applications are still evolving, can we assume that the metaverse will become the most prodigious phenomenon of the 21st century? The term metaverse refers to a virtual world. Technically, using known but evolving technologies, the term refers to a network of 3D virtual worlds. In its current state of development, there is a metaverse and not a single virtual world as there is an internal one, simply because its development is still dependent on proprietary technologies. The development of the metaverse is no less accurate, and a few recent examples suggest that lawyers will not be able to escape this phenomenon, which looks set to involve individuals, companies, and institutions. The financial world is not immune to the emergence of the metaverse either. Traditional finance is moving into new virtual worlds. Several banks and insurance companies are entering this world, far removed from their traditions. Some have even set up branches there. However, what are these financial institutions trying to achieve by entering this market segment? This book addresses these questions with contributions from academics and experts from both fields.