Daiwa Securities Group has created its own metaverse for employees to interact with one other on a virtual moon landing, in part so that they can learn first-hand about the proposed new form of the internet.
Japan’s second-largest brokerage opened the virtual space this week for staffers and their families as part of its 120th-anniversary celebrations. While it’s partly an educational experience, the company’s main goal is to encourage workers to bond more, said Chiharu Mori, a human resources director.
Daiwa is joining Japanese rivals Nomura Holdings and Mizuho Financial Group in exploring how the metaverse — an immersive version of the internet accessed via virtual-reality headsets, augmented reality glasses, phone apps or other devices — could reshape the way they and their clients do business. Globally, companies and investors poured about $120 billion into virtual worlds in the first five months of 2022, more than double the $57 billion invested in all of 2021, according to a June report by management consulting firm McKinsey.
In Daiwa’s metaverse, its more than 15,000 staff worldwide can manipulate avatars on the virtual moon. They can chat with colleagues at a bar over a digital beer, listen to Chief Executive Officer Seiji Nakata make a speech in a theater and tour a replica of the firm’s old headquarters.