The government hopes to make Barcelona the digital center of Catalonia. A working group has begun building a Catalonian metaverse called Cataverse, with plans to train students to develop it.
During the European Blockchain Convention (EBC 2022) held in Barcelona, Daniel Marco, director-general of innovation and digital economy of the government of Catalonia, said in an exclusive interview for Cointelegraph that the government supports the initiative to make Catalonia a “smart country.”
Daniel Marco is director of the government’s SmartCatalonia initiative and oversees the implementation of blockchain technology and the metaverse. He heads a working group to promote digital innovation and the region’s digital transformation policy. According to Marco, the COVID-19 pandemic has boosted digital economy ideas, and Catalonia is ready to move towards digitizing greenhouse gas emissions trading (EU ETS) deals and other economic transactions.
Tokenized carbon credits were recently sold for the first time for bank stablecoins in Australia.
Marco said that a working group initiated by the government has started creating the metaverse. The project has been named the Cataverse. According to the official, the initiative’s success will directly depend on developers’ qualifications. Therefore, the government of Catalonia has launched several educational programs for students. These university disciplines will provide the digital economy of Catalonia with qualified specialists in the future.
He also added that the government intends to develop the digital infrastructure through the involvement of various business projects, creating a friendly working environment.
Recall that Melbourne recently announced the launch of a research center for the metaverse, and according to analysts, the total revenue of metaverse projects could reach $5 trillion over the next eight years. Additionally, the South Korean government is also committed to developing and launching its own metaverse, with more than $1.8 billion in funds set aside for the purpose.
