Top 3 sectors needing a crypto strategy with the rise of the Metaverse

Gaming, Shopping, and Social Media sectors are among the top three industries to be impacted by the rise of the Metaverse.

Roland Berger’s latest publication, “The rise of Crypto Economy” indicates that crypto is here to stay and will disrupt and improve nearly every industry and sector of our modern society.

Roland Berger has defined seven trends that will shape the crypto economy and provide business opportunities. One of the main trends is the rise of the metaverse.

“The metaverse will provide new business opportunities in the blended digital space. The top 3 sectors that will require a crypto strategy and a Metaverse strategy to remain competitive are the gaming and entertainment industry, consumer goods and fashion, and social media,” said Damien Dujacquier, managing partner at Roland Berger Southeast Asia.

Rising Crypto Gaming Investments

Over the last five years, the amount of time spent in digital worlds has increased significantly. The market for digital goods such as in-game items, digital art, virtual real estate, and vanity items is also booming.

In 2021, crypto gaming investments accounted for 9% of total funding in the gaming industry. This is expected to grow in the future.

The gaming industry is rapidly adopting crypto as a native currency and NFTs present an ideal concept for digital goods. Next to a new breed of crypto-based games (with a total market cap of USD 26 billion in March 2022), traditional gaming companies are exploring ways to integrate the technology and business opportunities in the best possible way.

Crypto opportunity for Consumer Goods and Fashion in the Metaverse

Digital items in the form of NFTs are becoming the norm for consumers. High-class consumer brands such as Dolce & Gabbana and Rolls-Royce have also begun creating and selling digital items.

As the native currency of the digital space and with the ability to create non-fungible tokens (NFTs), crypto is set to further accelerate in development.

“Businesses not only need to be prepared for significant revenue streams in the Metaverse but also a growing expectation of being present in the Metaverse,” said Dujacquier.

The race between a centralized and decentralized Metaverse has already begun with tech giant Facebook announcing its strategic repositioning and rebranding to become a dominant Metaverse player, Outlier Ventures, and others working on the Open Metaverse OS.

According to Roland Berger’s “The rise of Crypto Economy”, as of January 2022, the crypto market is valued at over USD 2 trillion, and numbers more than 12,000 crypto projects.

“Corporate adoption of crypto economy-related activities is growing significantly and this is only the beginning of the growth that’s ahead of us. Governments, investment funds, and companies need to develop their crypto-economy strategy now to ensure they capitalize on the opportunities. We will see a lot of Uber moments for traditional companies – but also for today’s innovators,” says Feroz Sanaulla, Partner and Global co-head of the crypto economy team.

On the funding side, the Venture Capital industry has poured a record USD 25 billion into crypto investments as of 2021. According to the latest research, the number of Crypto Unicorn companies increased by a whopping 491% in 2021, and M&A activities in the sector are heating up significantly with nearly 200 transactions last year.

“Roland Berger has an international team of strategy consultants with in-depth technical and commercial know-how, as well as cooperation with many leading crypto ecosystem players, to ensure we can holistically assist our clients in defining their positioning in the crypto economy,” says Pierre Samaties, Partner and global co-head of the crypto economy team.