Cryptocurrency20 minutes ago (Jan 03, 2022 09:00AM ET)
Shanghai includes metaverse in its five-year development plan
Could a metaverse stance from the Chinese government rattle tech giants?
Shanghai, China’s largest city and financial hub, has shown strong interest in the metaverse. According to its five-year development plan, the city is looking to encourage the “application of the metaverse in areas such as public services, business offices, social entertainment, industrial manufacturing, production safety, and electronic games.”
Although the said document, as translated by CNBC, did not give a specific timeline for the city’s metaverse project, the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Economy and Information Technology noted that the metaverse is one of four frontiers for exploration. Furthermore, the commission is interested in increasing research and development of underlying metaverse technologies, such as real-time interaction, sensors, and blockchain.
Fad or not?The metaverse has quickly grown to become a buzzword, most notably since American social media giant Facebook (NASDAQ:) changed its name to Meta Platforms Inc. in October. Several notable figures in the tech space have also voiced their support for the latest craze. Last month, Microsoft (NASDAQ:) co-founder Bill Gates predicted that most office meetings would move to the metaverse within the next two to three years. On the flip side, Tesla’s CEO Elon Musk claimed that at its current state, the metaverse is more of a marketing buzzword and not all it has been touted to be.
Although time will tell if the metaverse frenzy is more than just a buzzword, many tech giants are jumping on the bandwagon. In the Chinese scenes, Beijing-based Baidu (NASDAQ:) recently held what it claimed to be China’s first metaverse conference, amid the government’s anti-crypto stance. The event marked the opening of Baidu’s metaverse app to developers.
Related Articles

VCs don’t understand that Cardano has a community: Charles Hoskinson By Cointelegraph – Jan 03, 2022
In a recent YouTube video, Charles Hoskinson highlighted the rapid growth of the Cardano (ADA) ecosystem while clarifying the concerns raised by other members of the crypto…

Ether drops below $3,800, but traders are unwilling to short at current levels By Cointelegraph – Jan 03, 2022
Even though Ether (ETH) reached a $4,870 all-time high on Nov. 10, bulls have little reason to celebrate. The 290% gains year-to-date have been overshadowed by Dec.’s 18% price…

Bitcoin Celebrates Its 13th Birthday Today By DailyCoin – Jan 03, 2022 1
Bitcoin (BTC) is celebrating its birthday today. The world’s most prominent crypto was launched exactly 13 years ago, on January 3rd, 2009. The Genesis Block, the…
Disclaimer: Fusion Media would like to remind you that the data contained in this website is not necessarily real-time nor accurate. All CFDs (stocks, indexes, futures) and Forex prices are not provided by exchanges but rather by market makers, and so prices may not be accurate and may differ from the actual market price, meaning prices are indicative and not appropriate for trading purposes. Therefore Fusion Media doesn`t bear any responsibility for any trading losses you might incur as a result of using this data.
Fusion Media or anyone involved with Fusion Media will not accept any liability for loss or damage as a result of reliance on the information including data, quotes, charts and buy/sell signals contained within this website. Please be fully informed regarding the risks and costs associated with trading the financial markets, it is one of the riskiest investment forms possible.