Finland launches bid for metaverse leadership

Finland is launching its bid to be a global leader in metaverse development with its Metaverse Initiative by Finnish Ecosystem,” organized by Business Finland, according to a press release. Growing from the April 2023 collaborative work at the Match XR event in Helsinki, the initiative includes efforts from more than 400 Finnish business and technology entities, including Nokia, KONE, Varjo and Dispelix. The metaverse industry is predicted to grow to a volume of €30 billion (approximately $32,614,650,000) by 2035. “The Metaverse is still more of a vision than reality, as significant steps will be required in technology, standardization, usability, business, regulation, and content development,” Jani Jokitalo, account manager, ICT and Digitalization at Business Finland, said in the release. “Finland wants to become an inspiring role model for the whole world. We want to ensure that the Metaverse has open standards and interfaces that provide sufficient independence and freedom and protect the ecosystem from being dominated by a single company or country.”