While the concept of the metaverse seems no longer new, particularly to a select group of tech-informed nerds, there is no doubt that it is on track to become a major digital innovation of our time.
Barbados, an island country in the Caribbean is notably setting the stage to launch the first Metaverse-based embassy in the world. As reported by Coindesk, the Barbadian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade entered into a definitive agreement with Decentraland, a blockchain protocol that sells digital land in the metaverse for the digital embassy development.
Barbados is finalizing the details of its agreement with a number of notable blockchain projects including “Somnium Space, SuperWorld, and other Metaverse platforms.” Beyond the purchase of virtual lands, each of these protocols will be instrumental in designing the architectural plans, as well as in developing the facilities for the issuance of an e-Visa and in designing a Teleporter that will help human avatars move across metaverse worlds.
While Barbados is known to maintain close diplomatic ties with various allies around the world, it hopes a switch into the metaverse will further close the gap in providing easy access to its growing economy to the world.
“This is a way for Barbados to expand its diplomatic missions beyond the 18 it currently has with 190+ countries around the world. This allows us to open the door, using technology diplomacy, which then extends to cultural diplomacy – the trade of art, music, and culture,” said H.E. Gabriel Abed, the country’s ambassador to the United Arab Emirates in an interview with Coindesk.
In addition to expanding its physical embassy establishments, the Island nation also wants to become engrafted into a variety of virtual worlds.
“The idea is not to pick a winner – the metaverse is still very young and new, and we want to make sure what we build is transferable across the metaworlds,” he said.
Should all plans work as scheduled, the embassy borne on the metaverse is billed to be launched in January next year, successfully capping years and months of hardwork in this innovative stride?
Barbados Metaverse: A Complement to Facebook’s Meta?
While the concept of the metaverse seems no longer new, particularly to a select group of tech-informed nerds, there is no doubt that it is on track to become a major digital innovation of our time.
As Coinspeaker reported back in October, social media giant, Facebook, changed its corporate name to Meta Platforms Inc (NASDAQ: FB) with the sole aim and interest to pilot humans from our current environment into a virtual reality packed world.
“The next platform will be even more immersive – an embodied internet where you’re in the experience, not just looking at it. We call this the metaverse, and it will touch every product we build,” the tech giant said at the time.
Since Meta’s unveiling, a number of outfits are now gradually beginning to explore a shift into the metaverse, however, reports had it that the Barbados Metaverse Embassy initiative had long been in the making before Facebook hinted at the plans. The Barbados virtual embassy pursuit is thus, not a compliment to Meta’s innovation, but to the latest trend in the dynamic world of blockchain technology.
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