Regulating The Metaverse Economy

This open access book examines regulating an environment that has no jurisdiction, is fully anonymous and infinitely vast? Welcome to the Metaverse, an online virtual reality that is expected to add billions to the global economy. The Metaverse offers a new type of virtual economy with practically endless business opportunities. The question is how to prevent these opportunities from being abused to commit money laundering and finance terrorism (MLFT). This book explores the current European Union legislation designed to prevent MLFT in connection with the Metaverse. It analyses the legislation in relation to the three traditional stages of MLFT: placement, layering and integration. Furthermore, some additional risks specific to the Metaverse are discussed, such as Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) and the high level of anonymity. The book concludes that the current legislation is not suitable for facing the new challenges of the Metaverse. In turn, the book puts forward a novel approach to regulating and enforcing MLFT legislation: using a system of smart assets equipped with AI to prevent and detect MLFT. In addition, it makes recommendations on how to improve the legal framework with regard to the new challenges arising from the Metaverse. Particular attention is given to creating a legal framework that incorporates the use of smart assets and the Internet of Things, in order to provide a safe environment for potential users and society. With a solid background in financial law and technology, the author successfully creates a novel system of regulation and enforcement that is based on the use of automatic enforcement, whilst keeping sufficient legal safeguards in place for potential Metaverse users. This book will be of interest to anyone interested in the Metaverse. Whether you want to regulate it or open your own virtual business, it’s a must-read!

The metaverse seems to be on everybody’s lips – and yet, very few people can actually explain what it means or why it is important. This book aims to fill the gap from an interdisciplinary perspective informed by law and media and communications studies. Going beyond the optimism emanating from technology companies and venture capitalists, the authors critically evaluate the antecedents and the building blocks of the metaverse, the design and regulatory challenges that need to be solved, and commercial opportunities that are yet to be fully realised. While the metaverse is poised to open new possibilities and perspectives, it will also be a dangerous place – one ripe with threats ranging from disinformation to intellectual property theft to sexual harassment. Hence, the book offers a useful guide to the legal and political governance issues ahead while also contextualising them within the broader domain of governance and regulation of digital technologies.

The Metaverse Economy equips fintech professionals with an in-depth understanding of the emergent economic models in the Metaverse and across Web3. In this book, fintech and metaverse experts Arun Krishnakumar and Theodora Lau help technology and financial services professionals prepare for the convergence of several technology paradigms: Web3, non-fungible tokens (NFTs), game and finance (GameFi) and the Metaverse. The Metaverse Economy provides an overview of the types of economic models that companies can use to scale business in Web3. Offering balanced insight into the complex world of the Metaverse, the book demystifies the technology and economic paradigms that have triggered the rise of the Metaverse. The book also focuses on the convergence of these economic models into a unified system that competes directly with traditional frameworks. The authors break down the new qualitative and quantitative attributes professionals must consider to capture the opportunities of the market. The Metaverse Economy tackles popular questions many financial services professionals have about market shares, value permanence, the ownership economy and play-to-earn models. Packed with case studies from some of the biggest brands in blockchain, DeFi, NFTs and gaming, the book helps finance professionals understand the risks associated with the Metaverse and prepare for what lies ahead.

The Metaverse seamlessly integrates the real world with the virtual world and allows avatars to engage in a broad range of activities including entertainment, social networking, and trading. In this book, we dive into the Metaverse by discussing how blockchains connect various Metaverse components, digital currencies, and blockchain-empowered applications in the virtual world. On the other hand, Web3 has also attracted considerable attention due to its uniquely decentralized characteristics. The digital economy, currently undergoing a rapid development, is a critical driver to highly efficient societies. It is imperative that we investigate how to use Web3 technologies to address the critical concerns encountered during the development of the digital economy by fully exploring Web3. In this book, we also share insights into the Web3-based ecosystem in the Metaverse; topics of interest include decentralized finance, digital assets, the asset-trading market, etc. Unlike most works on the subject, this book mainly concentrates on insights and discussions regarding blockchain, the Metaverse and Web3. In other words, it focuses on using blockchain technologies to enable an ecosystem for both the Metaverse and Web3. Topics addressed include blockchain fundamentals, smart contracts, value circulation in the Metaverse, the connection between the Metaverse and Web3, the establishment of the Metaverse on the basis of blockchain technologies, decentralized autonomous organization, decentralized storage, digital economy, Web3-based economic systems for the Metaverse, etc. This book will be a valuable resource for students, researchers, engineers, and policymakers working in various areas related to blockchain, the Metaverse and Web3. We hope that it will also inspire readers from academia and industry alike, and ultimately help them create a truly open, fair, and rational ecosystem for the Metaverse and Web3.

This book focuses on game theory approaches utilized on various domains viz., IoT, blockchain and their applications to biomedical and healthcare services. The book bridges the gap between radiologists and Artificial Intelligence (AI)-driven automated systems by investigating various techniques such as game theoretic approach, blockchain technology basically utilized for security, and IoT applied on metaverse. Healthcare Services in the Metaverse: Game Theory, AI, IoT, and Blockchain, identifies the potential areas where game theory and block chain techniques can be harnessed in the metaverse. The book discusses the integration of virtual reality (VR) with augmented reality to identify the new emerging techniques in healthcare to metaverse, where doctors and/or patients can see any kind of operation in the VR metaverse. The authors use game theoretical and blockchain approaches to understand healthcare issues, with the aim of utilizing different technologies of metaverse platform for health informatics. This book is written to help healthcare practitioners and individuals across academia and research, as well as for those who work in biomedical, Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI), metaverse, VR, blockchain, and related technologies.

In the era of the metaverse, a big challenge permeates the digital landscape-a challenge that resonates both with creators seeking to thrive in this dynamic space and policymakers attempting to navigate its uncharted territories. Creators, driven by innovation, grapple with a myriad of uncertainties in monetizing their virtual content effectively. Simultaneously, policymakers find themselves at a crossroads, caught between the rapid evolution of the virtual realm and the lack of clear regulatory guidelines. This struggle is exacerbated by the issue of cybersecurity threats that cast a shadow over the metaverse's transformative potential. It is within this context of challenges that Creator's Economy in Metaverse Platforms emerges, poised to tackle the pressing issues at the intersection of creativity, regulation, and the ever-expanding metaverse. Creator's Economy in Metaverse Platforms dissects, analyzes, and offers solutions to the multifaceted challenges prevailing in the metaverse. By addressing fundamental questions about the creator economy, the elusive concept of the metaverse economy, and the indispensable role policymakers play, the book provides a holistic understanding of the landscape. Delving into topics such as stakeholder engagement, digital asset management, and the intricacies of various monetization models, it equips readers with actionable insights. Not content with a reactive approach, the book takes a proactive stance, offering solutions to foster interoperability and create an ecosystem where creators and policymakers can mutually thrive. It envisions not just a book but a catalyst for transformative change in the metaverse.

An incisive glimpse into the future of the internet In Step into the Metaverse: How the Immersive Internet Will Unlock a Trillion-Dollar Social Economy, future tech strategist, entrepreneur, and thought leader Dr. Mark van Rijmenam delivers a startlingly insightful discussion about how the world as we know it will fundamentally change as the physical and the digital worlds merge into the metaverse, impacting the everyday experiences of people, companies, and societies. The author maps out the extraordinary opportunities and challenges facing business leaders, consumers, regulators, policymakers, and other metaverse stakeholders trying to navigate the future of the Internet. In the metaverse, you can be who you want to be, where you want to be, and companies and consumers are only restricted by their own creativity how they can benefit from the immersive internet. With engaging commentary on issues ranging from avatars, identity and digital fashion to non-fungible tokens (NFTs), blockchain and the economics of the metaverse, this book also offers: Discussions on the importance of an open and interoperable metaverse build on the web 3.0 paradigm if we want to reign in the control of Big Tech over our identity, data and lives. Explorations of the enormous—and largely untapped—potential for metaverse entertainment, including gaming, music, media, and sports and how brands can engage with their customers in novel ways and how digital twins will change how we work and innovate. Considerations related to the dangers of an always-on, immersive internet, including data breaches, avatar imposters, mental health issues, corporate and state surveillance, and the need for metaverse law. A fascinating read you won’t be able to put down, Step into the Metaverse belongs in the hands of executives, managers, and other business leaders who play a role in digital transformation or execution. It's also an invaluable resource for anyone interested in the future of technology, the internet, and social interaction.