Catalonia is building its own metaverse, says innovation minister

cointelegraph.com:

Catalonian director-general of innovation Daniel Macro discussed some of the key efforts that the government has taken and worked on to make the region a digital hub in an exclusive interview with Cointelegraph’s managing editor Alex Cohen. Macro’s comments came during the European Blockchain Convention (EBC) 2022.

Macro said the COVID-19 pandemic over the past two years has really helped in propagating the idea of the digital economy, which is a part of the main economy. He went on to cite the example of Europe which has moved to digitize the energy deal and several other digital deals.

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Macro took the charge as the director of the SmartCatalonia Government Strategy in 2014, overseeing the initiative to make Catalonia a "Smart Country" of note on the global stage. And with the advent of blockchain technology and metaverse, the minister is working towards creating a fully digital economy inspired by the physical world.

He revealed that the government is working towards building a Catalonian metaverse called Cataverse. He explained:

The Catalonian Innovation minister went on to shed light on the government's plans to make Barcelona the digital hub. He said a lot would depend on the talent and the government has passed several policies and university programs to cultivate that talent among the young. He said:

He added that the government is trying to get the mix of both i.e. cultivate new talent and attract more business with a friendly working environment.

The minister when asked about blockchain projects that tourists can interact with in Barcelona, cited the example of a project focused on personal healthcare and a few others based on public transport.