Catalonia is building its own metaverse, says innovation minister

Sebastian Parker
Sebastian Parker
Last Updated on June 27, 2022

In an exclusive interview with Alex Cohen, Cointelegraph’s managing editors, Daniel Macro, Catalonian director general of innovation discussed the main efforts the government has made to make the region a digital center. Macro spoke at the European Blockchain Convention 2022.

Macro stated that the COVID-19 epidemic over the past two year has helped to promote the idea of a digital economy. It is an integral part of the main economic system. He cited Europe’s example of digitizing the energy deal, as well as several other digital deals.

Related: Meta to start testing NFTs in Instagram Stories with Spark AR

Macro was appointed director of SmartCatalonia Government Strategy, where he oversees the initiative to make Catalonia a Smart Country. The minister is now working to create a digital economy that is inspired by the physical world, using both metaverse and blockchain technology.

He explained that the government was working to build a Catalonian metaverse, called Cataverse. He explained:

“Cataverse” will be linked with the Catalan language, and Catalan culture. This is what we want in this metaverse. Catalan entities can do things for the culture in the metaverse.

The Catalonian Innovation minister then spoke out about the government’s plans for making Barcelona the digital capital. He stated that a lot will depend on talent, and the government has adopted several policies and programs to nurture this talent among the youth. He stated:

“We have strong policies to attract talent from universities, but we also skill programs like boot camps a lot because different profiles are needed.”

He said that the government was trying to achieve a mix of both, i.e. A friendly work environment is key to attracting new talent and retaining more businesses.

When asked about blockchain projects tourists can interact in Barcelona, the minister cited an example project that focused on personal health and others that are based on public transport.