One of the world’s largest investment giants, Fidelity Investments, submitted trademark applications in the United States to the U.S. Patent Trademark Office (USPTO) on December 21, which included a non-fungible token (NFT) marketplace and financial investment and crypto trading services in the metaverse.
Fidelity has said that one of its key areas of focus will be the metaverse. The firm said that it will offer a wide range of investment services in the virtual world including mutual funds, retirement funds, investment management, and financial planning.
Fidelity may also be planning to launch metaverse-based payment services that would include electronic bill payments, fund transfers, and the financial administration of credit card accounts in the metaverse and other virtual worlds. The filing further indicates that Fidelity could launch trading and management services in the metaverse as well as provide virtual currency wallet services.
Fidelity has also indicated that it could offer educational services in the metaverse by conducting classes, workshops, seminars, and conferences in the field of investments and in the field of marketing financial services.
Fidelity was recently issued with a letter from three U.S. senators urging them to drop its 401(k) Bitcoin plan. The senators cite the fall of the cryptocurrency exchange FTX as the reason for the asset management firm to revise its Bitcoin offering to retirement savers.