Financial Companies Riding the Metaverse Wave... One Step Closer to Virtual Branches

Beyond One-Time Experiences, Holding Ceremonies and Promoting Products
Each Financial Group Accelerates Promotion and Review of 'Virtual Branches'

Welcome Financial Group celebrated its 19th anniversary by creating its own metaverse platform, "Welcome Island." Users can enter the platform, talk to Son Jongju, Chairman of Welcome Financial Group, receive explanations about Welcome Island, or be assigned missions to complete.

[Asia Economy Reporter Song Seung-seop] While strolling through the fields with colleagues searching for hidden treasures, they discovered a rainbow and took a selfie. Climbing up a cliff behind them and looking down, they could faintly see another continent. After changing into newly bought clothes and boarding a small boat, they crossed the sea. Upon arriving at the pier, they found a new house and ended the day sitting by a campfire.

This is not a story from fantasy or fairy tales. It can be directly experienced on ‘Welcome Island,’ a proprietary platform created by Welcome Financial Group to hold its anniversary event. Participants create virtual characters to engage in conversations with colleagues from other affiliates and enjoy the game.

Financial companies are actively entering the metaverse platform. Beyond simple one-time experiences, they increasingly use it as event venues or for promotion, marketing, and non-face-to-face work. Major financial groups are also considering using the metaverse as a revenue-generating tool, bringing the opening of virtual branches closer to reality.

According to the financial sector on the 28th, Welcome Financial conducted a five-day metaverse workshop last week to celebrate the group’s 19th anniversary. Employees attended autonomously using mobile devices or PCs in the metaverse environment. The mission completion process allowed participants to learn about the status of other affiliates. The space is planned to be used later for the New Year’s ceremony or recruitment.

Hana Financial Group is publicly offering its self-developed metaverse world to customers through Naver’s metaverse platform ‘Zepeto.’ Zepeto users can freely access Hana Global Campus, Hana Bank Customer Management Center, Hana Card World, and more. The interior of branches is recreated so customers can explore, naturally promoting related products and characters.

Hana Bank has also established a ‘Digital Innovation Task Force Team (TFT)’ within its Digital Experience Headquarters to actively participate in the metaverse ecosystem. As a dedicated metaverse team, they are considering approaches such as lectures and consultation services for private banking (PB) clients and sales support using augmented reality (AR) technology. Currently, the metaverse platform is used for meetings and weekend self-directed training programs.

KB Financial Group’s Management Research Institute released a metaverse-related report in June proposing digital branches. They foresee that building virtual branches where advertising models work on the Zepeto platform will increase the influx of future MZ generation customers and establish a brand image leading digital finance.

Woori Bank announced in August that it joined the ‘Metaverse Alliance’ promoted by the Ministry of Science and ICT to actively pursue future financial businesses based on the metaverse. They plan to create pilot metaverse branches to provide related services in the future.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.