>>> Autodesk, Inc (ADSK). provides 3D design, engineering, and entertainment technology solutions worldwide. The company offers AutoCAD Civil 3D, a surveying, design, analysis, and documentation solution for civil engineering, including land development, transportation, and environmental projects; BuildingConnected, a SaaS preconstruction solution; AutoCAD, a software for professional design, drafting, detailing, and visualization; AutoCAD LT, a drafting and detailing software; computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) software for computer numeric control machining, inspection, and modelling for manufacturing; Fusion 360, a 3D CAD, CAM, and computer-aided engineering tool; and Industry Collections tools for professionals in architecture, engineering and construction, product design and manufacturing, and media and entertainment collection industries. It also provides Inventor tools for 3D mechanical design, simulation, analysis, tooling, visualization, and documentation; Vault, a data management software to manage data in one central location, accelerate design processes, and streamline internal/external collaboration; Maya and 3ds Max software products that offer 3D modeling, animation, effects, rendering, and compositing solutions; and ShotGrid, a cloud-based software for review and production tracking in the media and entertainment industry. It sells its products and services to customers directly, as well as through a network of resellers and distributors. Autodesk, Inc. was incorporated in 1982 and is headquartered in San Francisco, California.

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>>> Metaverse ETFs to consider


https://www.fool.com/investing/stock-market/market-sectors/information-technology/metaverse-stocks/


Maybe you can’t decide which metaverse stock to buy, or maybe you want broader exposure than a single stock. Consider buying a metaverse-focused exchange-traded fund (ETF). One option is the Roundhill Ball Metaverse ETF (METV -0.1%), which includes all five of the stocks already listed here plus dozens more, providing instant diversification for shareholders.

Another possibility is the ProShares Metaverse ETF (VERS 0.58%). Of the five stocks listed here, Cloudflare is the only one the ProShares Metaverse ETF doesn't hold shares of. It has fewer holdings than the Roundhill Ball Metaverse ETF. But its expense ratio (fee) is a smidge lower, which might make it more attractive to some investors.

Yes, unlike stocks, ETFs are subject to ongoing fees, and these two ETFs are no exception. Therefore, investors need to be sure they know how to invest in ETFs before buying shares.

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>>> Will the Metaverse really change retail in 2023?


Independent

May 17, 2023


https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/business-reporter/metaverse-retail-internet-ecommerce-digital-b2338975.html


In the simplest terms, the metaverse is the internet in 3D

At the end of 2021, Mark Zuckerberg announced the end of social media as we knew it: the Metaverse would be the next era-defining technological shift. Fast-forward to today, however, and retailers are still slowly feeling their way into this space.

In the simplest terms, the Metaverse is the internet in 3D. Futurists have eulogised the potential benefits of its revolutionary potential for the future of work, retail or larger societal issues.

As is often the case with emerging technology, however, there are many questions that remain: not least, what actually is it in practical terms?

Questions aside, one thing is clear: the Metaverse is still being defined. If you asked ten different people in the street (or even within Meta itself), you’ll get ten different answers. Given the early stage of the innovation curve the Metaverse finds itself at, another thing is equally clear – it isn’t going to happen overnight either.

With the challenging retail industry backdrop across much of Europe and North America, retailers need to concentrate on their margins, workforces and customers. Customers certainly aren’t up to speed with the idea yet, so while it remains an interesting concept right now, it may be some time until we have a fully functioning Metaverse with mass consumer appeal and uptake.

Gen Z shoppers are more interested in bricks and mortar or omnichannel retail experiences. But while they might not use it the Metaverse as a platform for purchasing, there is certainly interest in it as an experiential destination that might later start a buying journey. It’s an exciting opportunity to share more about products with customers, and retailers may find themselves overlapping and complementing styles non-competitive brands.

As the Metaverse evolves, it’s consumers who will define what it actually ends up looking like and how retail brands will interact with it, though. But though it’s still a little early to quantify what effect the Metaverse will have over the next decade, digital spaces in general are set to become more immersive – and the Metaverse is set to be a part of this. More innovative, agile retailers are already investing in technology such as augmented reality, virtual showrooms, live shopping, 3D product views and video shopping consultations.

Until very recently the e-commerce experience has been transactional, rather one-dimensional, and largely concerned with cutting friction. The idea that we can make this experience more immersive, with a greater ability for discovery, curation and interaction, is maybe where the true value lies in the long term.

For the Metaverse to take off, it has to make physical life better, cheaper, faster and more connected. When you think about it, that’s exactly what the internet has done for billions of people around the globe. But today, consumers crucially want convenience as well as fun. The Metaverse represents the opportunity for “shoppertainment” that’s built on an enhanced customer experience.

According to Manhattan’s 2022 Omnichannel research report, 82 per cent of consumers surveyed across Europe and North America said they started purchasing decisions online in some capacity. Which could mean that rather than becoming the next-generation shopping platform or digital marketplace, as Mr Zuckerberg is no doubt betting on, maybe the Metaverse will gain more initial traction with retail brands and consumers as a starting point for their shopping journeys.

Just like the internet has done over the past three decades, the Metaverse presents a myriad of opportunities, and risks, for retailers and consumers alike. Whether it’s today or a decade from now, the keys to retail success remain the same: listen and communicate clearly with customers regardless of the channel, and continue to innovate. But just as the keys to success remain the same, so too do the risks of inaction.

The Metaverse won’t replace physical or online stores anytime soon, if at all. However, in years to come, it may increasingly sit alongside today’s omnichannel retail offering, as a complementary part of an increasingly immersive, 3D digital retail experience.

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Lol -- Zuckerberg lays an egg..




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>>> Meta Platforms, Inc. (META) develops products that enable people to connect and share with friends and family through mobile devices, personal computers, virtual reality headsets, wearables, and in-home devices worldwide. It operates in two segments, Family of Apps and Reality Labs. The Family of Apps segment's products include Facebook, which enables people to share, discover, and connect with interests; Instagram, a community for sharing photos, videos, and private messages, as well as feed, stories, reels, video, live, and shops; Messenger, a messaging application for people to connect with friends, family, groups, and businesses across platforms and devices through chat, audio and video calls, and rooms; and WhatsApp, a messaging application that is used by people and businesses to communicate and transact privately. The Reality Labs segment provides augmented and virtual reality related products comprising virtual reality hardware, software, and content that help people feel connected, anytime, and anywhere. The company was formerly known as Facebook, Inc. and changed its name to Meta Platforms, Inc. in October 2021. Meta Platforms, Inc. was incorporated in 2004 and is headquartered in Menlo Park, California.

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Metaverse real estate - >>> What's Next in Real Estate? 3 Investors Weigh In


Motley Fool

By Liz Brumer-Smith, Mike Price, and Kristi Waterworth

Jul 10, 2022


https://www.fool.com/investing/2022/07/10/whats-next-in-real-estate-3-investors-weigh-in/?source=eptyholnk0000202&utm_source=yahoo-host&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=article


Kristi Waterworth: Metaverse real estate has done well compared to other crypto-based assets, partially, I believe, due to the utility inherent to it. Unlike art NFTs, for example, virtual real estate gives owners the ability to generate passive income no matter what the crypto market is doing. For example, in a recent interview with Fast Company, Sam Huber of London-based metaverse real estate company Admix explained that his company's business model can generate monthly rents upwards of $60,000, with some projects having profits of 70%.

Of course, that was in May. What does the future of metaverse real estate hold now?

Because it's such a new asset, it's always hard to know for sure what we're looking at. But based on what I'm seeing, it seems like the future is bright. There are three main metaverse platforms on my radar right now for long-term adoption and development: Decentraland (MANA -1.94%), The Sandbox (SAND), and The Bored Ape Yacht Club's (APE) Otherside.

Each of these platforms is at a different stage of maturity, with Decentraland being the most developed and the only platform that is fully live. The Sandbox is open for visitors in fits and spurts, as the world continues to be created. Otherside just opened land sales in early May, so it may be some time still before it's available for visitors to check out.


CRYPTO: MANA
Decentraland

Land sales across all platforms have dropped in volume, as the crypto currencies that power them have slipped from all-time highs. However, interest isn't dropping. In fact, if anything, flippers are moving out of the systems and metaverse landowners who plan to hold their purchases and invest in the communities they bought in are digging in deeper. There have consistently been more buyers than sellers during this dip, and I believe that will ultimately generate strong long-term growth for virtual landlords.

The rest of 2022 and into 2023 are full of promise. As uncertainty about the global economy and the state of the world calm a little, and large brands continue to lead the way to building really cool experiences within metaverse spaces, the hype that we saw in November 2021 could start to bear fruit.

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>>> Meta and other tech giants form metaverse standards body, without Apple


Reuters

6-21-22

By Katie Paul


https://www.reuters.com/technology/meta-other-tech-giants-form-metaverse-standards-body-without-apple-2022-06-21/


June 21 (Reuters) - Meta (META.O), Microsoft (MSFT.O) and other tech giants racing to build the emerging metaverse concept have formed a group to foster development of industry standards that would make the companies' nascent digital worlds compatible with each other.

Participants in the Metaverse Standards Forum include many of the biggest companies working in the space, from chip makers to gaming companies, as well as established standards-setting bodies like the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), the group said in an statement announcing its creation on Tuesday.

Conspicuously missing from the member list for now however is Apple (AAPL.O), which analysts expect to become a dominant player in the metaverse race once it introduces a mixed reality headset this year or next.

Gaming companies Roblox and Niantic also were not included among the forum's participants, nor were emerging crypto-based metaverse platforms like The Sandbox or Decentraland.

Apple has not yet publicly acknowledged plans for a headset, although it has reportedly given its board a sneak peek of the product, according to Bloomberg. It did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the new metaverse forum.

Introducing such a device would put Apple in direct competition with Meta, which has staked its future on the growth of the metaverse and invested heavily in hardware to make its vision of interconnected virtual worlds a reality.

Meta, known as Facebook until it changed its name as part of its metaverse pivot last year, has disclosed plans for a mixed-reality headset code-named "Cambria" to be released this year.

Apple has been heavily involved in creating web standards such as HTML5 in the past. For three-dimensional content in the metaverse, Apple worked with Pixar on the "USDZ" file format and with Adobe to ensure it supported the format.

Neil Trevett, an executive at chip maker Nvidia who is chairing the Metaverse Standards Forum, said in a statement to Reuters that any company is welcome to join the group, including participants from the crypto world.

The forum aims to facilitate communication between a variety of standards organizations and companies to bring about "real-world interoperability" in the metaverse, he said, without addressing how Apple's absence would affect that goal.

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>>> Why a new metaverse ETF wants nothing to do with Facebook's Meta


Yahoo Finance

by Daniel Howley

May 2, 2022


https://finance.yahoo.com/news/why-a-new-metaverse-etf-wants-nothing-to-do-with-facebooks-meta-213450195.html


Facebook parent Meta (FB) wants to be the first company you think of when you hear the word metaverse, the nascent 3-D virtual world that could be the future of the internet. Heck, it’s why Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg changed the social media giant’s name to Meta in late 2021.

But according to Subversive Capital founder and CIO Michael Auerbach, Zuckerberg’s efforts will fall flat.

“We actually believe that Meta isn’t the company that’s building out the Metaverse,” Auerbach told Yahoo Finance Live.

The CIO is so certain of his thesis, in fact, that he’s taken a permanent short position on Meta’s stock and purposely excluded it from Subversive Capital’s new metaverse-focused Punk ETF (PUNK).

“When we launched our metaverse ETF, we were looking at other….metaverse ETFs out there and we’re the only actively managed metaverse ETF,” Auerbach said.

“We’re including companies that are building the infrastructure and the applications for an interoperable metaverse which consumers want. And consumers today do not want Meta or Facebook or Mark Zuckerberg to be the custodian of their digital futures.”

Meta is sinking billions of dollars into its plans to turn the company into a metaverse-powered empire. Meta’s metaverse division, called Reality Labs, lost a whopping $20 billion in 2021 alone. And those investments aren’t expected to pay off for quite some time.

During Meta’s April 27 earnings call, Zuckerberg attempted to address investors’ concerns about how much the company is spending on its metaverse investments, saying that it will slow metaverse spending going forward while ensuring its Family of Apps business remains profitable.

“In Reality Labs, we're making large investments to deliver the next platform that I believe will be incredibly important both for our mission and business — comparable in value to the leading mobile platforms today. I recognize that it's expensive to build this — it's something that's never been built before and it's a new paradigm for computing and social connection.”

According to Auerbach, Meta’s problem is that consumers will look to other companies as they experiment with the metaverse. Indeed, Meta may be have trouble maintaining users' trust, especially in the wake of revelations by Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen that the company turned a blind eye to a slew of problems — from the site stoking divisiveness to enabling human trafficking in developing countries.

“They are looking for more immersive experiences, but there’s a real concern about whether or not the Facebook platform is where people want the future of their lives to be,” Auerbach said.

Meta is currently working on a number of new virtual reality and augmented reality headsets outside of its existing Quest 2. It’s expected to release a new headset called Project Cambria later this year that will focus on work and is meant to replace your office laptop and desk.

Meta isn’t the only metaverse play around, though. Online game platform “Roblox” has its own kind of metaverse where users can move their characters between different interconnected worlds, while Epic’s “Fortnite” has evolved from a shooting game to a place where friends can meet up and watch concerts together.

Microsoft, Sony, Google, Nvidia and a slew of other companies are also investing in the technology in the hopes that it will be as important down the line as smartphones are today.

For now, the metaverse is still largely a niche product category. Whether it blows up and consumers get sucked into it remains to be seen. But if it does, Auerbach is hoping Meta isn’t a part of it.

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>>> Newly Launched 'PUNK' Times Meta’s Meltdown


ETF.com

by Dan Mika

February 3, 2022


https://finance.yahoo.com/news/newly-launched-punk-times-meta-203000174.html


Subversive Capital made a bold bet with its first ETF by betting against Mark Zuckerberg’s efforts to turn his social media company into the dominant force of the metaverse.

In the short term, the bet has paid off.

The Subversive Metaverse ETF (PUNK) launched last Thursday, carrying a position of 40 shares of the company now known as Meta Platforms short. A week later, Meta reported its first decline in daily active users in North America, from 196 million to 195 million. It also reported a loss of almost $10.2 billion for the year in its business division focused on metaverse development, and lowered its forward growth expectations.

The result was an immediate nosedive of 20% after hours, which continued into Thursday’s trading session to send the company’s stock down as low as 26.5% and erasing more than $200 billion in market capitalization in a matter of hours.

In an interview Thursday, Subversive Capital Chief Investment Officer Michael Auerbach said the fund’s short position hasn’t been closed out amid the deep drop in Meta’s stock price, and will remain open indefinitely.

He believes Wednesday’s results will be the first in a string of quarters where Meta will report fewer daily users on Facebook, and he expects that the controversies that have embroiled the company for years will ward off those interested in the promise of the immersive metaverse.

“People don't want to have more immersive experiences based on the Meta platform,” he said. “It's not something that we believe the majority of users that have their own digital life want to place their trust in.”

It’s the second time in as many months that Meta has inadvertently given a boost to a small thematic ETF issuer. The Roundhill Ball Metaverse ETF (METV) launched in late June last year with the ticker "META," and was struggling to garner interest until Facebook announced its rebranding.

That original ticker drew hundreds of millions worth of inflows along a rush of interest in the metaverse, and Roundhill Investments likely benefitted further, as Meta Platforms confirmed that it acquired the rights to the symbol in its earnings statement.

Meta and Roundhill have not disclosed the terms of that transaction, but the Facebook owner previously paid South Dakota-based Meta Financial Group $60 million for the naming rights.

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>>> ETFs & Innovation Go Hand In Hand


ETF.com

by Jessica Ferringer

November 3, 2021


https://finance.yahoo.com/news/etfs-innovation-hand-hand-181500945.html


With the launch of two bitcoin futures ETFs occurring in October, an event that was eight years in the making, its conclusion can lead one to ask “what’s next?” for the ETF industry. After all, it’s not often an entirely new asset class is created.

With so many launches seeming like tweaks on existing ideas, it can be tempting to feel everything worth doing has already been done. Many issuers have resorted to competing on price, a topic about which much ink has been spilled both on ETF.com and elsewhere—see here and here.

But with 2,717 existing U.S.-listed ETFs currently searchable within our Screener & Database, is it even possible to come up with something new and unique anymore?

That’s the funny thing about innovation.

Though the attribution of the saying is dubious at best, Henry Ford is often quoted as saying, “If I had asked the public what they wanted, they would have said a faster horse.”

In other words, it’s difficult for us to imagine what doesn’t exist yet. For innovation to happen, it takes the ability to think outside the box and envision something truly radical.

And this is what’s great about ETFs—the space is filled with radical thinkers.

Big Year For ETF Innovation

With the number of ETF launches this year already outpacing last year’s high watermark of 318, several funds stand out to me as embodying this idea of innovation.

We already have not one, but two ETFs that offer plays on the metaverse. The Roundhill Ball Metaverse ETF (META) launched on June 30, months before Google searches for “metaverse” would peak after Facebook’s name change to Meta.

The search term shot past both “ETFs” and “inflation” in popularity after Facebook signaled a focus on the metaverse. The Fount Metaverse ETF (MTVR) launched on the same day that the Facebook Connect conference was held, where the name change was announced.

Psychedelic ETFs Debut

This year also saw the launch of the first U.S.-listed psychedelics ETF. The Defiance Next Gen Altered Experience ETF (PSY) debuted in late May. A few months later, the AdvisorShares Psychedelics ETF (PSIL) was launched, bringing a global play to the space.

While public perception of psychedelic drugs often calls to mind the counterculture era of the ’60s, these drugs are a growing area of research, showing therapeutic promise for afflictions such as depression, PTSD or even with assisting someone in coming to terms with a terminal diagnosis.

While mainstream acceptance for these treatments is likely still off in the distance, it was less than four years ago that cannabis ETFs hit the U.S. market, with the conversion of the Tierra XP Latin American Real Estate ETF to the ETFMG Alternative Harvest ETF (MJ).

There are now 10 cannabis ETFs and nearly half of the country lives in a state where marijuana is legal for recreational use. Several other states allow medical usage, though the substance remains illegal at the federal level. It is entirely possible that psychedelic drugs could see the same growing acceptance over the next few years.

GameStop Shifts Investor Appetite

Several launches this year were inspired by an event that was largely unthinkable before it happened. GameStop’s surge was painted as a David and Goliath story of small retail traders getting their revenge on hedge funds.

Since then, ETFs that focus on retail investor sentiment have proliferated. The VanEck Social Sentiment ETF (BUZZ), launched in March, two months after GameStop surged from $17 to a high of nearly $350. Though the stock has since fallen from record highs, it’s still up 962% for the year.

BUZZ gathered $280 million in inflows on its first day of trading, and crossed the half billion mark in two weeks. While BUZZ wasn’t the first take on building an investment thesis around retail trader sentiment on social media—an earlier ETF that closed also tracked the same index a few years before BUZZ’s launch—January’s events gave the idea credibility in a way that didn’t exist before.

In late August, Roundhill filed for the Roundhill MEME ETF (MEME), which is arguably the most inspired take on the GameStop saga. The fund is the first to seek to identify companies with a combination of elevated social media activity and high short interest—exactly the factors that took GameStop to the moon. This filing seems obvious now, but wouldn’t have made as much sense to the average investor even a year ago.

I'm reminded of a quote I heard on an episode of ETF Working Lunch. Jillian DelSignore, head of ETFs & indexing for FLX Distribution, said something that summarizes exactly what I feel: “The ETF industry is that corner of asset management where innovation goes to thrive.”

So while there’s no easy answer to the question of what’s next, the versatility and tradability of the ETF wrapper gives me confidence that, no matter what happens, there’ll be an ETF for it.

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>>> ProShares Launches Metaverse ETF


ETF.com

by Dan Mika

March 17, 2022


https://finance.yahoo.com/news/proshares-launches-metaverse-etf-080000360.html


ProShares has entered the nascent market of metaverse ETFs, hoping to use its prominence in the ETF space to take market share from existing competitors.

The ProShares Metaverse ETF (VERS) debuted on the NYSE Arca Thursday with an 0.58% expense ratio.

VERS tracks a Solactive index following companies that generate at least half of their revenues from metaverse-related activity based on a scan of public company filings. The index rebalances and reconstitutes semiannually.

The metaverse already has three ETFs representing it: the Roundhill Ball Metaverse ETF (METV), the Fount Metaverse ETF (MTVR) and the Subversive Metaverse ETF (PUNK). METV is the closest comparison to VERS, as both are index-based and cost substantially the same. VERS is 1 basis point cheaper than METV, and the top holdings have substantial overlap.

The two funds share Apple, Nvidia, Meta Platforms, Unity Software and Microsoft among their top 10 holdings, with those companies amounting to 32.2% of METV’s exposure and 34.9% of VERS exposure.

In an interview, ProShares’ Executive Director of Thematic Investing Scott Helfstein said VERS’ index leans more toward companies that are building the physical parts and data storage infrastructure needed to run the metaverse rather than firms trying to re-create their real-world brands into the online world.

He also argues ProShares’ name recognition will give it an advantage over Roundhill, Fount and Subversive Capital, the three existing metaverse fund issuers that have approximately $1.25 billion in ETF assets combined.

“The three players that are currently out there are effectively startups, and there really is no established scale player offering a product in this space,” he said.

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>>> Metaverse presents ‘half a trillion’-dollar opportunity: ProShares strategist


Yahoo Finance

Thomas Hum

March 23, 2022


https://finance.yahoo.com/news/metaverse-presents-half-a-trillion-dollar-opportunity-pro-shares-strategist-185227405.html


Investment in the metaverse and metaverse technology has grown significantly over the past year, with tech giants like Meta (FB) and Microsoft (MSFT) leading the charge. According to ProShares Advisors Global Investment Strategist Simeon Hyman, metaverse presents an investment opportunity for individuals and institutions alike.

“Today you have an immersive but not quite interconnected metaverse,” Hyman told Yahoo Finance Live. “There's already a half [a trillion] dollars being made in the metaverse. That's likely to double even in the context of just the near term [with] social media, interactive gaming, and live music, before we even get to the interconnected piece on the other side.”

Hyman joined Yahoo Finance Live to discuss the outlook for stocks as the Fed raises interest rates and investing in the metaverse. ProShares recently launched its metaverse ETF (VERS) designed to give investment access to companies shaping the digital frontier.

The VERS (pronounced “verse”) ETF tracks Solactive’s Metaverse Theme Index, which includes 40 companies across a broad range of industries — from data processors and software to social media and gaming — and utilizes algorithms to determine metaverse investment opportunity as it evolves. A few of the companies tracked include Apple (AAPL), NVIDIA (NVDA), Roblox (RBLX), Microsoft, Meta, Snap Inc. (SNAP), and Unity (U).

“It's really interesting, when you look at the basket of companies,” Hyman said. “It's almost like a timeline of innovation over the years, because companies like Microsoft are there, but so is NVIDIA, and of course Meta, but more recent companies like Roblox and even more recently than that, a company like Unity. So this is an evolving opportunity.”

ProShares joins the likes of Roundhill Investments and their Roundhill Ball Metaverse ETF (METV) in allowing investors to participate in the financial performance of companies making the push into metaverse.

Metaverse and rising interest rates

And with the Federal Reserve raising near-term interest rates by 25 basis points, with plans to pump the brakes further if surging inflation is not quelled, uncertainty remains in regard to metaverse investment as investors begin to favor value over growth stocks.

However, Hyman believes that it is important for portfolios to maintain some level of exposure in the burgeoning tech sector to serve as a “bulwark against inflation and rising rates.” In this sense, he said that funds like ProShares’ metaverse ETF are forward-looking, although the companies included are already currently generating revenue within metaverse.

“And, you know, what we've found over the last decade or so, is that some of these transformational thematic ideas can be very, very important parts of that growth piece of your equity portfolio,” he said.

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>>> ProShares Launches Metaverse ETF, Expands Innovative Fund Lineup to the Internet’s Next Frontier


BusinessWire

March 17, 2022


https://finance.yahoo.com/news/proshares-launches-metaverse-etf-expands-123000315.html


VERS ETF is designed to capture the evolving metaverse investment opportunity across a range of technology-focused industries


BETHESDA, Md., March 17, 2022--(BUSINESS WIRE)--ProShares, a premier provider of ETFs, today launched a Metaverse ETF (VERS). VERS is designed to give investors access to leading companies shaping the next frontier of digital interactions.

"The metaverse may be as impactful on society as the arrival of the internet or the mobile phone, and the investment opportunity has the potential to be just as compelling," said Michael L. Sapir, ProShares Founder and CEO. "VERS provides investors with a diversified basket of innovative companies that are positioned to potentially benefit from the metaverse’s rapid rise."

ProShares’ VERS ETF tracks the Solactive Metaverse Theme Index, which relies on state-of-the-art algorithms designed to capture the metaverse investment opportunity as it evolves. The index tracks 40 companies spanning a broad range of industries – from device makers to data processers, as well as social media, gaming, and other platforms that facilitate digital interaction. These companies are placing significant stakes in this virtual ground with the hope that its development represents the next phase of the internet.

"The metaverse has the potential to revolutionize a range of industries," said Scott Helfstein, executive director, thematic investing at ProShares. "In the not-too-distant future, anything from a work meeting to time with family could take place in the metaverse, and VERS provides investors an easy way to access the potential growth."

ProShares launched the first bitcoin-linked ETF (BITO) in 2021, building on the firm’s long history of product innovation. VERS is the latest addition to ProShares’ growing lineup of thematic funds, which make it easy to invest in long-term, transformational trends such as the increasing influence of e-commerce, on-demand services, big data, and nanotechnology.

About ProShares

ProShares has been at the forefront of the ETF revolution since 2006. ProShares now offers one of the largest lineups of ETFs, with more than $60 billion in assets. The company is a leader in strategies such as dividend growth, interest rate hedged bond, thematics and geared (leveraged and inverse) ETF investing. ProShares continues to innovate with products that provide strategic and tactical opportunities for investors to manage risk and enhance returns.

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