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KPMG, one of the Big Four global accounting firms, is investing £25 million into web3 training for its employees to explore potential metaverse use cases.

The centrepiece of the project will be a collaboration hub built to explore metaverse applications in industries such as healthcare, retail, and financial services.

Laura Newinski, deputy chair and chief operating officer at KPMG in the US, said: “The metaverse is a market opportunity, a way to re-engage talent, and a path to connect people across the globe through a new collaborative experience.

“The unique experience provided by our collaboration hub will tap the creativity and passion of our people and clients to accelerate innovation.”

KPMG has been dipping its toes into web3 lately. KPMG Canada recently added Bitcoin and Ethereum to its corporate treasury and even bought a World of Women NFT.

Meanwhile, the firm’s US branch has incorporated NFT and crypto training into its onboarding of new employees.

As part of its innovation strategy, KPMG will continue to explore opportunities in the crypto and web3 space, co-create new tools and solutions that provide critical insights, launch immersive learning and development platforms, recruit talent to lend expertise and help navigate the evolving convergence of the physical and digital worlds, among other things.

Armughan Ahmad, president and managing partner of digital at KPMG Canada, added: “The metaverse is a $13 trillion market opportunity that could boast as many as five billion users by 2030.

“Our first immersive metaversal experience will take our people, clients and communities beyond the traditional two-dimensional virtual environment and offer new levels of social connection, mobility and collaboration. Think of it as a world without borders that has the potential to enhance our lives by providing new opportunities to work, learn and play.”