Banks Deeply Immersed in the Metaverse with 'Bank President Avatar' Virtual Reality Branches

[Asia Economy Reporter Kiho Sung] Banks are accelerating preparations to enter the metaverse. Notably, bank presidents themselves are transforming into avatars, and new attempts are being made across the board, such as holding internal metaverse events and expanding customer channels. This is interpreted as a strategy to capture the ‘MZ (Millennial + Generation Z)’ generation, the mainstream of the metaverse world and key customers in the financial sector, and utilize them as future growth engines.

According to the financial sector on the 17th, Hana Bank implemented the 'Hana Global Campus' in the virtual world using the metaverse-exclusive platform 'Zepeto.' The newly constructed 'Hana Global Campus' in the virtual world is the first metaverse space unveiled by Hana Financial Group. It vividly replicates the structure and exterior of the actual training center opened in May 2019 in Cheongna, Incheon, providing an experience as if visiting the real-world training center.

The event was held with Hana Bank President Sung-ho Park attending as the avatar character 'Raul' within Zepeto, proceeding in the order of ▲Hana Global Campus tour ▲Grand opening commemorative photo ▲New employee buddy activity completion ceremony. During the event, new employees guided Raul through the spaces they personally designed and created, taking commemorative photos as well as selfies together.

President Park said, “Hana Global Campus is an excellent example demonstrating Hana Bank’s spirit of challenge and innovation,” adding, “I hope the voices of the surrounding MZ generation will support continuous new attempts and challenges everywhere, and I ask many employees and customers to visit and experience the campus.”

Woori Bank President Kwon Kwang-seok took steps to communicate with MZ generation employees through the 'metaverse platform.' Under the theme 'Meeting Woori-MZ through the Metaverse,' President Kwon created his own character and met with MZ generation employees.

In the virtual world, President Kwon used the nickname 'Jeon Gwangseokhwa' to break away from the hierarchical roles of bank president and employee, fostering a horizontal communication session.

President Kwon said, “The communication time with MZ generation employees using the metaverse was a new attempt encompassing digital trends and generations,” and added, “I believe it was a valuable opportunity for Woori Bank members to understand each other more deeply.”

KB Kookmin Bank, keeping pace with the growth of the metaverse market, has embarked on experiments linking the metaverse testbed with finance to resonate with future customers, the MZ generation.

KB Kookmin Bank aims to “provide new value and experiences to customers” through the metaverse, and this year plans to explore utilization methods by trying various forms of metaverse using avatars and virtual branches.

First, to expand employees’ use and experience of the metaverse, KB Financial Town was opened on the 1st using the Gather platform.

KB Financial Town consists of three spaces: ▲Finance & Biz Center ▲Remote Work Center ▲Play Area. The Finance & Biz Center includes branches, promotional and recruitment booths, a main auditorium, and social spaces. The Remote Work Center is designed to facilitate smooth communication and collaboration between remote workers and office staff, while the Play Area offers rest spaces such as a park and maze game.

Additionally, KB plans to promote financial content development through collaboration with technology companies. They intend to experiment with virtual financial experience centers using the ROBLOX platform or virtual reality devices (HMD), and verify the possibility of providing financial services such as customer consultation, transfers, and product subscriptions by building metaverse branches utilizing avatars and AI.