Waiting to jettison your so-called real life in favour of a more glamorous existence in virtual reality? That wait continues. However, the wait to invest in the metaverse — the prospective immersive online world — is almost over.
Toronto-based Evolve Funds Group Inc. and Horizons ETFs Management (Canada) Inc. plan to launch competing metaverse ETFs on Monday.
The Evolve Metaverse ETF will give investors exposure to an actively managed, diversified portfolio of companies involved in the development of the metaverse, which “will take us from simply interacting online to fully immersing within the digital world,” Evolve president and CEO Raj Lala said in a release on Wednesday.
“As a leader in disruptive innovation, we decided to take an active approach to Canada’s first metaverse ETF,” Lala said.
The fund’s management fee will be 0.6%.
The Horizons Global Metaverse Index ETF, meanwhile, with a management fee of 0.55%, will take a passive approach to the metaverse.
The fund will aim to replicate the performance of the newly created Solactive Global Metaverse Index, which comprises companies in such segments as vitual reality, digital infrastructure, gaming and digital payments.
“The metaverse will become an extremely important realm for social and economic interaction over the next decade,” said Steve Hawkins, president and CEO of Horizons ETFs, in a release.
“Even today, these technologies are already reframing the way that we engage with one another, from virtual reality to non-fungible tokens,” he said.
Analysts expect the metaverse investing opportunity to reach at least $800 billion of market capitalization by 2024, with subsequent exponential growth, Hawkins said.
Both ETFs are expected to start trading Monday on the Toronto Stock Exchange, pending approval.