It will be used as a laboratory to broaden my experience and to test relevant technological solutions. According to Paweł Gruza, vice president of the management board of PKO Bank Polski managing the work of the management board, in the perspective of a decade, Metaverse may become such a development impulse for the global economy as the emergence of a PC, Internet and smartphones in the past.

"I would like PKO Bank Polski to be ready to make use of the opportunities related to it, and when Metaverse has matured, to set the rhythm in the technological development of the domestic banking sector and the Polish economy – as it has done before. That is why we have decided to enter the Metaverse world and to launch our first branch there," said Paweł Gruza, quoted in the press release.

The bank plans to use the virtual branch to build knowledge and experience which will later be used for the development of its business. PKO Bank Polski also wishes to see in practice what other possibilities are offered to the banks by the presence in the metaworlds.

The bank expects that in the first place, its virtual branch may be used for onboarding new employees and trainings. Due to the shift to the mode of hybrid work, such a solution could allow for improved onboarding of the new personnel.

In parallel, the bank will test the possibilities of creating a new channel of communication with the clients. In the perspective of the next decade, it is also planning to pursue solutions related to confirmation of the clients' identity in metaworlds and is going to test the possibilities of offering banking products there.

The bank attaches great significance to R&D activities and cooperation with start-ups. It offers them - apart from business cooperation - also mentoring and the possibility of scaling the solution on a group of its 11 million clients. This cooperation takes place via its platform, Let`s Fintech with PKO Bank Polski (www.fintech.pkobp.pl).