From the Metaverse to Blockchain: New Market Opportunities Created by Emerging Technology Convergence in 2025
Editor
As of November 2025, the technology industry is transitioning from the innovation of single technologies to an era of multi-technology convergence. The intertwining of metaverse, blockchain, digital twin, and extended reality (XR) technologies is creating new business models and market opportunities. According to market research firm Gartner, the market for these converged technologies is expected to reach approximately $284 billion globally by 2025, with an anticipated annual growth rate of 28.7% through 2028. The Asia-Pacific region is leading this growth, accounting for 42% of the total market.
The introduction of these converged technologies in the Korean market is particularly noteworthy due to its robust digital infrastructure and high technology adoption rate. A recent report by the Korea Telecommunications Technology Association (TTA) indicates that 67% of domestic companies plan to adopt solutions combining at least two emerging technologies by 2025, significantly higher than the global average of 43%. This reflects the proactive digital transformation efforts of Korean companies. Samsung Electronics and SK Group affiliates, headquartered in Seoul, are leading this trend, with Samsung Electronics announcing an investment of $1.2 billion in metaverse-related technology development in the first half of 2025 alone.
One of the most prominent areas of metaverse technology evolution is enterprise virtual collaboration platforms. Meta, based in California, launched ‘Horizon Workrooms 3.0’ at the end of 2024, integrating AI-based real-time translation and blockchain-based digital identity verification into its existing VR meeting solutions. Within 10 months of its release, the platform surpassed 2.8 million corporate users worldwide, with a particularly notable 85% increase in monthly active users in Asia. Microsoft, headquartered in Washington, is also competing with its ‘Mesh for Teams,’ offering a hybrid work solution combining hologram technology and cloud computing.
The Convergence of Blockchain and the Metaverse: A New Digital Economy Ecosystem
The combination of blockchain technology and the metaverse is presenting a new paradigm for digital asset ownership and transactions. As of 2025, NFT (non-fungible token) trading volume within the metaverse increased by 156% year-on-year, reaching $4.7 billion, with the gaming and virtual real estate sectors accounting for 68% of the total. This convergence is particularly active in Korea’s gaming industry. Naver, headquartered in Seoul, operates the ‘LINE NFT’ platform through its subsidiary Line, expanding metaverse-based digital content trading services in the Japanese and Southeast Asian markets.
With blockchain technology ensuring true ownership of virtual assets within the metaverse, user participation and investment intentions have significantly increased. According to data from DeFiPulse, the total value locked (TVL) in metaverse-related decentralized applications (DApps) reached $2.3 billion as of October 2025, an 89% increase from six months prior. This growth is particularly evident in virtual real estate and digital fashion item transactions. For example, the average transaction price of premium virtual land within The Sandbox platform increased by 234% compared to early 2025, and in some metaverse platforms, limited edition digital items in collaboration with luxury brands are surpassing the prices of physical products.
In response to these trends, traditional financial institutions are also entering the metaverse market. JP Morgan Chase opened a virtual branch in Decentraland in the first half of 2025 and launched digital asset lending services within the metaverse. Within six months of launch, the loan balance exceeded $120 million, with an average annual interest rate of 8.5%, offering higher returns than traditional loans. In Korea, KB Financial Group and Shinhan Financial Group have begun developing metaverse-based financial services, aiming for commercialization by 2026.
Practical Applications of Digital Twin and Industrial Metaverse
In the industrial sector, the combination of digital twin technology and the metaverse is bringing transformative changes to manufacturing and logistics. Siemens, headquartered in Munich, Germany, commercialized a digital twin-based factory operation simulation service through its ‘Industrial Metaverse’ platform in early 2025. Manufacturers adopting this platform reported an average 23% increase in production efficiency and a 31% reduction in equipment downtime. Currently, over 1,200 manufacturing facilities worldwide are utilizing this platform, with Korean and Japanese automotive and semiconductor manufacturers forming the major user base in Asia.
Korea’s Hyundai Motor Group invested $800 million in 2025 alone to build ‘smart factories’ utilizing digital twin technology. The digital twin systems established at the Ulsan and Asan plants collect all data from the actual production lines in real-time to simulate in a virtual environment, optimizing production planning and predictive maintenance. With this system, Hyundai Motor reduced the vehicle production cycle time by an average of 18% and decreased the defect rate by 45%. Additionally, the cost savings from avoiding physical prototype production during new car development amounted to $230 million annually.
In the logistics industry, the convergence of digital twin and metaverse technologies is also gaining attention. Amazon, headquartered in Seattle, began the phased introduction of the ‘Amazon Logistics Digital Twin’ system in major logistics centers worldwide from mid-2025. This system replicates all operational processes of logistics centers in a virtual environment, maximizing delivery route optimization and inventory management efficiency. In six pilot logistics centers, the average delivery time was reduced by 22%, and inventory turnover improved by 35%. In Korea, CJ Logistics is considering adopting a similar system, targeting commercialization in the first half of 2026.
The growth of the industrial metaverse market is providing new opportunities for related hardware and software companies. Nvidia, based in California, offers industrial metaverse solutions through its ‘Omniverse Enterprise’ platform, recording $1.2 billion in revenue from this segment alone in the third quarter of 2025. This represents a 187% increase from the same period last year, accounting for 18% of Nvidia’s total revenue. In Korea, SK Hynix, headquartered in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, is expanding the production of HBM (high-bandwidth memory) optimized for metaverse and AI workloads, with related revenue increasing by 156% compared to the first half of 2025.
The advancement of extended reality (XR) technology is also accelerating this convergence trend. As the prices of consumer XR devices, such as Apple’s Vision Pro and Meta’s Quest 3S, continue to decline, corporate adoption rates have significantly increased. According to IDC’s latest report, global shipments of enterprise XR devices in 2025 reached 18.4 million units, a 78% increase from the previous year, with an expected annual growth rate of 45% through 2028. Particularly in education, healthcare, and manufacturing sectors, the adoption of metaverse solutions utilizing XR technology is actively underway.
In the healthcare sector, the ‘digital patient’ model, combining metaverse and digital twin technologies, is gaining attention. The digital twin-based surgical simulation platform jointly developed by Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in the U.S. and Seoul National University College of Medicine in Korea allows for surgical planning and practice in a virtual environment based on actual patient medical data. Complex heart surgeries using this system saw a 12% improvement in success rates compared to traditional methods, with an average reduction of 35 minutes in surgery time. Currently, 25 major hospitals domestically and internationally are utilizing this platform.
However, several challenges accompany this technological convergence trend. The biggest issue is the lack of interoperability. The incompatibility between different platforms and technology standards causes inconvenience for users who need to operate multiple systems simultaneously. Additionally, concerns about privacy protection and digital asset security within the metaverse persist. According to a 2025 survey by the Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA), 73% of metaverse users expressed concerns about privacy breaches, acting as a major barrier to technology adoption.
Regulatory uncertainty also impacts market growth. Regulations related to blockchain-based digital asset transactions vary by country, posing challenges for companies expanding global services. With the European Union’s MiCA (Markets in Crypto-Assets) regulations and Korea’s Digital Asset Basic Act set to take effect in the second half of 2025, companies face additional costs and procedures for regulatory compliance. Consequently, some startups are delaying service launches or modifying business models.
Nevertheless, investor interest remains strong. According to venture capital research firm CB Insights, global investment in startups related to metaverse, blockchain, and XR convergence technologies reached $18.7 billion from January to October 2025, a 23% increase from the same period last year, with a notable focus on B2B solutions. In Korea, Kakao Ventures, Naver D2SF, and LG Technology Ventures are actively investing in related fields, accelerating ecosystem expansion in conjunction with the government’s K-New Deal 2.0 policy.
As we approach the end of 2025, these converged technologies are moving beyond mere experimentation to generating tangible business value. Rapid technology adoption and the development of innovative business models in the Korean and Asian markets are leading global trends. Over the next 2-3 years, this market is expected to mature further, establishing a more stable and sustainable growth foundation through technology standardization and regulatory framework development. For companies, proactively responding to these changes and capturing new market opportunities will be a crucial task.
This information is provided solely for educational and informational purposes and does not constitute investment advice or recommendations. Please consult with a professional before making any investment decisions.
