From Metaverse to Blockchain: An Analysis of Emerging Technology Trends in 2026
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A New Turning Point in the Emerging Technology Market
As of January 2026, emerging technology sectors represented by the metaverse, blockchain, and quantum computing are reaching a critical inflection point. These technologies, which were embroiled in bubble controversies over the past two years, are now proving their practical business models and profitability, entering a second phase of growth. Particularly, with the rapid advancement of generative AI, the convergence of these technologies is accelerating, shifting the paradigm from individual approaches to integrated platform strategies.
The global emerging technology market is projected to grow by 33%, from $842 billion in 2025 to $1.12 trillion in 2026. Among this, the metaverse-related market is expected to account for $280 billion, the blockchain technology market for $195 billion, and the quantum computing market for $4.7 billion. In particular, the Korean market is recording a high growth rate of 42% year-on-year, driven by the government’s K-Digital New Deal 2.0 policy and aggressive investments from private companies.
Meta, headquartered in Menlo Park, California, announced in its Q1 2026 earnings report that the quarterly revenue of its Reality Labs division surpassed $2 billion for the first time. This represents a 156% increase year-on-year, indicating that the metaverse hardware and software ecosystem has finally entered the mainstream stage. CEO Mark Zuckerberg stated, “2026 will be the iPhone moment for the metaverse,” highlighting the explosive increase in demand for enterprise metaverse solutions alongside the launch of Quest Pro 3.
Korea’s Naver (headquartered in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province) and Kakao (headquartered in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province) are also achieving significant results in the metaverse business. As of January 2026, Naver’s ZEPETO platform surpassed 400 million cumulative global users, with 85 million monthly active users. It has established a dominant position in the virtual fashion and digital goods market, particularly among Gen Z, with ZEPETO-related revenue in 2025 increasing by 89% year-on-year to 124.7 billion KRW.
Maturation of the Blockchain and Web3 Ecosystem
In the blockchain technology sector, the “practicality revolution” that began in the second half of 2025 continues into 2026. The speculative nature of the past cryptocurrency and NFT markets is shifting towards creating real business value, leading to a rapid expansion of blockchain adoption by companies. Notably, there are increasing cases demonstrating tangible effects in supply chain management, digital identity verification, and decentralized finance (DeFi).
IBM, headquartered in New York, announced in its January 2026 “Hybrid Cloud and Blockchain Strategy Report” that its enterprise networks operated through its blockchain platform encompass over 23,000 companies across 120 countries. Global retailers such as Walmart, Nestlé, and Unilever have built food safety tracking systems through the IBM Food Trust platform, processing approximately 1.5 billion transactions on the blockchain in 2025 alone.
In Korea, Samsung Electronics (headquartered in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province) is accelerating the development of blockchain-based IoT security solutions. The solution, named Samsung Knox Matrix, is a system that manages secure communication between smart appliances and mobile devices using blockchain, and is set to be officially launched alongside the Galaxy S26 series in the first half of 2026. Samsung Electronics expects to generate an additional 50 billion KRW in annual revenue through this initiative.
Another notable change in the blockchain market is the accelerated adoption of central bank digital currencies (CBDCs). The Bank of Korea plans to begin a pilot operation of the digital won in February 2026, establishing a cooperative framework with fintech companies such as KakaoPay, Naver Financial, and Toss. According to the Bank for International Settlements (BIS), 34 countries worldwide are expected to operate CBDC pilot programs by the end of 2026, with 12 of them entering full-scale commercialization.
In the enterprise blockchain market, competition between Hyperledger Fabric and Ethereum Enterprise is intensifying. As of 2025, companies adopting Hyperledger Fabric accounted for 43% of the total, but the market share of Ethereum Enterprise has surged from 28% to 35%, narrowing the gap. The compatibility with DeFi protocols and the richness of the developer ecosystem are major competitive advantages for Ethereum Enterprise.
In the quantum computing sector, 2026 is expected to be a turning point from “Quantum Supremacy” to “Quantum Utility.” IBM’s latest quantum processor, “Condor,” supports 1,121 qubits and demonstrates performance 10,000 times faster than conventional supercomputers in specific optimization problems. Google’s (headquartered in Mountain View, California) Sycamore processor has also been significantly upgraded from 70 qubits to 433 qubits, reaching a level of practical application in machine learning and encryption fields.
In Korea, SK Hynix (headquartered in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province) is actively pursuing the development of memory semiconductors for quantum computing. The company announced plans to invest 2 trillion KRW over the next three years in developing cryogenic memory chips that support quantum processor operations, having successfully developed the first prototype in Q4 2025. This underscores the growing importance of memory semiconductors in the quantum computing market, with SK Hynix expecting to create a new market worth 5 trillion KRW annually by 2030.
Examining investment trends in the emerging technology sector, in 2025, venture capital investments worldwide amounted to $34 billion for the metaverse, $28 billion for blockchain, and $8.5 billion for quantum computing. These figures represent increases of 67%, 23%, and 145% respectively compared to the previous year, with the investment growth rate in the quantum computing sector being particularly notable. In Korea, the government has decided to invest 1 trillion KRW in quantum technology development over the next decade through the K-Quantum Initiative, with 40% of this allocated for collaborative research with private companies.
Global Competitive Landscape and Future Outlook
The global competition in the emerging technology sector is a complex interplay of the technological hegemony battle between the U.S. and China, Europe’s regulatory leadership, and the differentiation strategy based on hardware superiority by Korea and Japan. Particularly, as of 2026, the policy support of each country is becoming more concrete, intensifying competition not only in technology development but also in establishing standardization and regulatory frameworks.
The U.S. is investing $280 billion in the semiconductor and quantum computing sectors through the CHIPS and Science Act, with a significant portion also being utilized for building metaverse and blockchain infrastructure. NVIDIA (headquartered in Santa Clara, California) announced that its Q1 2026 data center revenue increased by 89% year-on-year to $18.7 billion, with metaverse rendering and AI computing accounting for 42% of this. CEO Jensen Huang emphasized, “2026 will be the inaugural year of spatial computing,” highlighting that the convergence of the metaverse and AI is creating a new computing paradigm.
China is focusing on building a blockchain ecosystem through the digital yuan and developing metaverse platforms. Led by Tencent and Alibaba, China’s metaverse market is projected to be worth $58 billion by 2025, reaching 65% of the U.S. market size. The strategy of enhancing user accessibility through integration with existing platforms such as QQ Metaverse and Alipay Virtual Space is proving effective.
The European Union is striving to lead global regulatory standards in the emerging technology sector through the Digital Services Act (DSA) and AI Regulation Act. Particularly, it is establishing a regulatory framework for data privacy within the metaverse and blockchain-based financial services, promoting its spread to other regions. This “Brussels Effect” is having a significant impact on the product development and service strategies of global companies.
Korea is securing a unique position in the metaverse hardware ecosystem based on its superiority in memory semiconductors and display technology. Samsung Electronics’ micro OLED displays are being supplied as key components for Apple’s Vision Pro 2 and Meta’s Quest Pro 3, with shipment volumes in the first half of 2026 expected to increase by 340% year-on-year. Additionally, the 5G metaverse infrastructure built in collaboration by the three major telecom companies, SK Telecom, KT, and LG Uplus, is being evaluated as providing the most stable service worldwide.
Japan is pursuing a game-based metaverse strategy centered around Sony and Nintendo. Sony’s PlayStation VR3 is scheduled for release in the second half of 2026, showcasing a unique approach by combining existing game IPs with the metaverse. Furthermore, the Tokyo Stock Exchange plans to launch a blockchain-based stock trading system pilot in March 2026, aiming to strengthen its status as a financial hub in Asia.
In summary, the future outlook for the emerging technology sector suggests that 2026 will be a pivotal year for the transition from technological experimentation to commercial application. Particularly, the convergence with generative AI will enable more intelligent and personalized metaverse experiences, and the scalability issues of blockchain will be resolved through layer 2 solutions, laying the groundwork for large-scale commercialization. Quantum computing is also expected to begin practical applications in specific fields, acting as a key driver of technological innovation over the next decade. These changes are anticipated to lead not only to technological advancements but also to a fundamental restructuring of the digital economy and the emergence of new business models, making strategic responses from companies and governments more crucial than ever.
This article is intended for informational purposes only, and the responsibility for investment decisions lies solely with individual investors.
