From Metaverse to Blockchain: The Reality and Outlook of the Emerging Technology Market in 2026
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Maturation of the Emerging Technology Market: From Hype to Real Value Creation
The emerging technology market in 2026 is at an unprecedented inflection point. Next-generation technologies, represented by the metaverse, blockchain, quantum computing, and extended reality (XR), are moving beyond the initial hype phase and starting to generate tangible business value. The global emerging technology market size is projected to grow by 33%, from $842 billion in 2025 to $1.12 trillion in 2026, indicating the full-scale commercialization of these technologies.
A notable trend is the shift in investment patterns. Until 2024, investments in emerging technologies were largely speculative, but from the second half of 2025, they began to focus on companies with viable revenue models. According to venture capital research firm CB Insights, 68% of investments in the emerging technology sector in the first quarter of 2026 were directed at companies already in the commercialization stage, a 25 percentage point increase from the same period the previous year. This shift indicates a market focus on practical feasibility and profitability over mere potential.
This trend is also evident in the Korean market. According to the ‘2026 New Technology Industry Status Report’ released by the Ministry of Science and ICT, the proportion of revenue from actual product and service sales by domestic emerging technology companies increased by 42% compared to the previous year. Major corporations like Samsung Electronics (Seoul, South Korea) and SK Hynix (Icheon, South Korea) are driving growth across the ecosystem by investing heavily in building metaverse and AI infrastructure using memory semiconductor technology.
Realistic Restructuring of the Metaverse Market
The metaverse market is undergoing the most dramatic changes in 2026. The metaverse craze triggered by Facebook’s rebranding to Meta (Menlo Park, California) in 2021 has settled into a realistic trajectory over five years. According to the latest report from market research firm Gartner, the global metaverse market size is estimated to be $487 billion in 2026, 15% lower than initially predicted, but the actual user base has strengthened.
Meta’s Reality Labs division recorded its first quarterly profit in the fourth quarter of 2025, indicating significant improvements in the practicality of metaverse hardware and software. The Meta Quest 3S has sold 23 million units since its launch in 2025, capturing a 47% market share in the VR headset market. More importantly, the average daily usage time by users has increased to 2.3 hours, showing that the metaverse is establishing itself as an everyday digital space beyond a mere gaming platform.
In the enterprise metaverse market, Microsoft’s (Redmond, Washington) Mesh platform is gaining attention. As of January 2026, 73% of the global top 500 companies have adopted Mesh for remote collaboration and training, achieving an average 32% reduction in travel costs. In the manufacturing sector, metaverse solutions linked with digital twins are directly contributing to productivity improvements, with a clear ROI (Return on Investment) demonstrated.
In Korea, Naver’s (Bundang, South Korea) Zepeto is leading the Asian metaverse market. As of January 2026, Zepeto’s monthly active users reached 312 million, with 68% comprising Generation Z. Notably, the virtual economy within Zepeto amounts to 89 billion won annually, with thousands of creators sustaining their livelihoods through it. This exemplifies the metaverse’s evolution from a mere entertainment platform to a new economic ecosystem.
In the enterprise metaverse sector, NVIDIA’s (Santa Clara, California) Omniverse platform is becoming the industry standard. Global manufacturers like BMW, Ericsson, and Lockheed Martin are using Omniverse to build digital factories, reducing product development cycles by an average of 23%. NVIDIA announced that Omniverse-related revenue in the fourth quarter of 2025 increased by 156% year-over-year, reaching $1.4 billion.
The acceleration of blockchain technology’s practical application is also playing a crucial role in the development of the metaverse. Although the NFT (Non-Fungible Token) market shrank significantly after the speculative frenzy of 2022, practical use cases have been increasing since the second half of 2025, leading to a resurgence. Particularly, NFTs are being widely used as a means of proving ownership of digital assets within the metaverse, such as game items, digital real estate, and virtual fashion. OpenSea’s trading volume in the first quarter of 2026 was $2.3 billion, a 67% increase from the same period the previous year.
Blockchain and Cryptocurrency: Accelerating Institutionalization and Practical Application
As of 2026, blockchain technology is creating real value in various fields beyond finance, including supply chain management, digital identity verification, and carbon credit trading. The global blockchain market size is estimated at $194 billion in 2026, with financial services accounting for 42%, supply chain management 18%, and healthcare 12%. The full-scale introduction of Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs) is driving a surge in demand for blockchain infrastructure.
In the United States, institutional investment in cryptocurrencies has increased significantly following the approval of a Bitcoin spot ETF in November 2025. BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) surpassed $18 billion in assets under management (AUM) within three months of launch, marking the fastest growth in ETF history. Bitcoin’s price stood at $68,500 per coin as of January 2026, with volatility significantly reduced due to continuous institutional inflows.
Corporate adoption of blockchain is also rapidly increasing. Since 2025, Walmart has implemented a blockchain tracking system across its global supply chain, significantly improving food safety. This system has reduced the time to trace the cause of food contamination incidents from seven days to 2.2 seconds, saving $300 million annually in recall costs. Mastercard has reduced cross-border remittance fees by 65% using a blockchain-based payment network, shortening remittance processing times from 3-5 days to real-time.
In Korea, Kakao’s (Jeju, South Korea) Klaytn blockchain is established as the leading domestic platform. As of January 2026, there are 1,847 decentralized applications (DApps) on Klaytn, the most in the world excluding Ethereum. It is particularly strong in the GameFi sector, with daily active users of Klaytn-based games reaching 2.8 million.
The competition to develop central bank digital currencies is also fierce. China’s Digital Yuan (DCEP) has already entered the commercialization stage, with daily transaction volumes exceeding $1.5 billion, while the European Central Bank’s Digital Euro is set for a pilot run in the second half of 2026. The Bank of Korea is conducting a second pilot test for the Digital Won, aiming for limited introduction in the first half of 2027. The full-scale introduction of CBDCs is expected to bring significant changes to the existing financial system, with blockchain technology’s importance in the cross-border payment market expected to grow.
The DeFi (Decentralized Finance) market is also entering a mature phase. After being significantly impacted by the Terra Luna incident in 2022, the DeFi market has been growing again since 2025 as regulatory frameworks have been established. The total value locked (TVL) in DeFi protocols was $123 billion as of January 2026, a 78% increase from the same period the previous year. The tokenization of real-world assets (RWA) is gaining attention, with the market capitalization of tokenized products such as real estate, bonds, and commodities reaching $34 billion.
The advancement of quantum computing technology presents new challenges for blockchain security. With IBM’s 1,121-qubit quantum processor ‘Condor’ becoming commercially available in 2025, concerns about the safety of existing encryption technologies have arisen. In response, the development of post-quantum cryptography is accelerating, with the Ethereum Foundation announcing plans to complete the transition to post-quantum cryptography by the end of 2026.
The maturation of the emerging technology market offers new opportunities for investors. Companies that have moved beyond the hype phase and started creating real value are becoming clearly distinguishable, with their investment returns stabilizing. However, given the rapid pace of technological advancement, careful judgment is necessary when investing, especially in closely examining regulatory changes and technological risks. In the second half of 2026, emerging technologies such as the metaverse, blockchain, and quantum computing are expected to create new business models through deeper integration, serving as a crucial catalyst for the growth of related companies.
*This content is intended for informational purposes only and is not an investment solicitation. Investment decisions should be made based on individual careful judgment.*
