Invesco Metaverse fund - a virtual reality

Invesco has added a product centered on stocks connected to the metaverse to its thematic fund lineup.

The Invesco Metaverse fund, which includes stocks connected to the development and use of immersive virtual worlds, will invest in large, medium, and small-cap enterprises throughout the US, Asia, and Europe.

The Facebook parent company Meta, which gambled significantly on the future of such immersive technologies, has hailed the metaverse as the next wave of online social interaction.

Tony Roberts, the fund manager, and James McDermottroe, the deputy fund manager, will work together to run the fund. Both managers work for Invesco's Asia and Emerging Markets equities team in the UK.

The fund, which is open to a pan-European cohort of investors, will invest in seven key thematic areas that, according to Invesco, go beyond the well-established areas of the industry: next-generation operating and computer systems, hardware and devices that provide access to the metaverse, networks for hyperconnectivity, immersive platforms created with artificial intelligence, blockchain, and the interchange tools required to bring about interoperability. The fund will also invest in services and assets that, according to Invesco, are in demand.

According to estimates, virtual and augmented reality might enhance the world economy by £1.4 trillion by 2030, according to Roberts.

"While the metaverse’s applications to entertainment are increasingly well understood, the interconnectivity that it enables will likely have a transformative impact across industries as diverse as healthcare, logistics, education and sport. We will seek to capitalise on these opportunities through a highly selective, valuation-conscious approach."

Performance of the fund will be evaluated in comparison to the MSCI AC World (Net Total Return) benchmark. A 0.75% administration fee will be charged.

Alexander Millar, head of UK distribution at Invesco, continued, "at Invesco, we will always aim to offer clients best-in-class solutions to help capture exciting opportunities – and the Metaverse is certainly one of these."

"Our experienced Asia & Emerging Markets team is uniquely well placed to pick the winners of this emerging global megatrend through its disciplined and robust, fundamental approach," he continued.

By fLEXI tEAM