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WEF denies it asked Shiba Inu to work with them on metaverse global policy

Quick Take

  • Last week Shiba Inu claimed the WEF invited it to work on global metaverse policy.
  • But the WEF said that while there was a phone call, it did not extend an invitation to the team.

The World Economic Forum (WEF) denied it invited Shiba Inu to work with it on global metaverse policy following claims that it had from the meme coin's development team last week.

While there was an exploratory call with the organizers of Shiba Inu, it did not extend them an invitation, the WEF told The Block.

On Nov.22, Shiba Inu's lead developer, who goes by Shytoshi Kusama, took to Twitter to ask the community whether to accept the supposed invite. Out of almost 23,000 votes via a Twitter poll, 62.3% expressed interest in Shiba Inu working with the WEF, although some comments did express concerns about how a collaboration would mesh with the community's ethos of decentralization. 

The WEF's metaverse initiative, launched at Davos this May, states its mission as defining and building an open inclusive metaverse. To date, it has partnered with over 100 companies, including Meta, Decentraland, Animoca Brands, Polygon and Somnium Space. It also works with VR companies, banks, government agencies, universities and Interpol. 

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But, for now, it doesn't plan to add Shiba Inu to that roster. Branded the "Dogecoin killer" in its halcyon days, the dog-themed token launched in 2020 and became one of the most popular meme coins, amassing a loyal following that calls itself the Shib Army.

Since then it has continued to develop its ecosystem. Earlier this year, it revealed plans for a metaverse platform called SHIB: The Metaverse, which remains under development.

Shiba Inu's team did not respond to a request from The Block to comment.

© 2023 The Block. All Rights Reserved. This article is provided for informational purposes only. It is not offered or intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice.

About Author

Callan Quinn is an NFT, gaming and metaverse reporter. She started her career working for the expat magazine City Weekend in Guangzhou, China. She also has worked as a business journalist in the UK, Somaliland and the republic of Georgia. Before joining The Block, she was a freelance journalist covering the Chinese tech industry. She speaks Mandarin, French and German. Get in touch via Twitter @quinnishvili or email [email protected].

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