There is already a virtual reality branch in Portugal: it belongs to BPI
BPI launched, this Tuesday, the first branch in Virtual Reality (VR) in Portugal, called BPI VR, the bank announced in a statement. It is BPI’s first step into the metaverse.
“BPI VR is a 100% virtual immersive branch, built in 3D, with several business areas and segments (retail, private, corporateWas [área de dedicada aos jovens] and sustainability) and which allows access to content about the bank’s services, using VR glasses from Meta (Facebook)”, explains the bank, in the note.
With the glasses, in addition to product information, users will also explore the BPI store and “enjoy entertainment features, including a virtual mini-golf game”.
The objective is that, in the future, this can be a new channel to carry out banking operations, as is common now with the home banking.
Francisco Barbeira, executive director of BPI, stressed that this “is a first step in this space [metaverso] and begins to illustrate much of what the bank and its solutions and products are today”. “We want to pioneer a new way of interacting with our customers, who are at the heart of our business. In the future, we believe that it can become a true digital banking platform”, concludes the manager.
For customers to familiarize themselves with a novelty, BPI will have Meta’s VR glasses available at more than 100 branches for them to try out. Anyone who already has this equipment can access it from home, as long as they download the application.
BPI VR was launched by BPI’s Center of Excellence for Innovation and New Business, created this year. This virtual desk was developed in partnership with the company Unity Technologies.