Portuguese bank BPI is entering the metaverse, opening a virtual reality branch that customers can visit through Meta's Oculus VR headset.
The bank worked with Unity Technologies, the VR and AR specialist behind Pokémon Go, on the immersive, 3D branch.
Users can walk around two floors, learning about and interacting with various offers - simulating things like savings, mortgages and personal loans. There are also entertainment features such as a mini-golf game.
While the VR branch can be accessed by anyone with Oculus, BPI is also rolling out the headsets to more than 100 branches around Portugal for customers to experiment with.
While the branch is currently only a showcase, BPI is predicting that VR could eventually serve as new financial transactions and sales channel, replicating the journey of online banking.
Francisco Barbeira, executive board member, BPI, says: "We believe that the way people live with digital platforms will be much more immersive in the future, and we want to pioneer a new way of interacting with our customers, who are at the heart of our business."