The FinaMaze metaverse portfolio will bundle together stocks of companies operating in the metaverse. Photo: AFP
The FinaMaze metaverse portfolio will bundle together stocks of companies operating in the metaverse. Photo: AFP
The FinaMaze metaverse portfolio will bundle together stocks of companies operating in the metaverse. Photo: AFP
The FinaMaze metaverse portfolio will bundle together stocks of companies operating in the metaverse. Photo: AFP

AI wealth manager FinaMaze opens the metaverse to UAE investors


Deepthi Nair
  • English
  • Arabic

FinaMaze, a hybrid asset manager regulated by The Abu Dhabi Global Market, will open an investment portfolio on Tuesday that will offer investors with a net worth of more than $500,000 exposure to companies operating in the metaverse.

The metaverse portfolio, which requires a minimum investment of $2,000, will include stocks of technology companies, video game publishers, software developers, entertainment companies and infrastructure and hardware manufacturers with a presence in the metaverse, FinaMaze said on Monday. It will also offer controlled exposure to a cryptocurrency exchange and Ethereum.

“The metaverse, the virtual world, is already a reality,” said Mehdi Fichtali, chief executive and founder of FinaMaze, which offers investment advice through a combination of human experience and machine learning outcomes.

“Major companies such as JP Morgan, Walmart, Verizon and Adidas are setting foot in the metaverse in one way or another. But the adoption will not be a straight line or happen overnight. Nor will the stock market performance journey.”

The metaverse is a digital space that allows users to communicate and move virtually in their three-dimensional avatars or digital representations. It gained significant attention when Facebook rebranded itself as Meta Platforms last October.

The global market size of the metaverse was estimated at $47.69 billion in 2020 and is expected to hit almost $830bn in 2028 at a compound annual rate of 43.3 per cent, according to Vancouver-based Emergen Research.

Mark Zuckerberg's Meta plans to spend $10bn this year on Reality Labs – its metaverse division. Technology giant Microsoft aims to allow avatars to share PowerPoint presentations and Excel files in Teams – an app that offers workspace chat, videoconferencing and file storage – next year.

Software maker Unity is developing a concept called “digital twins”, a virtual copy of the real world. Graphics chip maker Nvidia is developing a technology called Omniverse that will link 3D virtual worlds in the metaverse. Tencent Holdings, the world's largest gaming company by revenue, is reported to be developing an advanced gaming studio to focus on the metaverse.

FinaMaze’s metaverse portfolio will diversify across more than a dozen securities, spreading the risk among different sectors and automatically rebalancing the allocation to remain in line with each investor’s risk profile, the company said.

The wealth manager launched the metaverse portfolio because not all investors have the time and expertise to conduct research on each market theme and build a selection of securities to translate the exposure they desire.

“They neither want to be glued to their smartphone, constantly checking their portfolio. Only metaverse-related securities that have already been corrected by the market have been added to the smartfolio to ensure an entry point appreciably below recent all-time highs,” Mr Fichtali said.

The product also includes a “metaverse vs market” version that delivers a relative performance of metaverse-related securities over the market, FinaMaze said. This protects the metaverse portfolio from a potential sharp decline in the markets.

If metaverse securities fall but in proportions less than the market, the “metaverse vs market” feature will then deliver the favourable difference to investors, Mr Fichtali said.

FinaMaze started offering prime retail investors access to its algorithm-powered portfolios across a range of asset classes in November. It defines prime retail investors as those who invest a minimum of $2,000. Previously, only professional investors had access to the wealth manager’s investment products.

Robo-advisers have become popular in the wealth management sector because algorithms can crunch large and intricate data sets across different parameters faster, more precisely and at greater volumes than most people.

They also reach an underserved market of middle-class investors unable to obtain access to portfolio management services because of minimum investment requirements.

Disclaimer

Director: Alfonso Cuaron 

Stars: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline, Lesley Manville 

Rating: 4/5

COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The Facility’s Versatility

Between the start of the 2020 IPL on September 20, and the end of the Pakistan Super League this coming Thursday, the Zayed Cricket Stadium has had an unprecedented amount of traffic.
Never before has a ground in this country – or perhaps anywhere in the world – had such a volume of major-match cricket.
And yet scoring has remained high, and Abu Dhabi has seen some classic encounters in every format of the game.
 
October 18, IPL, Kolkata Knight Riders tied with Sunrisers Hyderabad
The two playoff-chasing sides put on 163 apiece, before Kolkata went on to win the Super Over
 
January 8, ODI, UAE beat Ireland by six wickets
A century by CP Rizwan underpinned one of UAE’s greatest ever wins, as they chased 270 to win with an over to spare
 
February 6, T10, Northern Warriors beat Delhi Bulls by eight wickets
The final of the T10 was chiefly memorable for a ferocious over of fast bowling from Fidel Edwards to Nicholas Pooran
 
March 14, Test, Afghanistan beat Zimbabwe by six wickets
Eleven wickets for Rashid Khan, 1,305 runs scored in five days, and a last session finish
 
June 17, PSL, Islamabad United beat Peshawar Zalmi by 15 runs
Usman Khawaja scored a hundred as Islamabad posted the highest score ever by a Pakistan team in T20 cricket

How Beautiful this world is!
Evacuations to France hit by controversy
  • Over 500 Gazans have been evacuated to France since November 2023
  • Evacuations were paused after a student already in France posted anti-Semitic content and was subsequently expelled to Qatar
  • The Foreign Ministry launched a review to determine how authorities failed to detect the posts before her entry
  • Artists and researchers fall under a programme called Pause that began in 2017
  • It has benefited more than 700 people from 44 countries, including Syria, Turkey, Iran, and Sudan
  • Since the start of the Gaza war, it has also included 45 Gazan beneficiaries
  • Unlike students, they are allowed to bring their families to France
Eyasses squad

Charlie Preston (captain) – goal shooter/ goalkeeper (Dubai College)

Arushi Holt (vice-captain) – wing defence / centre (Jumeriah English Speaking School)  

Olivia Petricola (vice-captain) – centre / wing attack (Dubai English Speaking College)

Isabel Affley – goalkeeper / goal defence (Dubai English Speaking College)

Jemma Eley – goal attack / wing attack (Dubai College)

Alana Farrell-Morton – centre / wing / defence / wing attack (Nord Anglia International School)

Molly Fuller – goal attack / wing attack (Dubai College)

Caitlin Gowdy – goal defence / wing defence (Dubai English Speaking College)

Noorulain Hussain – goal defence / wing defence (Dubai College)

Zahra Hussain-Gillani – goal defence / goalkeeper (British School Al Khubairat)

Claire Janssen – goal shooter / goal attack (Jumeriah English Speaking School)         

Eliza Petricola – wing attack / centre (Dubai English Speaking College)

The specs
 
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
SCHEDULE

Thursday, December 6
08.00-15.00 Technical scrutineering
15.00-17.00 Extra free practice

Friday, December 7
09.10-09.30 F4 free practice
09.40-10.00 F4 time trials
10.15-11.15 F1 free practice
14.00 F4 race 1
15.30 BRM F1 qualifying

Saturday, December 8
09.10-09.30 F4 free practice
09.40-10.00 F4 time trials
10.15-11.15 F1 free practice
14.00 F4 race 2
15.30 Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi

Updated: February 21, 2022, 7:09 AM