FC Barcelona, the renowned Spanish soccer club, has taken a significant leap into the digital age. They’ve secured a whopping €120 million ($132 million) investment for their groundbreaking Web3 initiative, Barça Vision. This initiative aims to centralize all digital content around the revolutionary technologies of Web3, blockchain, and notably, NFTs and the metaverse.
This investment comes from two major players: Libero Football Finance AG, a publicly listed company in Germany that offers financial consultancy to soccer clubs, and Nipa Capital B.V., a venture capital firm based in the Netherlands. In return for this capital injection, FC Barcelona has parted with a 29.5% stake in Bridgeburg Invest, the parent company of Barça Vision.
The club’s ambitious project, Barça Vision, is a testament to their commitment to embracing the digital Espai Barça. This digital space will encompass various innovative technologies, including NFTs and the metaverse, positioning FC Barcelona at the forefront of digital transformation in the sports industry.
FC Barcelona’s foray into the digital realm isn’t new. Since February 2020, the club has collaborated with the Chiliz blockchain, leading to the creation of Ethereum-based FC Barcelona Fan Tokens (BAR) for its vast fanbase. This partnership further solidified in August 2022 when Chiliz acquired a 24.5% stake in Barça Vision for an impressive $100 million.
The club’s digital endeavors continued to gain momentum. In May, they unveiled their inaugural NFT collection in partnership with Plastiks. Titled “Unleash Your Passion,” this collection showcased 3,000 animal-themed NFTs, each priced at $30. These NFTs weren’t just digital collectibles; they were part of a larger environmental initiative. The proceeds from this collection would aid in removing an estimated 35 million kilograms of plastic from the environment.
July 2022 saw another milestone for the club in the NFT space. Their first NFT, “Masterpiece #1 In A Way,” fetched a staggering $693,000 at a Sotheby’s New York auction. Following this, the second collectible, “Masterpiece #2 – Empowerment,” was auctioned on OpenSea in June 2023, bringing in $300,231.
The transaction between FC Barcelona, Libero Football Finance AG, and Nipa Capital B.V. is currently awaiting approval from FC Barcelona shareholders. If all goes as planned, the deal is set to conclude in the fourth quarter of 2023.
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To explore more about FC Barcelona and their latest ventures, check out their official website.
