On July 11, the European Commission formally adopted its new strategy on Web4 and virtual worlds with the aim of ensuring “an open, secure, trustworthy, fair and inclusive digital environment” for European Union citizens. The strategy is based on four main pillars, revolving around the empowerment of human resources, support of businesses, further development of public services, and shaping of global standards for “Web 4.0” — a freshly coined term that attempts to preempt the next technological wave.
While it’s commendable that the European Commission is proactively strategizing for the EU to take the lead on Web 4.0, or Web4, and virtual worlds, we shouldn’t neglect the fact that for all the fanfare of Web3 and the trends that accompanied it, notable credit and financial institutions have so far only firmly and mainly placed their confidence in (BTC) and, to a lesser extent, .
Jonathan Galea is the CEO and founder of BCAS, a European crypto regulatory consultancy firm. He has consulted numerous regulatory entities across multiple jurisdictions on crypto-related matters, including the structuring of novel legal frameworks. He holds in an LL.D. in law from the University of Malta.
Matteo Vena is the chief strategy officer at BCAS, a crypto-focused regulatory consultancy firm based in Europe. His area of focus is business and marketing strategy in the Bitcoin and digital assets industry. He worked previously as the managing director for Cointelegraph Italy and as the head of content for Blockchain Week Rome.
