Share this article
Meta Starts Building a Digital Economy for Creators in Horizon Worlds
Fees could soar as high as 47.5% in the Meta-owned virtual reality game.
By Danny Nelson
Updated May 11, 2023, 7:11 p.m. Published Apr 11, 2022, 10:52 p.m.
Make us preferred on Google
Meta Platforms’ (FB) digital economy got rolling Monday with new tools for hawking virtual goods in the social media giant’s virtual reality game, Horizon Worlds.
A “handful” of creators will be able to sell “virtual items and effects” in their respective worlds, Meta said. Only Americans and Canadians above the age of 18 will be able to purchase those items.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
Don't miss another story.Subscribe to the Crypto Daybook Americas Newsletter today. See all newsletters
Separately, Meta said it would reward creators whose virtual worlds prove especially popular among users with monthly bonus payouts. That program will not be subject to fees; the virtual items marketplace could see Meta take a cut of anywhere from 25% to 70%, according to The Verge.
The twin efforts showcase Meta’s early buildout of the infrastructure underpinning a digital economy. Yet more monetization and incentivization features are on the way, it promised.
“These types of tools are steps toward our long-term vision for the metaverse where creators can earn a living and people can purchase digital goods, services, and experiences,” a Meta blog post read.
“Clearly the ability to sell virtual goods and be able to take them with you from one world to another is going to be an important part” of the future metaverse, CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in a video published alongside the reveal.
That language mimics the promise of user-owned non-fungible tokens (NFT). But Meta’s monetization tools don’t have any crypto element to them – at least not yet.
More For You
KuCoin captured a record share of centralised exchange volume in 2025, with more than $1.25tn traded as its volumes grew faster than the wider crypto market.
What to know:
- KuCoin recorded over $1.25 trillion in total trading volume in 2025, equivalent to an average of roughly $114 billion per month, marking its strongest year on record.
- This performance translated into an all-time high share of centralised exchange volume, as KuCoin’s activity expanded faster than aggregate CEX volumes, which slowed during periods of lower market volatility.
- Spot and derivatives volumes were evenly split, each exceeding $500 billion for the year, signalling broad-based usage rather than reliance on a single product line.
- Altcoins accounted for the majority of trading activity, reinforcing KuCoin’s role as a primary liquidity venue beyond BTC and ETH at a time when majors saw more muted turnover.
- Even as overall crypto volumes softened mid-year, KuCoin maintained elevated baseline activity, indicating structurally higher user engagement rather than short-lived volume spikes.
More For You
Michael Saylor's Strategy catches a break from MSCI, but analysts caution fight isn’t over yet
MSCI won’t drop firms like Strategy from indexes yet, but a broader rule change may still be on the table
What to know:
- Shares of Strategy rose 6% after MSCI decided not to exclude digital asset treasury firms from its indexes.
- The decision alleviates immediate pressure on companies holding large amounts of bitcoin but not directly operating in the blockchain sector.
- Analysts caution that the situation may not be resolved, as future MSCI rule changes could still impact firms like Strategy.
Top Stories
