Uzoamaka U.
FC Barcelona has recently taken a major stride in its digital pursuit by raising $132 million to fuel its Barça Vision Web3 project. This advancement is made possible by an investment of 120 million euros from Libero Football Finance AG and Nipa Capital BV.
Libero is a publicly listed German company that provides advisory services to soccer clubs financially. On the other hand, Nipa Capital is a Dutch venture capital firm.
The Spanish club has granted Bridgeburg Invest, owners of Barça Vision, a 29.5% ownership stake as part of their strategic partnership. However, the deal needs approval from FC Barcelona shareholders and should be done by Q4 2023.
About Barça Vision
Barca Vision is FC Barcelona’s platform for showcasing Web3 and blockchain content, including NFTs and Metaverse. Aligned with the goal of building the digital Espai Barça, it aims to connect its community through Barçaverse that is a digital space.
In early 2020, FC Barcelona joined forces with the Chiliz blockchain platform to introduce FC Barcelona Fan Tokens (BAR). Notably, Chiliz acquired a generous 24.5% slice of FC Barcelona’s digital content “pie” Barça Vision.
Other Web3 Feats of FC Barcelona
FC Barcelona shows a big interest in the NFT space and Web3 technologies. The football club is dealing with NFT collections for different aims.
In collaboration with Plastiks, the team created a the collection called Unleash Your Passion. The collection boasts 3,000 animal-themed NFTs, each thoughtfully priced at $30. The main goal of this collection is to protect the environment and reduce the amount of plastic wastes; the club helped remove 35 million kg of plastic waste, making a positive impact on the environment.
Furthermore, FC Barcelona’s foray into the NFT landscape yielded remarkable success in July 2022. The auction of its first NFT collection was Masterpiece #1 In A Way that was hosted by the esteemed Sotheby’s New York. The auction garnered a remarkable $693,000, underscoring the growing significance of NFTs in the realm of sports and entertainment.
Building upon this momentum, the club achieved yet another milestone with the sale of the second installment in the series, Masterpiece #2 – Empowerment, on OpenSea. Thus commanding a notable value of $300,231 on June 28, 2023.
