New York. American company WalmartThe world’s largest supermarket chain has revealed its interest in creating cryptocurrency and selling virtual goods in several trademark applications that were recently filed with the patent office, media reported on Sunday. CNBC.

At the end of December, Walmart submitted nearly a dozen petitions to the regulator hinting at its intention to launch a virtual currency and a set of NFT assets (Non-replaceable code), as well as the production and sale of virtual goods such as household appliances, clothing, toys, or personal care products.

Walmart will thus join a growing list of companies preparing to work in the metaverse – immersive virtual reality – including Facebook, which changed its name to Meta for this reason.; Fashion retailers such as Nike, GAP or entertainment giant Disney.

The supermarket chain avoided commenting on the possibility in a statement to the media, saying it was always “exploring how emerging technologies could shape future shopping experiences” and stressed that it “routinely” submits requests to brands to pursue its “innovation”.

Walmart is the largest employer in the US private sector, and since the beginning of the Covid-19 epidemic, the e-commerce business has experienced strong growth, which according to its last quarterly results – last November – increased its sales in the United States. The state is down 87% compared to two years ago.