FC Barcelona gets €120 million investment for innovative Web3 project

FC Barcelona, the renowned Spanish football club, has achieved a major financial milestone by securing a substantial €120 million ($132 million) investment for its groundbreaking Web3 initiative, Barça Vision.

This significant investment has been made possible through collaborations with two key entities, Libero Football Finance AG and Nipa Capital B.V.

In an announcement made on August 11, FC Barcelona revealed that it had sold a 29.5% stake in Bridgeburg Invest, the holding company overseeing Barça Vision, in exchange for this substantial capital injection.

Barça Vision represents the club’s visionary initiative to amalgamate all digital content through the utilization of Web3 and blockchain technologies. This includes the integration of innovative concepts like nonfungible tokens (NFTs) and the metaverse, forming a crucial part of the club’s strategy to build the digital Espai Barça.

Libero Football Finance AG, a publicly listed German company specializing in financial consultation for football clubs, and Nipa Capital B.V., a Netherlands-based venture capital firm, have played pivotal roles in enabling this investment.

However, it is important to note that the successful completion of this transformative transaction is contingent upon the approval of FC Barcelona shareholders. The finalization of the deal is anticipated to occur in the fourth quarter of 2023.

This is not FC Barcelona’s first venture into the realm of blockchain and digital assets. Since February 2020, the club has been collaborating with Chiliz blockchain to create Ethereum-based BAR fan tokens, aimed at engaging its sports franchise community.

In a notable development from August 2022, Chiliz acquired a significant 24.5% stake in Barça Vision for a substantial $100 million, further reinforcing the club’s digital initiatives.

Furthermore, FC Barcelona’s commitment to digital innovation extends to the domain of NFTs. In May, the club introduced its inaugural NFT collection named “Unleash Your Passion.” This collection comprises 3,000 NFTs featuring animal themes, priced at $30 each. The club has pledged that a portion of the proceeds from these sales will contribute to the removal of a staggering 35,000,000 kilograms of plastic waste from the planet.

✅| OFFICIAL: FC Barcelona reaches an agreement with Libero Football Finance and private investment advisors NIPA Capital BV to become new partners of Bridgeburg Invest, a Barça Vision trademark.

These investors have acquired 29.5% of the ownership of Barça Vision for €120m,… pic.twitter.com/4aWCMO8iA1

— Barça Buzz (@Barca_Buzz) August 11, 2023

The club’s success in the NFT arena continued when it sold its first NFT, “Masterpiece #1 in a Way,” at Sotheby’s New York auction in July 2022, fetching an impressive $693,000. The momentum persisted as the second collectible in the series, “Masterpiece #2 – Empowerment,” was sold on OpenSea in June 2023 for a commendable sum of $300,231.

With this substantial investment and the ongoing momentum in the digital arena, FC Barcelona’s Barça Vision initiative is poised to redefine the fusion of sports, technology, and fan engagement, reinforcing the club’s pioneering role in the ever-evolving digital landscape.