Banking giant HSBC has filed trademark applications with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for a wide range of digital currency products and services, including those related to the metaverse and non-fungible tokens (NFTs).
HSBCās Trademark Applications for Crypto-Related Products and Services
HSBC has filed two crypto-related trademark applications for its name and logo with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Mike Kondoudis, a USPTO-licensed trademark attorney, noted in a tweet Friday that HSBCās trademark applications indicate the bankās plans for a number of digital products and services, including those related to the exchange and transfer of virtual currencies.
HSBCās crypto-related trademark applications were filed on Dec. 15; their serial numbers are 97718803 and 97718583. The bank described a wide range of products and services in its applications, including sending, receiving, converting, and storing digital currencies.
The trademark applications also detail several metaverse-related products and services, such as āfacilitating secure payment transactions by electronic means in the metaverse,ā āproviding banking services in the metaverse,ā and āproviding processing of virtual credit card, virtual debit card, virtual prepaid card, and virtual payment card transactions in the metaverse.ā HSBC also included a number of NFT services, such as ādownloadable digital files authenticated by non-fungible tokens (NFTs).ā
HSBCĀ joined the metaverseĀ by partnering with blockchain virtual gaming platform The Sandbox in March. However, HSBC Groupās CEO, Noel Quinn, said in September that crypto isĀ not in the bankās future.
An increasing number of major corporations and financial services institutions have filed trademark applications covering a wide range of digital currency and metaverse products and services. For example,Ā Visa,Ā Paypal, and Western UnionĀ filed crypto-related trademark applications in October. Last month, JPMorgan Chase wasĀ grantedĀ a wallet trademark covering various virtual currency and payment services.