Ante L.Wazinski F.P.Saggu A.Mahidol University2023-08-282023-08-282023-12-01Finance Research Letters Vol.58 (2023)15446123https://repository.li.mahidol.ac.th/handle/20.500.14594/88846This paper investigates retail investor motivations for digital real estate ownership in the crypto-metaverse. Utilizing a detailed financial behavior survey of metaverse landowners' intrinsic and extrinsic motivations, we apply principal components analysis to uncover four distinct motivational groups: (1) Aesthetics and Identity, (2) Social and Community, (3) Speculation and Investment, and (4) Innovation and Technology. Our findings reveal that age, education, investment knowledge, risk-taking, and impulsivity significantly influence investor group membership. This research provides valuable insights to investors and developers, underscoring the potential of a platform to attract retail investors with speculative intentions, engagement longevity, and passive or active trading characteristics, contingent on unique crypto-metaverse attributes.Economics, Econometrics and FinanceArticleSCOPUS10.1016/j.frl.2023.1042992-s2.0-85168003132