Mobile Merchant Transaction Growth in Emerging Markets

Numerous telecom service providers have expanded and tailored their services to offer the world’s poorest populations access to more sophisticated products  — such as personal savings and loans. Worldwide a large number of people who remain ‘unbanked’ are without a bank account or credit history.

via Digital Lifescapes

How Fintech Innovation Creates Access to Financial Services

Catalyst Fund has observed key areas where innovative fintech startups have an advantage over banks and other legacy players. Specific characteristics of modern technology and tech firms using these approaches enable these improved outcomes.

Source: World Economic Forum

Outlook for New Smartphone Tech Innovation during 2017

Worldwide smartphone shipments will reach 1.45 billion units, with a year-over-year growth rate of just 0.6 percent in 2016, according to the latest market study by IDC. Although growth remains positive, it is down significantly from the 10.4 percent growth rate in 2015.

Source: Digital Lifescapes

Fintech Lender Platform Revenue will Reach $10.5 Billion

There are numerous factors driving the adoption of financial technology (fintech) market development. Particularly within emerging nations, technology vendors and service providers are looking at ways to provide services to individuals who previously have never used financial services — they’re often referred to as the un-banked population.

Source: Digital Lifescapes

Mobile Financial Services Upside in Emerging Markets

Across the globe, the mobile phone is one of the most important technology advancements for developing nations, as an enabler of economic growth. In fact, many of these emerging countries have already seen a rapid adoption of mobile remittance.

Source: Digital Lifescapes

Cloud Services Gain Momentum in Asia-Pacific Region

Global cloud computing service providers are well known in China and India, but they’re clearly not alone. According to the latest market study by 451 Research, there are nearly 200 vendors in both nations that are providing cloud services — such as IaaS, PaaS and SaaS.

Source: Digital Lifescapes

Exploring the Business Case for Social Innovation Projects

 

For companies, social innovation is not just a good thing to do. There is a business case for pursuing social innovation. Our interviews revealed a number of measurable business benefits – reduced costs, increased profits, strengthened supply chains, more innovation, new revenues, legitimised license to operate.

Source: World Economic Forum

China’s Smartphone Market Reaches New Shipment Record

According to IDC, 117.3 million smartphones were shipped to China in the fourth quarter of 2015. This is an 8% Year-Over-Year (YoY) growth vs the same period last year. That said, IDC expects the smartphone growth in China to be flat in 2016.

Source: IDC

Global Networked Economy – Exploring the Vast Landscape

The ITU estimates that 3.2 billion people — 43.4% of the world’s population — will use the internet in 2015, but that figure falls to 9.5% for the least developed countries, which the UN defines as the “poorest and weakest segment of the international community.”

Source: World Economic Forum

Global Video-on-Demand Market to Reach $263 Million in 2016

Revenues from the global video-on-demand (VoD) market are expected to top $263 billion by 2016 — that’s a 27% increase over the $207 billion the industry generated in 2014, driven by rapid consumer adoption and expanding Internet penetration in emerging markets.

Source: Ooyala