-
March 13, 2018
Autonomous Vehicles – How will they transform the GCC Real Estate Sector?
The transport industry is on the cusp of another major breakthrough as Autonomous vehicles are expected not only to revolutionize the way we travel, but also the way we live. Billions of dollars have already been invested in pioneering the technology as well as equipping infrastructure to support it. Going by the trends, self-driven cars may soon be a common sight on roads in the near future. This disruptive change, which is expected to be a milestone for the auto...
-
December 21, 2017
Bitcoin – A rally like no other
“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”- George Santayana To give some perspective – Here is how bitcoin compares to other bubbles Source: CoinDesk (bitcoin); FactSet (Nasdaq, Japanese stocks, gold); Thomson Reuters (home prices) The world of finance has seen asset bubbles every few years and the occurrences of a crisis seem to have a shortened cycle in the past eighty years. Since the 1960’s, the world has seen some extended and protracted asset bubbles –...
-
December 17, 2017
UAE’s Digital Pursuit – Where have they reached?
UAE has been at the forefront of technology adoption in the GCC region. From its adoption of open data to making block chain mandatory for government transactions by 2020, UAE perceives technology as a great enabler in propelling its country forward. It has kick-started initiatives from time to time in sync with the progress of the technology. Dubai announced its first ICT (Information and Communication Technology) strategy way back in 1999 and has followed it up with the launch of...
-
August 9, 2017
Online vs Offline war at GCCs doorstep
This fright has turned into a reality in many developed markets like US, where the accelerated shift of Americans shopping via internet has pushed several retail companies into bankruptcy. Approximately 8,640 stores with 147mn square feet of retailing space is expected to close down in US during 2017 (Source: Credit Suisse). The fact that number of stores expected to close in 2017, surpasses the level of closures after the financial crisis and dotcom bust, signifies the enormity of the threat...
-
July 31, 2017
What are we paying for? – Why investors are fond of the US tech stocks
YTD Performance Apple Google Amazon Netflix Facebook Microsoft S&P 500 2017 26% 20% 21% 16% 16% 8% 6% Source: Reuters; Returns as of July 30, 2017 Trading at a premium would be an understatement to refer to FAANG stocks as they trade at stratospheric valuations (price to earnings ratio). Analysing all possibilities, we could for sure say one thing, what is driving the valuation is the frenzied investor behaviour of paying too much today for earnings that are...
-
July 26, 2017
How to invest in cryptocurrencies?
How can GCC Individuals invest in Cryptocurrencies? Though GCC has been a slow starter in the cryptocurrency space, there has been a spurt in the number of bitcoin trading exchanges in the GCC, especially in the United Arab Emirates in the last couple of years. Apart from the regional players, there are popular exchanges that allow investors from anywhere across the world to buy bitcoins through online payments. List of Popular Cryptocurrency exchanges Exchange Currencies Country Remarks Links Trade Fees...
-
June 26, 2017
Increasing cyberattacks – Can investing in cybersecurity companies be a good bet?
Threat of disruption of a business now extends to almost all of the divisions – finance, operations, customer data, sales, R&D, IP. While this should make cybersecurity a mandate of the board and stakeholders, in many of the organizations the threat is still dealt by the IT department solely. Experts shake their heads in disapproval and opine that cybersecurity risk requires an institution-wide approach and better harmony between cybersecurity and business strategy. The problem with cybersecurity is its complexity and...
-
May 21, 2017
Fintech in GCC: What can it disrupt?
Financial Sector-Status quo to be punished Although, the evolution is still pretty nascent, Fintech has the potential to revolutionize how financial services are delivered in the GCC, and around the world. While the fintech ecosystem in the Middle East is less developed than in other regions, it is expected to grow swiftly, aided and abetted by the young, tech-savvy demography in the region. In fact, most fintech products are aimed at capturing the “millennials” (The term Millennials is usually refers...
-
May 10, 2017
These are the 3 areas AI will impact GCC
Simply put, artificial intelligence is a sub-field of computer science. Its goal is to enable the development of computers that are able to do things normally done by people -- in particular, things associated with people acting intelligently. Even within the AI, there are strong AI, Weak AI and the somewhere in between AI. We are yet to see strong AI, AI that can think like a human being himself, in existence. Weak AI, These are AI that are adopted...
-
January 29, 2017
Mobile payments are a great business opportunity for GCC banks
The article originally appeared in The National | Business Cash is still king in the GCC. But that is soon to change. The beauty of disruptive technology is it disrupts, no matter what. Either companies adapt quickly, or get swamped under. Consider the case of mobile payments. Sweden opened its first unmanned convenience store in March last year. Amazon is testing a grocery store in Seattle with no checkout lines. Customers check-in at the entrance of the store with a...