What is Nimbuzz? Ashmore Group’s Jerome Booth set to battle WhatsApp with new messanger app
The City’s favourite emerging markets evangelist Jerome Booth has er, re-emerged, having been relatively quiet since he stepped down as head of research at Ashmore Group last summer.
What’s he up to, I hear you ask? Aside from sporting this fetching turban, he’s been on the acquisition trail with New Call Telecom, one of the communications firms he has backed through his New Sparta investment vehicle.
New Call announced yesterday it’s acquired a 75 per cent stake in an Asian version of WhatsApp, called Nimbuzz.
“We see huge potential in India’s nascent internet broadband, instant messaging/data sharing markets,” said Booth. Nothing surprising there.
Booth, who advocates investors putting half their wealth in emerging markets, is putting his moolah where his mouth is.
And orange is a truly great colour on him.