Amazon overtakes Apple and Google as world’s most valuable brand June 11, 2019 Amazon has surged past tech rivals Apple and Google to be crowned the world’s most valuable brand. The e-commerce giant jumped in brand value by 52 per cent over the last year to reach $315.5bn (£405.9bn), according to the latest figures from WPP and Kantar. Read more: Amazon to deliver packages by drone ‘within months’ [...]
Tencent backs top AI startup in $24m injection May 20, 2019 A host of major businesses and venture capital firms have joined in a $24m (£18.9m) funding round for a Prowler.io, valuing the Cambridge artificial intelligence (AI) startup at $100m. Chinese media giant Tencent led the round, with publishing house Pearson and Monzo-backer Passion Capital also joining. Other investors included Amadeus Capital Partners, Atlantic Bridge, Cambridge [...]
Game of Thrones fans rage at Chinese tech firm Tencent after episode delayed May 20, 2019 Chinese Game of Thrones fans expressed their outrage with tech firm Tencent this morning after it postponed the airing of the final episode of the fantasy series. Tencent Video which owns the broadcast rights to the HBO show in China was scheduled to air the episode at 9am Beijing time (1am GMT). However, an hour [...]
China’s mobile brands have global ambitions – this will have a big impact on the digital marketing ecosystem April 12, 2019 With the world’s online mobile population growing day by day, and a home market dominated by giants such as Tencent, Baidu, and Alibaba, Chinese app developers are increasingly looking to market their apps abroad. I have seen first-hand this shift from a focus on the domestic market to a much more global viewpoint. And I [...]
WPP hunts for replacement as last Chinese board member steps down March 25, 2019 WPP is on the hunt for a new Chinese board member after it emerged a long-serving director from the country will step down, Sky News reported. Ruigang Li, who founded venture capital giant China Media Capital (CMC) and has served on the WPP board since 2010, has reportedly told colleagues he will not stand for [...]
Mobile bank N26 targets UK expansion with general manager appointment March 14, 2019 European mobile bank N26 has appointed a new general manager to drive forward UK expansion as it steps up competition against rivals such as Monzo and Revolut. Former Morgan Stanley investment banker Will Sorby has joined the Berlin-based digital bank, which operates in 24 markets across Europe, following its UK launch in October last year. Read [...]
Financial services sector must prepare as tech giants set to shake up the industry, FSB warns February 14, 2019 The financial services sector must prepare for both the benefits and risks of tech giants shaking up the industry, the global finance regulator has warned. The Financial Stability Board said that tech giants, such as Google, Amazon, Facebook and Apple, were muscling into the financial services sector and predicted that expansion to continue. Read more: [...]
Clash of Clans maker Supercell reports second consecutive year of falling profits February 12, 2019 Mobile gaming firm Supercell has posted falling sales and profits for a second year running, reporting a 26 per cent drop in income as its bestselling titles fail to age gracefully. The Finnish firm, which was the brains behind viral iPhone games Clash of Clans and Clash Royale, was last valued at $10bn (£7.8bn) in 2016 [...]
Reddit users launch Winnie the Pooh protest against Tencent amid censorship fears February 11, 2019 Defiant images of Winnie the Pooh have sprung up across community news site Reddit as users hit back at a major investment by Chinese tech giant Tencent. Reddit confirmed today that the Chinese conglomerate has contributed a $150m (£116m) investment in the website, which describes itself as the ‘front page of the internet’, as part of a wider [...]
International Investing – the whys and wherefores February 11, 2019 In 1926, engineer, inventor and philosopher Nicolas Tesla, said “”When wireless is perfectly applied the whole earth will be converted into a huge brain. We shall be able to communicate with one another instantly, irrespective of distance… and the instruments through which we shall be able to do his will be amazingly simple compared with [...]