Kantar ‘closes in’ on $1.5bn deal for US data rival Numerator April 19, 2021 Kantar is said to be nearing a $1.5bn (£1bn) deal to buy US rival Numerator from buyout fund Vista Equity Partners. The deal, which is expected to be announced imminently, will see Kantar take full control over the Chicago-based market intelligence provider, Reuters reported. Numerator, which was taken over by Vista in 2017, provides market [...]
Creating Value April 16, 2021 According to Seth Godin, bestselling author and change agent, marketing is the act of improving things by doing things better. It is not about communicating value but to create it, and gain a connection with those who want to be connected with us. Many ask me about the future and usually are disappointed with my [...]
Microsoft buys AI firm Nuance for $19.7bn in healthcare push April 12, 2021 Microsoft today said it will buy AI health firm Nuance Communications in a $19.7bn (£14.3bn) deal as it looks to bolster its healthcare offering. Massachusetts-based Nuance offers artificial intelligence and speech technology services designed to automate clinical administrative work and reduce the burden of paperwork on doctors. Microsoft said its offer of $56 per share [...]
Can investment in biodiversity really deliver strong financial returns? April 11, 2021 There are myriad myths surrounding the climate crisis which desperately need to be debunked this year. Two in particular that are long overdue: the belief that environmentally-focused investments don’t deliver a strong bottom line and the idea that responsibility to deal with climate change and protecting biodiversity rests on the shoulders of Governments. Both are [...]
Ministers don’t understand artificial intelligence, so how can they regulate it? April 9, 2021 Regulators are scrambling to stay abreast of the rapid growth of artificial intelligence and machine learning. There are the two familiar camps: one favouring strict regulation in the name of protecting consumers and ensuring responsible use of technology or the other, advocating for a light touch approach to allow innovation and competition to thrive. This [...]
UNICEF handed million dollar donation with Bitcoin from Huobi April 7, 2021 Global blockchain company Huobi has donated seven Bitcoins and fiat worth a million dollars to UNICEF to help create blockchain innovations.
The greatest gift Ever Given: Why we all loved the Big Boat stuck in the Suez April 1, 2021 In a world of extraordinary complexity, at a time of enormous uncertainty, a big boat stuck in the Suez Canal took us back to a simpler time. “The greater our knowledge increases,” said John F Kennedy in the speech that launched the US space programme, “the greater our ignorance unfolds.” So it proved to be. [...]
8 weird and wonderful applications of CRISPR technology March 31, 2021 Techno-optimists like to talk about the notion of a “singularity” – a time when technology progresses so rapidly that life is transformed beyond recognition. The driving force of this hypothetical event is typically regarded to be artificial intelligence becoming omnipresent. But what does omnipresent AI really mean for everyday life? ‘Technoking’ Elon Musk says that [...]
Huawei: Growth slows amid geopolitical tensions, but smart cities on the horizon March 31, 2021 Huawei took home $137.7bn in revenue last year, an uptick of just 3.8 per cent year on year, as it saw a lift to its enterprise business amidst geopolitical tensions. The Chinese telecoms giant enjoyed a 23 per cent boost to its enterprise business which earned $15.4bn, as it has channelled its focus away from [...]
The final countdown: Are businesses prepared for the Libor transition? March 31, 2021 The countdown to the end of Libor has begun but the scale of the work involved in transitioning to the new rate is immense. For 40 years Libor has been the key benchmark for setting interest rates on various loans and contracts, underpinning trillions of dollars of transactions, before controversy hit. From today no new [...]