Is the government brave enough to let markets fix the social care crisis? June 9, 2020 We have all seen, with the direst of consequences, the deficiencies of the current social care system. As Covid-19 has raged through the UK, tens of thousands have died in under-resourced, under-invested, and ill-designed care homes. With the focus in those early weeks on protecting the NHS at all costs, central planners sent potentially infectious [...]
Consortia: Chicken or Egg? June 9, 2020 Building a blockchain or distributed ledger technology (DLT) solution adds no value if there is only a single benefactor. The most impactful solutions involve multiple stakeholders. In most cases, many of the enterprises are competitors who have agreed to work together to solve a common industry problem – or exploit a new business model. But [...]
Artificial intelligence meets blockchain June 9, 2020 Blockchain Depends on its Community. A strong link is forming between the two most powerful emerging technologies of the decade. On one side is AI, the data-hungry machine that is replacing humans at breakneck speed. On the other is Blockchain’s trustless systems – not where trust doesn’t exist, but where trust isn’t a variable; it’s [...]
Acacia snaps up Woodford biotech stakes in £224m deal June 5, 2020 US-listed patent licensing firm Acacia Research today secured a deal to buy a portfolio of biotech stakes from Neil Woodford’s failed fund for up to £223.9m. The deal will see Acacia take control of shareholdings in 19 healthcare firms, including Oxford Nanopore and Immunocore. California-based Acacia, which specialises in intellectual property and patent licensing, agreed [...]
The impact of AI in a transformed world June 3, 2020 Artificial intelligence has entered the mainstream and the fourth industrial revolution is continuing apace, leading sceptics to question what this means for the average employee. As we look towards the re-opening of the economy, it is clear that AI offers huge potential for a new world of work that is safer, more productive and more [...]
Office politics: Pandemic sees onshoring trend ramp up June 2, 2020 The Covid-19 pandemic has been devastating for communities, businesses and economies globally. Over the past 16 weeks, as lockdowns were enforced around the world, consumers retreated to their homes and offices and services closed their doors. The lockdown has presented unique challenges to the customer service industry, much of which has been outsourced overseas over [...]
Blockchain, IoT and 5G June 2, 2020 5G networks are beginning to roll out across the UK as well as around the world. One of the biggest promises of 5G is the ability to connect millions of IoT devices. And Blockchain networks have three services they can perform to drive adoption and add value. IoT stands for the Internet of Things. More [...]
Jeff Bezos takes stake in UK tech startup Beacon May 31, 2020 Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is reportedly investing in UK technology startup Beacon. The world’s richest man has agreed to back the startup, which is a specialist in digital freight forwarding and supply chain finance, according to Sky News. Bezos, who is worth approximately $143bn, is said to be participating in a $15m Series A funding [...]
Inflation post Covid-19: to be or not to be? May 26, 2020 We spoke to two experts who argued the case for and against inflation in the near future and what it means for investments. Abdallah Guezour, Head of Emerging Market Debt and Commodities, and Keith Wade, Chief Economist, discuss the outlook for inflation in the midst of the Covid-19 crisis. Abdallah argues the case for inflation [...]
Covid-19: the inescapable truths faced by investors May 22, 2020 Investors will need to be more agile than ever as Covid-19 reinforces many of the trends driving the world economy prior to the outbreak. “At the beginning of the plague, when there was now no more hope but that the whole city would be visited; when all that had friends or estates in the country [...]