India’s road to achieving its goal as the largest EV market in the world

India’s road to achieving its goal as the largest EV market in the world

According to the World Economic Forum white paper on EV-ready India, the opportunities for India’s mobility future are massive. Contributing factors include the continued growth in the country’s population and the move towards urban centres, all of which are driving urban mobility demand. Energy scarcity is another factor resulting from India’s dependence on importing oil. …

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VC Investment trends in Southeast Asia Q1’20

VC Investment trends in Southeast Asia Q1’20

According to the KPMG publication, Venture Pulse, Q1’20 saw China’s lockdown towards the end of January resulting in a slowdown in VC deals activity in the country.  As COVID-19 evovled throughout the Southeast Asian region, VC investors hit the pause button, particularly those with interests in China.However, while deal volume decreased over Asia, three were…

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Challenges to electric vehicles adoption in India

Challenges to electric vehicles adoption in India

Inc42 lists the following challenges in the adoption of electric vehicles in India: Lack of battery cell manufacturing The complete absence of primary battery cell manufacturing in India means that India is reliant on importing batteries from China, the dominant country in the battery supply chain, manufacturing around three quarters of the battery manufacturing of…

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Egypt embraces the benefits of renewable energy

Egypt embraces the benefits of renewable energy

According to the recent  IRENA Renewable Energy Outlook report, Egypt is the most populous country in North African and the Arab region and home to one of the fastest-growing populations globally.  This had led to an increase in energy demand, putting a strain on the country’s domestic energy resources, even amid substantial recent offshore natural…

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Vietnam’s bright future for solar power

Vietnam's bright future for solar power

Vietnam is set for a surge in power demand and consumption over the coming decade reports Fitch Solutions.  This Southeast Asian country is said to be one of the most carbon intensive countries in the world regarding greenhouse gas emissions, ranking only after China and Mongolia in the East Asia and Pacific region, according to Energy Live…

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Egypt’s promise as a fintech hub in the MENA region

Egypt’s promise as a fintech hub in the MENA region

With an increasing local prominence, Egypt’s fintech services market is making its presence felt in the wider Middle East and North Africa (MENA) regions.  This is underpinned by the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) which is set to launch a USD 100 million fintech fund early in 2020.  Currently, the CBE is facilitating the creation…

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India’s USD 101 billion startup ecosystem

India’s USD 101 billion startup ecosystem

The current Indian startup ecosystem, with a cumulative valuation of 95 – USD 101 billion, has facilitated between 390 000 – 430 000 direct jobs, 60 000 of which were created in 2019 alone, according to the Nasscom 2019 report. Consisting of over 335 active incubators and accelerators with a capacity to enable over 5 000 startups every year,…

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Realising the potential of Indonesia’s eCommerce Sector

Realising the potential of Indonesia's eCommerce Sector

Known as one of the biggest mobile first nations, Indonesia’s 150 million internet users amounts to 56 per cent of the population of 268.5 million, according to We are Social Digital Indonesia report the fourth largest country in the world by population.  The growing adoption of internet based activities is evidenced by the increasing adoption…

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