The Knowledge to Decide

Nets – the leading payment solutions provider – recently announced that it would launch new payment modes across all of its 100,000 acceptance points in Singapore by mid-2018. What does this mean for Singapore’s quest for a unified payments system? Japnit Singh, Deputy Chief Executive Officer at Spire Research and Consulting shared his insights, published on Today Online’s news portal. Japnit opined that the infrastructure laid out by Nets for a unified point-of-sales terminal is a big step forward. But what was needed was an open platform with other payment companies able to join, to ensure competition. This is seen in the telco industry where infrastructure sharing is required. The new payment modes that Nets will implement include an app storing a digital version of Automated-teller machine (ATM) cards, new contactless cards along with mobile payments through Quick Response (QR) codes. It remains to be seen if transaction fees will be hiked. If so, merchants will h

About 8 million tons of plastic each year is leaked into our oceans. Asia is responsible for 80% of this, due to uneven collection infrastructure and lack of stringent regulations. To deal with this issue, the new ‘plastics economy’ could transform the way we deal with plastic waste. The model is the mastermind of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, the World Economic Forum and Mckinsey & Company, released in a report in January 2016. This model restructures product design and manufacturing to ensure the recycling of materials. This further extends the shelf life of products through refurbishment and repair, improving circularity and functionality of plastic packaging. For instance, British retail giant Marks & Spencer uses its packaging crates 300 times on average before recycling them. Will recycling plastics make a dent on global pollution? https://www.spireresearch.com/newsroom/spirethoughts/asia-the-worlds-biggest-plastic-polluter/

The movement to digitize healthcare information promises to deliver massive gains in efficiency, effectiveness and patient access to personal data. The next steps in this revolution involve making health data accessible via mobile devices and applying big data analytics. Can healthcare IT really revolutionize the age-old healthcare industry? Medical records have traditionally been stored at hospitals and medical centers in the form of paper or analogue film explaining the old joke about doctor’s handwriting. Remarkably, a large share of medical records across the world is still stored in this way, especially in developing economies. But for decades now, a quiet revolution has been underway to make medical information digital, portable across different medical institutions, amenable to big data analytics and accessible to the patient. This revolution is now nearing the tipping point when big changes may become visible. Nowadays, leading healthcare providers in develop

ASEAN’s gaming market is set for rapid growth. By 2017, there will be an estimated 80 million middle-income households, adding more consumers in the 20-50 years age bracket. This means gaming revenues will reach USD2.2 billion – double in value. What factors contribute to this emerging market? With improved broadband infrastructure and more disposable income, online as well as mobile gaming is increasingly accessible. By the end of 2016, there will be 230 million smartphones in Asia – which means more potential users. ASEAN governments have been quick to cash in. For instance, game developers in Indonesia receive subsidies to encourage market growth whereas the University of the Philippines actively promotes game development and design courses, hosts gaming events as well as offers scholarships to attract students. However, the gaming market in ASEAN is highly fragmented. Each ASEAN country has unique preferences and gaming behaviour. No one single publisher or format c