The Knowledge to Decide

Internet access among Cuba’s 11.2 million people is growing. Between 2013 and 2015, the share of the Cuban population using the internet jumped from about a quarter to more than 35%. This growing market has drawn the attention of internet giants, such as Airbnb, Netflix and Google. This trend has also fuelled activity among local entrepreneurs, who have launched domestic versions of sites such as the crowd-sourced business directory Yelp. Will Cuba’s internet revolution unleash economic growth? https://www.spireresearch.com/newsroom/spirethoughts/the-advent-of-the-internet-in-cuba-kick-starts-online-start-ups/

On 15 June, Spire and Yamada Business Consulting (YBC) jointly held a seminar at The Japanese Association in Singapore to give insights on emerging trends for India’s economy. The seminar aimed to raise understanding of market opportunities in light of events such as the roll-out of GST in India and President Donald Trump’s victory in the U.S elections. Yasuyuki (Luke) Kita, General Manager at Yamada Business Consulting Singapore, addressed the session to discuss current business trends in India in light of developments such as Trump’s victory in the U.S. election. Kita-san highlighted the impact on India’s economy of the recent Rupee demonetization of high-value currency notes, the introduction of a single Goods and Services Tax (GST) along with the Make In India initiative launched by the government to attract more investors. He also highlighted the Digital India Program, which aims to transform the nation into a digitally empowered society, nurturing startups and c

As use of mobile wallets grows across Asia, digitalized financial services are transforming consumer behavior. In this context, Informa Business (IBC) organized the 4th Annual Mobile Wallet Conference to discuss key industry trends, opportunities and challenges in Jakarta, Indonesia. Jeffrey Bahar, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Spire Research and Consulting group, was honored to be a guest speaker at this event. In his presentation, Bahar highlighted key facts about the mobile wallet ecosystem in Asia with focus on consumer trends, growth drivers and acceptance of digital currency. Bahar mentioned the rise mobile wallet payments is due to faster transactions (71%), ease of use (55%) and the need to have cash on hand (47%). There are more opportunities for organizations, regulators and startups due to the convergence of multi-channel integration, integrated IT infrastructure, digital currencies and Big data analytics, to name a few trends. The Philippines beca

To share the lessons from Spire’s journey from start-up 16 years ago to an international boutique consultancy today, Spire’s CEO Leon Perera delivered a presentation as part of the Singapore Management University Business School’s CEO-series talk. Leon Perera, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Spire Research and Consulting group, was privileged to be invited as a guest speaker at the CEO-series talk organized by the Singapore Management University Business School on 22 September 2016 in Singapore. In his presentation, he shared the lessons from Spire’s 16 year journey from start-up to a mid-sized boutique consultancy operating in 8 countries. Perera mentioned that in order to succeed, an organization should keep its core objective in mind. This is why Spire developed a clear mission statement, set of values, Code of Honour and client charter right from the start. It is also advisable for professional services firms to take brand building seriously and invest in Trade M

The San Francisco Bay area has set the global benchmark as a successful tech innovation and start-up epicenter. Drawing inspiration from this, the Asia-Pacific region wants to foster its own tech hubs. Will it succeed? Spire Research and Consulting shared its insights, published on the US Consumer Electronics Association’s blog. The formula for success for San Francisco’s Bay area, more commonly known as ‘Silicon Valley’, includes strong backing from a pro-business government, a pool of highly talented and educated workers as well as ample access to venture capitalists – all in the context of a risk-taking culture. Other Asian countries are working towards developing a similar culture and business eco-system in order to clone this technology hub. Some of the up and coming innovation centers across the Asia Pacific region are Cyberport in Hong Kong, Daedeok Innopolis in Daejeon, Korea, Fusionopolis in Singapore, Macquarie Park in Sydney, Australia and Yokosuka Research Park in

Crowdfunding refers to using the internet to raise funds from a large number of people for a project or new venture. There have been numerous crowdfunding projects in Asia, such as Singapore’s Buccaneer 3D printer, which raised nearly USD1.5 million. At the same time, crowdfund marketing is another activity that enables several companies to cash in on the widespread popularity of crowdfunding. Many companies have websites allowing people to crowdfund their purchase. It is about targeting the right audience and gaining traction from the infant stage of an intended business. South East Asia is now catching up. For instance, Indonesia’s KitaBisa is the local version of America’s KickStarter – a global crowdfunding platform. ToGather.Asia, a similar firm based in Singapore, is gaining traction in terms of project creators and crowd funders. Can crowdfunding breathe new life into Asia’s start-up scene? https://www.spireresearch.com/newsroom/spirethoughts/will-crowd-fundin