The Knowledge to Decide

On January 3, 2019, China became the first nation to land a probe on the far side of the moon. A rover was released to perform experiments in the Von Karman Crater, located in the South Pole-Aitken Basin. With the assistance of 3D printing technology, lunar facilities might be constructed there. Can permanent research bases for human beings be built on the moon? Read more :  https://www.spireresearch.com/newsroom/spirethoughts/will-3d-printing-enable-the-construction-of-permanent-facilities-on-the-moon/

Spire was honored to participate at the GATES Consumer Channel Summit, Southeast Asia, 2019. The Summit was held on 20-22 March, in Bangkok. Hafidz Omar, Thailand Country Manager at Spire Research and Consulting, shared his insights on key trends in consumer tech and challenges encountered in ASEAN. Omar discussed how the IOT (Internet of Things) is impacting the retail industry in ASEAN countries. He also discussed the growth opportunities in geofencing, mobile payment and retail operations, to name a few recent innovations in retail technology. With the expansion of Geofencing technology (defined by GPS or RFID technology) , in the next five years retailers will be able to customize merchandise and promotions according to the customer profile. Online payment is still a challenge for e-commerce retailers in Asia-Pacific as most customers prefer cash on delivery and 73 per cent of the Southeast Asia’s population do not own a bank account. However mobile payment may be a s

According to a survey conducted by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), USD1 billion in annual GDP and 155,000 jobs will be created if 12 important African nations increased their air connectivity. By 2035, with the right policy changes, an extra 192 million passengers a year will be travelling to and from African destinations, up from roughly 100 million now. Will policy changes spark an aviation boom in Africa? Read more :  https://www.spireresearch.com/newsroom/spirethoughts/will-africa-become-the-latest-global-aviation-hot-spot/

Spire Singapore hosted its first Client Entertainment Night of the year. Clients, business associates and partners joined the Spire team for the dinner reception followed by the movie screening of “Captain Marvel”- the much awaited movie from the Marvel Cinematic Universe franchise. The movie’s main plot revolves around how Carol Danvers, a former U.S. Air Force pilot, becomes one of the heroes of the galaxy. And how she also joins Starforce, an elite Kree military team that is caught in the middle of a conflict between two alien worlds. The highly anticipated Marvel adventure, piquant food and even better company made for a great evening enjoyed by all. Read more :  https://www.spireresearch.com/newsroom/events/spire-client-entertainment-night-march-2019/

Boeing’s autonomous passenger air vehicle, propelled by electricity, had its first test-drive in January 2019. By 2040, aerospace technology for cars could be a USD3 trillion industry. In 2017, Boeing acquired Aurora Flight Sciences, which was developing a new flying taxi with Uber Technologies Inc. Boeing Next, Boeing’s urban air mobility arm, enlisted Aurora to design and develop a prototype of an air taxi. Commercial air taxi services may start in Dallas-Fort Worth and Los Angeles as early as 2023. Will aerospace technology redefine how we drive vehicles? Get more insights :  https://www.spireresearch.com/newsroom/spirethoughts/will-air-taxis-become-the-latest-urban-transport-innovation/

On 19 February, Spire and Yamada Consulting Group (YCG) jointly organized a breakfast seminar in Singapore, to share insights on “Changes in the Singapore Economy and opportunities in ASEAN”. The speakers were Leon Perera, Chief Executive Officer of Spire Research and Consulting, Eleanor L. Roque, Tax Advisory & Compliance of Grant Thornton and Japnit Singh, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Spire Research and Consulting. The speakers discussed the opportunities available for Singapore-based companies in the region, specifically in the Philippines, in light of the recently released Singapore Budget. 2018 ended on a strong note for the Philippines, with Q4 2018’s average Purchasing Manager’s Index posting the strongest quarterly result of the year. By 2020, only 5 per cent of the Philippines labor force would be over 65 years of age, making the Philippines’ population one of the youngest in Asia. With a 96 per cent literacy rate, the vast bulk of the population h

Madagascar’s BPO sector serving the Francophone world has flourished in the last 15 years, thanks to e-commerce and Artificial Intelligence. French language skills combined with high speed internet availability as well as good quality and low cost human resources has attracted investors. Madagascar’s BPO sector has help boost the rising middle class in a society where 75 per cent of the people still live on less than USD2 a day. Will Madagascar’s Francophone BPO industry help sustain economic growth? Get more insights:  https://www.spireresearch.com/newsroom/spirethoughts/the-francophone-bpo-sector-is-lifting-madagascars-economic-growth/

As the world adopts digitization in every sphere of life, is cyber-security the biggest risk frontier facing world economies? Leon Perera, Chief Executive Officer of Spire Research and Consulting, shared his insights in Business Times – Singapore. World economies are ready to adopt technological advancements but the downside is a possible cyberattack on IT systems across any country. These could cripple governmental, financial, healthcare and other systems. A cyberattack could come from state or non-state actors – terrorists, hostile foreign powers or criminal syndicates. A determined and massive cyber-attack could paralyze B2B and B2C online transactions. In such a scenario,  industries depending on online transactions for sales or supply chain activity could be severely hit. Read more : https://www.spireresearch.com/newsroom/media/what-is-the-biggest-risk-event-in-2019/

In the World University Rankings list, 21 out of the top 100 universities are based in Asia with Japan and China as the top contributors. Graduates from Asian universities have also risen in employability according to the QS Graduate Employability Rankings 2019. 60% of the world’s population is in Asia but only 21% of the top 100 ranked universities are Asian. However, Asian universities are making investments and forging partnerships to keep up. Will Asian universities become the Oxfords of tomorrow? Read more : https://www.spireresearch.com/newsroom/spirethoughts/do-asian-universities-have-room-to-rise-in-the-global-tertiary-education-ranks/

By 2035, India’s oil consumption will double from 7 Billion Barrels per day. Other nations are shifting towards alternative energy sources. India will contribute a third of the global growth in oil consumption in the next 15 years, and is set to replace China as the largest driver of oil demand growth. The country is becoming one of the largest oil consumers and is also home to some of the most polluted cities. Can disruptive renewable technologies break India’s dependence on oil? Read more :  https://www.spireresearch.com/newsroom/spirethoughts/can-india-sustain-its-dependence-on-oil/