The Knowledge to Decide

Introducing phosphorous back in African soil is important as it helps plants in early life to build root systems. 80 per cent of phosphate reserves are controlled by five countries. Morocco has 75 per cent of the global reserves. After an 800 per cent price hike in 2008, phosphate rock has become costly. An alternative option is compost. Compost not only provides phosphorous and other nutrients but can also restore the soil structure by adding organic matter. Compared to mineral fertilizers, compost is much more accessible and economic. Will cost-effective compost rejuvenate African agriculture? Read more :  https://www.spireresearch.com/newsroom/spirethoughts/will-compost-turn-out-to-be-the-magic-mineral-for-african-agriculture/

What will be the impact of Indonesia’s recent Presidential and legislative elections on its growing economy? Leon Perera, Chief Executive Officer of Spire Research and Consulting, shared his insights in Business Times – Singapore. Mr. Joko’s likely victory in the Presidential elections of Indonesia would mean improved competitiveness through continued economic reforms. He would probably continue working on attracting direct foreign investment, build infrastructure, continue civil service reform, promote special economic zones and for locally sourced commodities to nurture value added processing. Mr. Joko’s second term would also be beneficial for Indonesia’s ICT startup sector. However the pace of the economic reforms may be slow, owing to the signs that the new legislature may possibly enhance the weight of social conservatives in politics. Read more :  https://www.spireresearch.com/newsroom/media/will-indonesias-new-government-be-favorable-for-economic-growth/

O n 25th April, Spire, Yamada Consulting Group (YCG) and SPEEDA jointly organized a breakfast seminar in Singapore to share insights about the political risks that businesses face in ASEAN in a year of multiple elections. The panelists were Leon Perera, Chief Executive Officer of Spire Research and Consulting, MS. Khor YU Leng, Research Director, Southeast Asia Segi Enam Advisors Pte. Ltd and Mr. Takashi Kawabata, Lead Asia Economist, Uzabase Asia Pacific, Pte. Ltd. The speakers discussed the political risks associated with the General elections in Singapore and the combined Presidential and Legislative elections in Indonesia, as well as Malaysia one year on following the dramatic election of 2018. The General elections in Singapore will be held at the latest by March 2021. In a planned to step down, the Prime Minister would hand over the reins of power to a next generation Prime Minister, an event that in Singapore’s post-war history has happened only twice, once in 1991

In 2017, 26 megacities were in emerging economies, compared to 7 in developed economies. There are likely to be 48 megacities with populations above 10 million by 2035. By 2020, Greater Jakarta is predicted to be home to 36 million people, making it the biggest megacity of all. War torn Baghdad, with a population of 10 million, may soon join the ranks of the world’s megacities. African cities Dar es Salam and Luanda are predicted to become megacities by 2030. With larger populations to attract investment and nurture productivity growth through network effects, megacities in developing countries will likely see rising incomes. Will emerging economies drive all urban growth in future? Read more :  https://www.spireresearch.com/newsroom/spirethoughts/will-emerging-countries-dominate-the-pool-of-global-megacities-in-future/

One billion people, or 15 per cent of the world’s population, are people with disabilities. The employment rate of working age Americans with disabilities in 2016 was 36 per cent, versus 79 per cent for those without disabilities. Tech giants are in favor of employing people with autism because of their ability to focus on details and identify patterns useful for cyber-security. Will the tech sector create new employment opportunities for persons with disabilities? Read more :  https://www.spireresearch.com/newsroom/spirethoughts/will-the-tech-sector-create-new-employment-opportunities-for-persons-with-disabilities/

Spire was honored to participate at the 26th International Franchise and Exhibition , Malaysia, 2019. The event was held on 6th April in Kuala Lumpur. Jeffrey Bahar, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Spire Research and Consulting group, shared insights on key trends in franchise industries in the Asia. Bahar discussed key trends in three sectors suitable for franchising, namely pre-school education, facilities management and laundry services. Global cleaning services are expected to reach USD74 billion at 6 per cent CAGR (compound annual growth rate), accounting for 5 per cent of the global facilities management market by 2022. With urbanization, construction and smart cities as some of the growth drivers and by using robotics, IoT(Internet of things) and analytics, cleaning services would see improved performance. In 2015, USD260 billion was spent on private education in the Asia- Pacific, with Singapore being the highest spender in the region at USD700 million. A

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/