Skip to main content

The advent of the internet in Cuba kick starts online start-ups

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?

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The European Union-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) is set to open doors for Vietnamese exporters

On 30 June, 2019, the European Union signed its first free trade deal with a developing Asian country – Vietnam, one of the fastest growing economies in Southeast Asia. The EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) would reduce 99% of tariffs on goods and services traded between European and Vietnamese markets. WVietnam’s exports to the EU were valued at 50 billion euros in 2018. This figure is expected to increase by 40% by 2025 under EVFTA. Between the years 2024 – 2028, the agreement would boost Vietnam’s gross domestic product by 5 to 6% annually. Will the EVFTA herald a closer economic relationship between Vietnam and Europe? For more information :  https://www.spireresearch.com/newsroom/spirethoughts/the-european-union-vietnam-free-trade-agreement-evfta-is-set-to-open-doors-for-vietnamese-exporters/
Post a Comment
Read more

Side Click: Are you under the surveillance camera?

Identifying VIPs with strong purchasing power is crucial to retail success. More often than not, retail staff fail to do this in time. Facial recognition technology can help prevent this. But does it put our privacy at risk? With high-spending customers making out-sized contributions to retail profitability, it is increasingly crucial for retailers to provide personalized customer service the minute a VIP customer sets foot in the store. For instance, Katie Holmes reportedly spent USD100,000 on a fashion makeover and USD14,200 on lingerie alone in 2012! This is where identification technology can play a role. NEC, a Japan-based ICT vendor, has developed an identification application based on a facial recognition system – comparing the individual’s facial features against its database, and sending prompts when a match is identified. The initial purpose of the application was to help identify terrorists and criminals , but it was subsequently adapted to the retail setting....
Post a Comment
Read more

Android market in India

- Saurabh Sharma, Country Manager, Spire Research and Consulting   India can easily be considered as an Android country since 91% of its market share belongs to devices using Google’s mobile operating system. It is an open-source, Linux-based operating system designed specifically for smartphones and computer tablets. This facilitates easy accessibility for programmers to provide enhanced services as well as improve the core functionality of the device. According to statistics, the Android platform has breached 80% market share globally in the third quarter of 2013. With 40 million smartphones in the country, Indian users have an easy access to smartphones to stay connected online. With more consumers wanting to get their hands on smartphones and computer tablets, this has unsurprisingly pushed for the dominance of Androids across markets. Moreover, Androids is adopted by all major smartphone players in India – local players such as Karbonn and Micromax, as we...
Post a Comment
Read more
Confidence key to Singapore’s success Can Singapore cultivate a culture of confidence as it turns 53? Leon Perera, CEO of Spire Research and Consulting shared his insights in The Business Times – Views from the Top section on 6 August 2018 on Singapore’s future. As Singapore ushers in another year of independence, more confidence needs to be instilled. Intelligent risk-taking will be key to the next phase of Singapore’s development. Perera highlighted that familiarity with past successes should not inhibit fresh, innovative thinking and experimentation with new strategies. Therefore, it is crucial for leaders to inspire trust and also for Singaporeans to cultivate greater trust in one another to be good citizens, thus engendering the social capital necessary for national success. The text of Perera’s comments are provided below. A comprehensive Korean peace treaty and denuclearization agreement are worthwhile goals to pursue. But it is unlikely that the North ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Game markets: Asia and China

In recent years, the Asia Pacific gaming industry has attracted the attention of investors, developers and analysts. Within Asia, Japan, South Korea and China are the leading markets. The Asia Pacific remains the largest games market and is expected to reach USD71.4 billion in revenue, with a spectacular 39 per cent growth in 2018. By 2021, domestic market revenue in China is poised to increase from USD27 billion to USD35 billion. Asia’s gaming market is being transformed by Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) technology as well as gaming on social media platforms. Above all, Esports looks set to transform the industry. These were the findings from a study conducted by Spire Research and Consulting in Q3 2018. Gaming market in Asia Pacific (APAC) The Asia-Pacific region has been leading the global electronic game market. In 2017, total revenue from the gaming market reached USD51.2 billion, almost twice the revenue of the second-ranked North American region. ...
Post a Comment
Read more