Africa has always seemed to be lagging behind the rest of the world since the colonial era and not many paid attention to African economies until recently when there was a demographic shift and the continent boasted the youngest continental population. Africa is the continent that will skip the brick and mortar development and advanced…
(Xi Jinping holding Imran Khan, the Pakistani Prime Minister) Pakistan is not a country known for it financial stability. Since 1988, the nation has been the subject of 12 IMF bailouts totalling $19 billion and is currently in the process of trying to secure another IMF emergency package of up to $12 billion. Increased…
Providing all of the world’s children with a quality primary, secondary and higher education is no small task. With limited teaching resources, educating the youth is particularly big problem in the developing world. Progress has been made, and as the fourth UN sustainability goal, education does receive a lot of attention, however there is still…
The latter stages of 2018 and start of 2019 has proved challenging for Huawei, the Chinese telecommunications giant and one of Beijing’s “national champion” tech firms. On December 1, Canadian authorities in Vancouver arrested the company’s chief financial officer, Meng Wanzhou, at the behest of the United States. On January 11, news broke that Polish…
Chinese Imperialism – the Belt and Road initiative The ‘BRI’ has generated a lot of hype – some have dubbed it a Chinese Marshall Plan, a state-backed campaign for global dominance, a stimulus package for a slowing economy, and a massive marketing campaign for something that was already happening – Chinese investment around the world.…
The Legal Cannabis market is expected to grow to grow 230% to $32 billion in 2022 as compared to $9.5 in 2017, according to ArcView Market Research and BDS Analytics. Whilst majority of that growth is being spurred by developed markets, such as the United States and Canada. This global growth presents an interesting…
As global warming looms around the corner, there is an urgent need to reduce worldwide greenhouse gas emissions. As one of the largest contributors, the global energy sector needs to shift to more environmentally efficient production in order for the goals in the Paris climate accord to be upheld. Solar, wind, hydro and wave…
When the public internet first became readily available in western countries, one of its first and most popular uses was online communication. Early messaging clients like AOL and MSN Messenger lead the way for MySpace and in turn to the our current platforms. The modern day social media giants like Facebook and Youtube have seen…
Over the course of the last few years there has been an increase in the number of natural disasters wreaking havoc for people all across the world. Both economical and social costs resulting from the damages caused by these events have been rising rapidly, which begs the question what they will amount to in the…
Watch our exciting short interview with Professor Erik Berglof, the inaugural Director of the Institute of Global Affairs (IGA) at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE).
When choosing a product in a grocery store the consumer is faced with vast amounts of information. What does this product cost, which brand is it from, is there any special deal on the product I am looking for, and so on. While many people opt for the cheapest product or one of a brand…
The annual Future Investment Initiative conference, dubbed ‘Davos in the desert’, was meant to be a glowing example of Saudi Arabia’s growing importance in the world. But this year, it was overshadowed by the Khashoggi killing, the region’s worst diplomatic crisis since 9/11. This prompted drop-outs from guests such as Jamie Dimon, CEO of JP…
This article has been co-written by Michael Soon, Founder and Chairman of the LSE Emerging Markets Forum, and Robert Verworn, Director of the 2017 Speakers Team. Michael and Robert (‘Bob’) were recently on a business trip to Harare and Bulawayo, alongside a day excursion to Botswana and a two-day trip to Lusaka for Bob.…
This week, we received the shocking news of the passing of Thai businessman, Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha – the owner of King Power and Leicester City Football Club – after his helicopter crashed just outside the King Power Stadium after a game between Leicester City and West Ham United. Mr Srivaddhanaprabha was one of many businessmen from…
Introduction The rise of the internet and low cost global communication have revolutionized businesses and societies across the world. From increasing agricultural efficiency to making buyers and sellers more informed about market situations- there is much to gain from increased connectivity. Recently, the areas in which internet access has grown the most have been in…
The title of ‘China’s most Valuable Company’ was robbed from Tencent earlier this year, due its free-falling share price, which since January has fallen 40%. With a market capitalisation of $353 Billion, shedding $200 Billion from last year – the conglomerate has also lost its space in the being the world’s 10 biggest companies, with…
LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE (LVHM), the world’s largest luxury retailer, owner of Louis Vuitton, recently experienced an 11% decline in Q2 to Q3 results, sending its share price down by 7%. This was a trend seen across the sector, as competitor Kering, owner of Gucci, saw its shares fall by 10%. These bearish…
Emerging markets have been a driving force in the global economic cycle over the past two decades, fuelled by their strong domestic growth and demographic dividends. Economic openness is an important determinant of growth, job creation and poverty reduction. Economic openness consists of three major aspects: global trade, investments and the free movement of people.…
University of Arizona students work in the University of Arizona’s Controlled Environment Agriculture Center vertical farming facility for research, education and outreach. (Photo courtesy of Austin Smith) Introduction A 2017 UN study suggests that the world population will increase by approximately 86 million per year over the coming decade, leading to rapidly rising populations, especially…
There has been extensive discussion about how blockchain technology has lots of potential to open up new landscapes for businesses and society in general. Here we will examine the ways in which this ground-breaking innovation could benefit emerging markets, with a particular focus on the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), representing the post-Soviet sphere. We believe…
Cape Town is currently facing the largest water crisis in its modern history. Referred to as Day Zero, the city is rapidly approaching a complete shutdown of municipal water. As government officials estimate taps to run dry by early July 2018, efforts are underway to avert the crisis. Water consumption was initially limited to 87…
The threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), largely considered a distant and abstract risk, has recently come to the attention of policymakers and the business community alike. As outlined below, if we continue to ignore the threat of AMR, this will entail serious human and economic costs, which will particularly be felt in emerging economies. Moreover,…
Emerging markets are a hotbed for e-commerce, with unique opportunities and challenges across regions. E-Commerce is has been growing exponentially in emerging markets, at a rate that may soon surpass developed countries in 2018. According to a report by Credit Suisse, “total annual sales across… Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa…
The art markets of emerging economies have undergone a rapid expansion in the past three decades, bringing some of them into the same league as the more established art markets of the West. Nevertheless, there is still considerable variation between the art markets of emerging and high-income countries, as well as between the art markets…
The origins of the One Belt One Road (OBOR) initiative, or Belt and Road, can be found in China’s imperial history when China first established the Silk Road – a trade route that linked China and the West, named after one of China’s most important export. For centuries, the Silk Road was key in shaping…
When one learns about monetary policy, the hyperinflation of Germany in the 1920s is always used as a standard case study for all students to understand the importance of controlling money growth, and what happens when inflation is let loose in an economy. Due to caution events, such as this, policymakers are taught, especially in…
Indonesia has had a great 2017 with a well-performing economy. Inflation, albeit under the target of six percent, is stable at just over five. Standard&Poor has upgraded Indonesia’s government bonds to investment grade in May, the last major rating agencies to do so. Indonesia’s major commodities, crude oil, coal, and gas has increased by 44,…
Private equity (PE) activity in India has reached a record high in 2017, with US$24.7 billion being deployed across 639 deals. An improving macroeconomic environment, coupled with greater regulatory certainty, has led to PE funds becoming more aggressive in their investments. The average deal size surged to US$42.8 billion, representing a 50 percent year-on-year increase.…
In recent years, the notion that emerging markets should seek to emulate the practices of high-income countries has been slowly discredited and nowhere does this ring truer than when it comes to the developed world’s approach to mental health. While we may concede that there have been a few exceptions (Google’s ‘massage credits’ and Apple’s…
Since the win of Anies Baswedan and Sandiaga Uno in the Jakarta election of 2017, many Indonesians are beginning to be concerned that the populist movement, combined with a strengthened grip of Muslim traditionalists in politics, and an increasing number of ex-army generals taking part in the upcoming regional elections in July 2018, [1] will…
Traditionally, Latin America has been perceived as an attractive destination for investment, supported by a growing middle-class population, low labour costs, and an abundance of natural resources. Despite these opportunities for growth, the region has been plagued with economic sluggishness and fears of populist nationalism resurging. Between 2000 and 2015, Latin American economies have…
When Satoshi Nakamoto invented Bitcoin, his vision was that Bitcoin’s growth could be unfettered by central bank and government oversight as well as the effects of inflation. Cryptocurrencies do not rely on central banks as they are traded digitally and can be transferred globally, allowing traders to avoid currency controls. [1] Nakamoto would be pleased,…
Advancements in science and technology are pivotal to Africa’s growth trajectory in order to generate significant economic and human capital. In a time of great change such as now, the timeline of future technology largely promising and “the science community believes STEM (Science Technology Engineering Mathematics) is the greatest value to man”. Yet as the…
Over the past months, eastern and southern African countries have been hit by some of the most severe droughts in recorded history. With estimates of over 11 million people effected in Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia alone, the effects of climatic conditions on agricultural productivity are conspicuous. Despite the current magnitude, strong fluctuations in climatic conditions…
In a bid to secure access to long-term energy supplies and other raw materials to sustain industralisation and production, China has turned to Africa. A region traditionally characterised by high political and security risks, Africa has enjoyed relatively unrecognized economic growth at an average of about six percent over the last decade. [1] In comparison…
Last year the crown prince of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Mohammad Bin Salman, announced that Saudi Aramco, the state-owned oil company would launch an Initial Public Offering (IPO) as part of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 plan. The Vision 2030 aims to reduce the Kingdom’s dependence on oil by investing in businesses in the non-oil…
The eve of China’s nineteenth party congress brought promising news for Chinese fintech: Qudian, a new loan and microlending platform for consumer and small business, jumped twenty-two percentage points during its IPO debut on the New York Stock Exchange. [1] The company generated $900 million (USD) in its initial offering, demonstrating that investors see a…
On the 11th of October 2017, The Central Bank of the Philippines announced a massive reduction of foreign equity inflows to the Philippines by 90 percent for the first half of 2017, while net foreign direct investment have dropped 14 percent to US$3.6 billion.[1] This should not come as a surprise to many people in…
After years of flushing the financial system with easy money through multiple quantitative easing programs and low interest rates, the Federal Reserve has finally started to slowly raise interest rates and begin the challenging process of unwinding its massive US$4.5 trillion balance sheet.[1] The U.S. economy has been the centre of focus in this process,…
Venezuelan bonds are riding a high as the PDVSA skirted default in late October. The state-owned oil company’s $3bn bond maturing in April 2017 is trading at a two-year high of 87 cents on the dollar, up from a record low of 36 cents in February. Many bondholders believe that Venezuela is a good short-term…
On August 31st 2016, Dilma Rousseff became the first President of Brazil to be impeached, perhaps the culminating point of the political instability in a country plagued with corruption and cronyism. Only a few months before, in April, Argentina made the headlines by raising $16.5bn in a bond sale, the largest amount for an emerging…
Since the end of the financial crisis, infrastructure construction is booming in Nigeria. Rapid population growth and urbanisation make infrastructure and real estate construction in the country a necessity. The construction industry is now the second largest employer, growing around 9.5% annually over the past years. Construction is a particularly interesting sector for investment as…
The emergence of the revolutionary cloud ICT services in mature markets has transformed the operations of technology providers as well as enterprises. Cloud services that originated in MEDCs – which combine novel content with innovative software and, subsequently, efficient services – are now set to do the same for emerging markets. This transition implies that…
With increased political risk casting a pall over developed economies, continued weakness in the BRICS grouping of emerging markets, and a persistent slump in the value of African commodity exports, Latin America is an increasingly attractive continent for businesses and investors looking for economically robust and politically stable investment targets. However, for Latin America to…
Credit constraints for SMEs particularly in the emerging markets is fast becoming a new norm. SMEs from Poland to Zimbabwe are facing liquidity gaps and remain mostly reliant on bank debt to run their business, ensure cashflow and fund investments. Yet, due to the inherently high risk involved for banks to lend money to SMEs,…
We now find ourselves in a world that is almost unrecognisable from the one we started off with in 2016 and for global investors looking for even an ounce of certainty and security there are fewer options for placing their capital. In this short article I would like to briefly examine where the world stands…
The landslide election of Rodrigo Duterte on May 9th 2016, who garnered almost as much support as his next two rivals combined, has been in great part attributed to his tough stance on curbing criminality, promising to wage a war against criminals. Despite the criticisms of various media outlets on his disregard of extrajudicial killings,…
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