This article is featured in Special Feature: Nurturing Tomorrow's Innovators

This article is featured in Special Feature: Nurturing Tomorrow's Innovators

In an age where cash is increasingly being replaced by digital payment, central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) are emerging as a new frontier in the evolution of money. CBDCs are digital versions of a country’s national currency issued by its central bank. They utilise the convenience of digital technologies but also face challenges such as the impact on monetary policy and market competition.

Virtual Reality, a computer-generated simulation of physical environments, is not an idea out of a science fiction film, but a current reality we are living in. With the prevalence of devices like the Samsung Gear VR and the Oculus Rift, VR experiences have become widely accessible through smart devices and video game consoles. Different industries have begun exploring the use of VR technology in their fields.

Sejak diluncurkan pada November 2020, ChatGPT telah menjadi topik perbincangan hangat di kalangan teknologi, media berita, dan masyarakat umum. Bentuk baru dari teknologi chatbot AI ini telah membuka pintu untuk berbagai kemungkinan baik untuk para individu maupun bisnis-bisnis, namun turut menimbulkan persoalan etika dan memicu kontroversi di seluruh dunia.

From telemedicine booming through the COVID-19 era, the rise in wearable devices to the latest advances in artificial intelligence and big data analytics: digital applications have the potential to unlock immense opportunities for public and private organisations in the realm of healthcare. And startups are well placed to take advantage of such nascent technologies and opportunities.

Innovation is the key to sustained economic prosperity. Beyond the production of greater output and higher productivity levels, innovation can also lead to a higher quality of living (through wage increase, and job satisfaction levels) as well as social benefits such as inclusion.  However, the journey towards innovation-based growth is not an easy one and countries today are facing the extra hurdle of overcoming the challenges caused by the global pandemic, rising inflation rates and climate change.  
 

In 2018, Starbucks was the undisputed leader among China’s coffeehouse chains, with more than 70 percent in market share and 3,600 cafés. The brand’s success was rooted in its core proposition of providing consumers a ‘third place’ (also called di san kong jian in Mandarin)—an escape from both home and the workplace—to relax and indulge themselves. Starbucks had entered China in 1999, and the country (and Asia Pacific overall) was the company’s fastest growing market.