On my way to become an e-resident of Estonia. Why?

eresidentcyI have been a citizen of the Digital Planet for quite a while now – and now I applied to become a resident of the Digital Nation Estonia. Why? Most importantly, because this needs support. And then, because I believe this can be made good use of.

Read some experience from one of the first e-residents of Estonia here. Maybe something to consider for you, too?

 

Whitepaper: How banks can boost their performance with AI

ICT Luxembourgictlux has released a Whitepaper on AI in Banking, which is leading the way in my opinion – giving food for thought and also paints a picture that we probably all (can) share in one way or another. I strongly recommend the read. It has been a collaborative effort of many parties and surely they are aiming at showing the attractiveness of Luxembourg, but I believe this is much broader. You can download the paper here.

Cash or no cash? Sweden is facing some difficulties with this discussion. Or rather the facts.

bloombergFor some time the Nordic countries, specifically Sweden, have been known for being the first who want to scrap cash altogether at some point in the not so distant future. Perhaps they have gone too far? At least that is what Bloomberg reports – because there seem to be increasing challenges connected with it. After all, it is not so easy to replace a full blown eco-system with another one. Read the full report, which I find most worth reading, right here.

The Future of Payments: Which Game Changing Technologies Will Affect the Retail Industry

payments journalWhile our industry – like any other – is facing massive disruption (or re-invention rather in most cases), some changes could lead to a dramatic shift in how things are being done. From a Consumer perspective mostly. The Payments Journal has written a summary and analysis of what is coming up, or better may be coming up, and identifies autonomous cars, augmented reality and AI so mention some. The underlying technologies being available, some being the same as for mobile payments – just that it does not happen on a phone. I find this a piece much worth reading. Find the whole article here. 

„Digital Marketplaces Unleashed“ – a book worth reading.

dmu-coverIt´s been my pleasure to contribute a chapter to the new book „Digital Marketplaces Unleashed“, which is published by Springer on October 13th, with my dear co-author Björn Matthies.

This collection of different views on how digitalization is influencing various industrial sectors addresses essential topics like big data and analytics, fintech and insuretech, cloud and mobility technologies, disruption and entrepreneurship.

The technological advances of the 21st century have been massively impacted by the digital upheaval: there is no future without digitalization. The sale of products and services has left the classical point of sale and now takes place on a variety of channels. Whether in the automotive industry, travel and traffic, in cities, or the financial industry – newly designed ecosystems are being created everywhere; data is being generated and analyzed in real time; and companies are competing for mobile access channels to customers in order to gain knowledge about their individual contexts and preferences. In turn, customers can now publicly share their opinions, experiences and knowledge as User Generated Content, allowing them to impact the market and empowering them to build or destroy trust.