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Positive news is emerging from various sources, suggesting the global economy might be turning a corner, though substantial risks remain. Central banks face a challenging balancing act between managing inflation and promoting growth, which led to divergent actions this month. Several banks cut rates to boost the economy in September, while others tightened policy to tame inflation. Although headline inflation is approaching central banks’ targets, core inflation remains elevated. The…

The tantalizing vision for global payments has long been that they’d be safe, simple, quick, inexpensive, and ubiquitous. This promise has come closer with each new technological advance. However, instant payments have ushered in the Decoupled Era, a term coined in last year’s Global Payments Report. In this environment, payments are becoming disconnected from accounts, and the number of players is proliferating, fragmenting the value chain, increasing complexity, and endangering…

Over the past decade, the telecom industry has faced one daunting challenge after another. Telcos have endured relentless competitive pressure from fast-moving technology companies that entered their core sectors of communications, connectivity, and data transport. In the hopes of igniting revenue growth, telcos have sought to reinvent themselves. They have created new tech-driven product offerings—from the Internet of Things (IoT) and software as a service (SaaS) to over-the-top (OTT) video…

This transcript has been lightly edited for clarity.What is shifting in tech-enabling operational transformations? This is clearly the age of AI. With the rapid advances in generative AI, it has become very easy to consume AI, and therefore companies are making significant investments over the last few years in the cloud infrastructure across various gen AI technologies, as well as machine learning investments. And there’s an increasing difference between leaders,…

This transcript has been lightly edited for clarity.What is causing so many consumer product leaders to rethink their products and portfolios? Jan Henrich: Renovating and innovating the existing portfolio has never been more important than it is these days. First, consumer discretionary spending is tightening. Second, passing on inflation costs to the consumer is getting more difficult. And last, it is very hard to get a portfolio right the first…

Farmers worldwide are navigating challenges such as increased input prices, extreme weather events, and commodity price volatility. Given the current macroeconomic environment, the priority for farmers today is improving productivity, whether through agriculture technologies (agtech) for improving operations, biological products, or sustainable practices. This report offers insights for organizations collaborating with growers, outlining strategies that could deliver more-personalized products and services to boost productivity and seize emerging opportunities. Since 2018,…