Category Archives: Business

10Jul/22

Battery Swapping: From Two-Wheelers to Trucks, Reports IDTechEx

Transport, , , , , , ,

The conductive fast-charging system as we know it today has drawbacks such as long dwell times, high power demand from the grid, availability and reliability issues, and the need for end-users to deal with heavy cables, dirty connectors, and buggy user interfaces. Battery-swapping is an emerging technology that aims to address all of these shortcomings. Besides easily upgrading battery technology, reducing the purchase price of EVs (by decoupling the cost of the battery from the EV), and massively decreasing charging times, it is also important to note that the battery swapping stations themselves can become independent energy storage facilities with grid-balancing ability. As we electrify the various vehicle segments, can battery swapping be considered a viable recharging strategy for them all? Continue reading

08Jul/22

OPINION: Food crisis promises a global wave of unrest

Economy, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Andrew Firmin is editor-in-chief at CIVICUS, the global civil society alliance, and one of the lead authors of the 2022 State of Civil Society Report.

For the past couple of weeks, mass protests have brought the South American nation of Ecuador to a standstill.
Continue reading →

04Jul/22

Formula for peak performance and staying power of family businesses revealed: Global report

Economy, , , , , , , ,

Successful family businesses have common characteristics that drive their performance and continuity from one generation to the next, finds a new global report by KPMG Enterprise and the STEP Project Global Consortium. According to the report, three key characteristics help to sustain their success: a strong entrepreneurial orientation across the generations; family connection and attachment to the business; and ambitious next-generation leadership. Continue reading

03Jul/22

Winston & Strawn Offers Travel Reimbursement for Out-of-State Abortion Services

Legal, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Winston & Strawn LLP announced that the Firm will reimburse travel expenses for personnel who have to travel out-of-state to obtain an abortion.

The Firm initiated this policy following the recent Supreme Court decision that overturned Roe v. Wade. As a result of that decision, the right to an abortion is now determined under state law. Continue reading

01Jul/22

GoCardless to acquire open banking platform Nordigen, combining broad open banking connectivity with bank payment expertise

Finance, , , , ,

GoCardless, the global leader in direct bank payments, has announced its plans to acquire Nordigen, the freemium open banking data provider, as it builds on its vision to become the world’s bank payment network. GoCardless will incorporate Nordigen’s next-generation open banking connectivity — offering the widest coverage in Europe, connecting to more than 2,300 banks in 31 countries — into its account-to-account network. Continue reading

28Jun/22

Over half of social housing residents have turned to credit or buy-now-pay-later services for essential expenses, survey reveals

Economy, ,

Over half (53%) of social housing residents surveyed say they have used credit or a buy-now-pay-later service to cover an essential household cost such as a food shop or a bill in the last 12 months, according to the latest output from the Resident Voice Index™ (RVI) initiative. The survey of over 5,200 social housing residents on the impact of the cost of living crisis also reveals that nearly seven in 10 respondents (68%) worry all or most of the time about meeting normal monthly living expenses. Continue reading

27Jun/22

Alibaba.com Report finds MSMEs to be the “Backbone of the Post-Pandemic Economy”

Economy, , , ,

To commemorate MSME Day 2022 on June 27, Alibaba.com and AliResearch Institute, Alibaba Group’s research arm, published the report “Challenges, Responses, and Transformation of MSMEs in the Post-Pandemic Era”. The report takes a multi-focal look at how Micro- Small- and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs) fared through the pandemic to provide a better understanding of what action businesses took in order to survive, revealing key findings that include: Continue reading

27Jun/22

IWMF Announces 2022 Courage in Journalism Award Winners

Media, , , , , , , , , ,

The International Women’s Media Foundation (IWMF) today announced the recipients of its 32nd annual Courage in Journalism Awards, which honor women journalists who show remarkable persistence and bravery within news media. This year’s honorees are Lynsey Addario, a veteran United States photojournalist currently working with The New York Times; Victoria Roshchyna, a Ukrainian freelance journalist; and, Cerise Castle, a United States investigative journalist. Imprisoned Chinese columnist Xueqin (Sophia) Huang was awarded the Wallis Annenberg Justice for Women Journalists Award, which is given annually to a journalist who is unjustly jailed, detained, or imprisoned. Continue reading