Iran’s economy is not entirely coruscating. The government’s subsidy reform programme, international sanctions, and rising political risk all bode ill for the Islamic Republic’s macroeconomic outlook. Nonetheless, my colleagues and I believe that there may still be pockets of growth potential. Indeed, although our 2011 real GDP growth forecast stands at a paltry 1.2%, we… [Read more]

The aphorism that ‘knowledge is power’ has gained currency in the digital economy. Those companies comfortably positioned in the data transport and subsequent value-extraction fields are often considered to be the oil barons of the multimedia age. While data cannot as easily be commoditised as its hydrocarbon counterpart (scarcity is hardly a problem in the… [Read more]

Business social networking service provider LinkedIn saw its business grow in value from less than US$1bn a year ago to more than US$10bn almost overnight on the back of a vastly over-subscribed IPO the other week. LinkedIn, like many other social media services and internet technology companies that have either received investment from private equity… [Read more]

Mobile banking services present a unique growth opportunity for mobile operators in emerging markets, and have already made good progress in bringing financial services to the previously unbanked populations of many developing countries. The GSM Association reckons that there are over 60 million people worldwide accessing financial services, and this number is set to keep… [Read more]

My colleagues at BMI’s Telecoms Team are watching the recent launch of Apple’s iPad with great interest, as the product – part of the new ‘third category’ of devices according to Steve Jobs – has generated the usual enthusiasm surrounding any new Apple gadget. Interest this time round is focused on whether or not there… [Read more]