The Economist Intelligence Unit: Digital Economy

The payments ecosystem has witnessed a blossoming of digital innovation in recent times, from the back-end infrastructure to the point of sale. Now, ‘big tech’ is entering the fray. This episode examines the potential impact of the digitisation of payments, with reference to the UK, where many payments innovations have been adopted sooner than most. Host Pete Swabey is joined by Adrian Buckle, head of research for trade association UK Finance; Steve Everett, managing director of payments for global transaction banking at Lloyds Banking Group; and Fiona Roach Canning, co-founder of UK-based fintech Pollinate. Sponsored by DXC Technology.

As cloud computing, network connectivity, and commodity hardware have reduced barriers to the technical infrastructure of the digital economy, talent and skills have emerged as the most sought after fuel for innovation. But work such as software development or data science can in theory be delivered from anywhere, geography still seems to influence the market for digital skills, with hubs such as Silicon Valley acting as beacons for talent. On this month’s episode, we discuss the dynamics of digital skills, exploring how digitisation itself is shaping their supply and demand. Host Pete Swabey is joined by Joysy John, director of education at UK innovation foundation Nesta, and Chris Johnson, CEO and co-founder of talent acquisition platform Uncubed. Sponsored by DXC Technology.

There can be few applications of digital technology more worthwhile than saving lives, but integrating digital technology into healthcare systems is uniquely complex. This episode provides an introduction to some of the challenges that healthcare providers face in their pursuit of digital innovation, and explores some of the paths forward. Host Pete Swabey is joined by Professor Ann Blandford, deputy director for digital health at the UCL Institute of Healthcare Engineering; by Jackie Hunter, chief executive, clinical programmes & strategic relationships at AI-powered drug development firm Benevolent.AI; and by Elizabeth Sukkar, managing editor and global editorial lead for healthcare at The EIU. Sponsored by DXC Technology.

Nothing spreads faster and further on the internet than ideas. This month’s episode examines the global spread of culture, and in particular youth culture, and its implications for international businesses and society at large. Host Pete Swabey is joined by Kathy Sheehan, SVP and trends maven at marketing research company Cassandra, Ravi Govada, head of global market research at hospitality start-up Selina, and Peter Chonka, lecturer in global digital cultures at King’s College London. Sponsored by DXC Technology.

This month, we examine the impact of digitisation on trade. We explore how digital technology is affecting the way goods are shipped around the world, the impact of e-commerce on global trade, and the role of digitisation in the growth of trade in services. Host Pete Swabey is joined by Martin Holme, global head of supply chain management and e-commerce logistics at shipping giant Maersk, Jenna Brown, CEO and co-founder of supply chain data management start-up Shipamax, and by Christopher Clague, managing editor and global editorial lead for trade and globalisation at The EIU. Sponsored by DXC Technology.

In this episode, we investigate the microeconomics of the internet of things (IoT) to discover how businesses large and small can make connected products work commercially. Host Pete Swabey is joined from Hong Kong by Serena Pau, head of product development at energy provider CLP’s innovation hub; by Anvil Ng, senior manager for acceleration programmes at Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks; and by Florian Simmendinger, founder and CEO of music tech start-up SoundBrenner.