Softbank may invest in Jio as Mukesh Ambani deleverages business

NEW DELHI: Japan’s Softbank is reportedly looking to make a $2-3 billion investment in India’s fastest-growing telecom firm Reliance Jio as billionaire Mukesh Ambani looks to deleverage business by selling stakes. This comes on the back of reports of Saudi giant Aramco in discussions to buy a 25% stake in Reliance Industries’ refining and petrochemical business for $10-15 billion. “Softbank has long been seen as a potential investor in Jio,” JPMorgan said in a research report.”For the past 2 years, our conversations with investors have highlighted expectations of Softbank investing in Jio and hence…

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These South African jobs will disappear as technology takes over

The National Economic Development and Labour Council (Nedlac) has released a new report looking at how the fourth industrial revolution is set to hit jobs in the country. Overall, respondents were of the opinion that automation, globalisation and demographic change could have a significant impact on their industries, causing some jobs and activities to disappear, while creating opportunities for new jobs and activities to emerge. “The speed and depth of technology adoption drives business growth, new job creation and the need for augmentation of existing jobs, provided it can fully leverage the…

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Why you should rebuild your business as often as possible

Over the course of my company’s 15 year trajectory, we’ve never stopped rebuilding it. Rebuilding isn’t an option; it’s the only way forward. It’s how we adapt to market conditions, client requirements, and employee needs. A rebuilding mentality drives forward-thinking practices and ultimately ensures that we stay not just relevant but ahead of the curve. After years of focusing on a rebuilding strategy, I’ve distilled the approach into the following five rules: 1. Don’t give in to routine Businesses are born everyday. Everyday someone with a fresh idea or a…

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Subdued animal spirit: Private investment slumbers as uncertainties fester

Gross fixed capital formation (GFCF) grew strongly at 8.3% and 9.3% in FY17 and FY18 respectively, and is projected to accelerate at 12.2% in FY19. The recent GDP revisions for 2016-17 and 2017-18 would have surprised even an ardent supporter/admirer of the Central Statistical Office (CSO). Unwittingly though, it has made the lives of doubters like this author a lot easier! For, those who repeatedly pointed to the dissonance between these GDP estimates and other lead indicators can now assert with reasonable certainty that the Indian economy has two parallel…

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Pro-Russia Social Media Takes Aim at Macron as Yellow Vests Rage

Emmanuel Macron successfully dodged cyberattacks and fake news reports that were widely blamed on a Kremlin effort to destabilize his 2017 presidential campaign. Now, with France convulsed by violent protests, the Russians appear to be back – and may be hitting closer to their mark. Among 600 Twitter accounts known to promote Kremlin views, the top hashtag now is #giletsjaunes, the French name for the so-called Yellow Vests protest movement, according to the Alliance for Securing Democracy, a unit of the German Marshall Fund of the U.S. that monitors those…

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How I Plan to Cover the World’s Most Exciting Travel Region as Skift’s New Asia Editor

It occurred to me that I might be in trouble. Because Asia is a huge continent to cover! It occupies a third of the world’s land area and its 4.5 billion person population is bigger than that of the other continents combined. Skift’s new Asia editor Raini Hamdi And then there’s me, located in a tiny red dot on the world map, Singapore, covering the whole of Asia for Skift. The continent I’m covering is also not a Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, to borrow Ang Lee’s film title. It is…

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