The signs of a thriving business and investment ecosystem between Asia-Pacific and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are hard to miss. The two regions are strengthening ties through strategies such as trade agreements and infrastructure investments. Asian companies are interested in becoming a part of the UAE’s free trade zones. What is the current state of the UAE-Asia Pacific relations as well as the future prospects? What are the implications for some of the key players? How can investors and businesses navigate the opportunities and risks within this transforming landscape? Our guests are ..read more

In this special podcast series on culture and the creative economy, Naka Kondo, editorial lead for global initiatives at Economist Impact speaks to Sam Ford, Executive Director, accelerate KY, Kentucky, USA research, affiliate MIT comparative media studies, and Nathalie Collins, who is a senior lecturer at Edith Cowan University School of Business and Law to try to understand some of the foundational elements of today's fandom and the creative economy. This episode is part of "culture and the creative economy", a three-episode series, supported by Netflix. Hosted on Acast. See acas ..read more

Increasingly more financial players are interested in tapping into the potential of ESG and impact investments in Asia-Pacific. To address social and environmental challenges effectively, key stakeholders need to ensure that impact capital is deployed strategically, matching with the right opportunities. What are the opportunities investors can leverage to generate social and environmental value along with economic returns? What is the role of innovative models of business and financing in unlocking the potential of impact-driven investments? Our guests are: ● Hannah Lee, Head of Asia-Pacifi ..read more

Australia’s screen industry has been on a trajectory of an investment boom and demand for skilled production workers. This podcast features three industry experts Ken Crouch (head of industry development at Screen Australia), Carly Heaton (head of scripted at Fremantle, Australia), and Ishmael Khan (director and writer) to explore the current state of Australia’s production growth, flow-on effects for the sector, the role of training and capacity-building programs to address critical skills shortages, and what more is required to support the long term sustainability of the sector. T ..read more

On the global stage, India and China are becoming key players in terms of total number and valuation of startups, following the United States. Indonesia and Vietnam’s progress have been remarkable as well. Can Asia-Pacific create the next generation Silicon Valley and become a centre for entrepreneurship and innovation? In this episode, we talk about the startup ecosystem in Asia-Pacific. We also discuss how investors and founders can unlock entrepreneurship opportunities in the region.  Our guests are: Amra Naidoo, Co-Founder and General Partner, Accelerating Asia Jeffrey Paine, Co-Fou ..read more

In the last six years, India’s business environment rankings rose 10 places among the 82 countries assessed by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). Expanding investments will be crucial in maintaining the country’s favourable position for investors. To achieve this, India needs to keep improving regarding ease of doing business and governance transparency. Transforming the infrastructure to meet the needs of a growing economy is also key. In this episode, we discuss business and investment opportunities and risks in India.  Our guests are:  Taimur Baig, Managing Director and Chie ..read more

Back to Blue’s lead editor, Naka Kondo speaks to Ben Alva, the founder of Azul Bio, a startup developing microbiome-based treatments and probiotics from nature that give ocean life immunity to human impact, such as coral resilience. They are planning their first pilot in November. Follow the Back to Blue series for more podcast episodes, or visit backtoblueinitiative.com for more content. Back to Blue is an initiative of Economist Impact and The Nippon Foundation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information ..read more

On March 14th 2023 the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a proposal to establish legally enforceable levels for six types of ‘forever chemicals’ known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). It is expected to prevent thousands of deaths and reduce tens of thousands of serious illnesses attributable to PFAS.   The rule would require public water systems to monitor PFAS levels, notify the public of these and reduce them if exceeding the proposed standards. Developed over several years and grounded in the authority that the EPA has from US Congress, through ..read more

Back to Blue's lead editor, Naka Kondo speaks to Anne Marieke Eveleens, co-founder and chief strategy officer of the Great Bubble Barrier, a Dutch social enterprise, about how air bubble technology can help clear plastics from our rivers. Follow the Back to Blue series for more podcast episodes, or visit backtoblueinitiative.com for more content. Back to Blue is an initiative of Economist Impact and The Nippon Foundation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information ..read more

Charles Darwin once dismissed the ocean as a ‘tedious waste, a desert of water.’ Some of his contemporaries disagreed. The brave Challenger expedition of the 1870s set out to discover what lurked beneath, traversing over 100,000 kilometres and discovered 4,772 specimens, from sea snails to snake eels, discovered the deepest trench on earth, and toppled false assumptions about the lack of life under the waves. Over a century later, the Census of Marine Life picked up the baton. An eighty-country collaboration, with 2,700 scientists, the project identified another 6,000 species. Yet even these n ..read more