High-Tech Innovations in Emerging Markets

We are pleased to announce the publication of the World Bank's groundbreaking report, "Advancing Cloud and Data Infrastructure Markets: Strategic Directions for Low- and Middle-Income Countries," which I had the privilege of being a peer reviewer. This comprehensive study delves into the pivotal role of cloud computing and data infrastructure in driving economic growth and innovation across emerging markets. Key Highlights: 1. Exponential Data Growth: The report underscores the explosive increase in global data generation, projecting over 290 zettabytes by 2027. Yet, less than 1% of this data is analyzed, highlighting a significant missed opportunity for economic and social development. 2. Private Sector Leadership: The private sector drives 96% of cloud and data infrastructure investments, predominantly in high-income economies. The report emphasizes the need for low- and middle-income countries to attract similar investments to bridge the digital divide. 3. Distributed Cloud Ecosystem: There's a promising shift towards a more geographically dispersed cloud model, presenting opportunities for emerging markets to become key players in the global cloud landscape. 4. Enabling Environment: A stable business environment, skilled workforce, reliable energy supply, and robust broadband connectivity are critical for attracting data center investments and fostering cloud market growth. 5. Regulatory Frameworks: Clear, supportive regulations are essential for cloud market development. The report highlights the balance between data protection and enabling data accessibility as crucial for fostering innovation. 6. Sustainability Focus: As cloud markets expand, so does their environmental footprint. The report advocates for policies promoting renewable energy and energy-efficient practices to ensure sustainable growth. This report is a vital resource for policymakers, investors, and stakeholders in the digital infrastructure space, providing strategic insights to harness the transformative power of cloud computing in low- and middle-income countries. Read the full report here: Advancing Cloud and Data Infrastructure Markets (https://lnkd.in/enZS3nGw) Many thanks to IFC and World Bank management and colleagues and external partners who supported this work to its fruition. #ifc #infrastructurefinance #infrastructure #DigitalInfra #digitalinfrastructure #digital #emergingmarkets #tmt #digitaleconomy #datacenters

The uncomfortable truth about innovation in emerging markets? We're still getting it wrong. I spent years building financial inclusion products. Met thousands of users in the field. And here’s what still bothers me- Most "innovation" for emerging markets is just a watered-down version of what works in NA. I have also heard terms like “innovation for the bottom of the pyramid.” While that framing might be great, it also has a bias. They're not the bottom of anything. They’re the majority of the world. I learned a few things through this work. 🔹Constraints breed innovation: When M-PESA launched in Kenya, banks dismissed it as “too simple.” Now mobile money moves most of Kenya’s GDP. 🔹Trust scales differently: In Silicon Valley, we trust algorithms. In emerging markets, trust flows through relationships. Great products don’t replace human networks, They amplify them. 🔹The experts are already there: The woman I met who was married at 12 and runs a small business? She understands cash flow better than most MBAs. Innovation isn’t teaching her finance. It’s building tools that respect her expertise. 🔹 Leapfrogging isn’t about skipping steps: It’s about taking entirely different paths. Countries don't from no phones to iPhones. They went from no phones → mobile money → new economic models. And here’s the hardest truth: Most of us building for emerging markets have never been hungry. Never been unbanked. Never kept our savings in cash under a mattress. Never had to "jugaad"/ hack solutions to workaround the hurdles. 💡 The next wave of world-changing products? They won’t come from adapting our solutions for them. They’ll come from their solutions teaching us what we’ve been missing all along. #innovation #emergingmarkets #majoritymarkets #financialinclusion #productleadership #globalimpact

Sharing inspiring insights from our Climate Tech Facility, which we launched in Sep '23 to deploy innovative climate resilience technologies for underserved people in emerging markets. Here, we share findings based on 412 proposals, providing valuable insights to builders, funders, and others working on climate-smart solutions in Africa, Latin America, and Asia. See the full report to discover the “state of the market” for climate innovation in emerging markets. https://lnkd.in/eZ6FQ4xF #ClimateResilience #EmergingMarkets #EarlyStageVentures