Features
Much has been written about payment rails in the news lately, as neobanks and fintechs continue to flood the market with new and innovative banking and payment products. Simply put, any business that deals with transactions in any shape or form must also deal with payments, and ultimately, payments rails.
As human beings, we primarily learn from trial and error. If our actions have positive outcomes, we feel compelled to repeat them; a behavioural pattern often driven by incentive and reward. Whether it’s buying one drink to get the second free, or donating old clothes to get money off the next order, incentives are key to understanding people and their priorities.
Research has shown that global users spend an average of nearly seven hours per week watching videos. Whether they are on YouTube, social media, or embedded on websites, videos have the unique ability to convey an audio and visual message to the viewer. In the world of digital marketing, this two-pronged attack can wield the power of persuasion.
Following the Queen’s Speech, and years of consultations and lobbying from the micro mobility sector, it looks like the e-scooter industry is in for a bumper year. The vehicles have until now been legal to buy, yet illegal to use on the UK’s public roads except through authorised ride sharing schemes. However, this will now change through the creation of a new vehicle class for e-scooters specifically.
Once upon a time, not very long ago, most businesses upheld an office-centric culture. Demanding boots on the ground, companies were limited to hiring employees that could be physically present five days a week, capping their talent pool and offering little flexibility. Now, in the wake of the pandemic, the seismic shift towards remote working has triggered a borderless working world, in which international companies can hire remote employees located anywhere.
Together employers and employees need to understand, and remove, the barriers in the workplace for greater inclusion for all. Diverse and inclusive workplaces can not only grow your business, but they can also lead to real social change. The desire for more diverse workforces is apparent, with employees strongly supporting organisations that are taking action to create a workplace which is diverse and inclusive.
Britain’s SMEs are facing a crisis. In a time where everything possible is transitioning to digital, SMEs are struggling to acquire sufficient skills to benefit from constantly evolving digital technologies. Here, Kristian Torode, Director and Co-Founder of IT business support and communication technology specialist Crystaline, investigates the reasons behind the digital skills gap, and SMEs can become as future ready as their larger counterparts.
When it comes to gender equality in the workplace, the financial services sector is regularly in the spotlight. Traditionally male-dominated, progress has been made in recent years to ensure women are encouraged to pursue a career in the financial services, backed by private and public initiatives like the Women in Finance Charter. This is promising, with more women taking on visible leadership roles.











