Money Buzz! Europa

Tag: google

  • Apple remains the world’s largest company by market capitalisation

    Apple remains the world’s largest company by market capitalisation

    The market capitalisation of the 100 largest listed companies in the world increased by over USD 10 trillion (48%) between April 2020 and March 2021.

    By 31 March 2021, a new record high of USD 31.7 trillion had been reached, according to PwC.

    All sectors represented in the Top 100 list saw substantial increases, ranging from 25% to 75%, in market capitalisation during the year to March 2021.

    Technology continues to be the largest sector in terms of market capitalisation (USD 10.5 trillion). Global Top 100 Technology companies saw a 71% increase from their March 2020 value.

    Industrials and Basic Materials also outperformed other sectors, with increases of 75% and 68%, respectively.

    The worst-performing sectors in the Global Top 100 were Health Care, with 25%, and Energy and Utilities, at 26%.

    United States continues to dominate the Global Top 100. Its 59 companies on the list recorded the highest regional increase in market capitalisation of 57%, compared with China’s 42% and Europe’s 18%.

    Five European companies dropped out of the Global Top 100 in the year to March 2021, including three in the UK and two in France. That was partially offset by two new entrants to the list from Germany – Siemens and Volkswagen.

    The 73 companies on the list from the US and China account for 77% of the total market capitalisation of all Global Top 100 companies.

    Apple is the world’s largest company by market capitalisation

    Apple regained its crown as the world’s largest company by market capitalisation with a March 2021 valuation of 6% and 13% ahead of Saudi Aramco (2nd) and Microsoft (3rd), respectively.

    Apple’s market capitalisation reached an all-time high of USD 2.4 trillion in January 2021.

    Although Amazon’s market capitalisation increased by 61% in the year to March 2021, the company remained in fourth place.

    The top 10 is completed by Alphabet (Google), Facebook, Tencent, Tesla, Alibaba and Berkshire Hathaway.

    China Mobile was the only company in the Global Top 100 that saw a decrease in market capitalisation.

    Tesla recorded the highest increase, of 565%. Food delivery platform Meituan saw the second largest increase in market capitalisation in relative terms (221%).

    Volkswagen returned to the Global Top 100 with a USD 165 billion market capitalisation as at March 2021, with a 165% increase in the year to March 2021, driven by strong investor support and consumer demand for its transition to electric vehicles.

    Given the ongoing regulatory challenges and suppressed demand across the aviation industry due to the pandemic, Boeing made a surprise return to the list with a 77% increase in market capitalisation.

  • Mastercard brings Google Pay to ten European countries

    Mastercard brings Google Pay to ten European countries

    Mastercard brings Google Pay service for its cardholders in Austria, Bulgaria, Estonia, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Portugal, Romania and Hungary.

    Mastercard offers Google Pay in partnership with a number of banks and fintechs, which include, but are not limited to: Banca Transilvania, CEC Bank, Curve, LHV Pank, N26, Revolut, Swedbank, TransferWise and Viva Wallet.

    To use Google Pay, Android users need to select the ”Add to Google Pay” option in the mobile banking applications of the issuing banks.

    Once the card has been added to Google Pay, users can use their mobile phone to make contactless payments wherever this type of transaction is accepted.

  • Ad revenue tops $63 Billion for tech big three in Q3 2020

    Ad revenue tops $63 Billion for tech big three in Q3 2020

    According to their earnings reports, Google, Facebook and Youtube generated a cumulative $63.3 billion in ad revenue in Q3 2020. 

    Global ad spend surged during the quarter as well, increasing by 56.4% according to Social Bakers.

    Based on the research data analyzed and published by Comprar Acciones, Google’s total revenue for Q3 2020 was $46.2 billion while its ad revenue totaled $37.09 billion, up from $33.79 billion in Q3 2019.

    YouTube’s ad revenue was $5.04 billion, up from $3.80 billion in Q3 2019, an increase of 32%. According to Statista, YouTube’s ad revenue went from $4.72 billion in Q4 2019 to $4.04 billion in Q1 2020. It slumped further to $3.81 billion in Q2 2020.

    Facebook’s revenue for Q3 2020 was $21.5 billion, up by 22% year-over-year (YoY). From this amount, ad spend was $21.2 billion, nearly 99% of the total. It had increased from $17.4 billion in Q3 2019.

    In total, the three tech giants generated $63.3 billion in ad revenue in Q3 2020.

    On the other hand, for Amazon, its total revenue in Q3 2020 was $96.1 billion, up by 37% YoY. From this amount, ad revenue was $5.4 billion, up by 51% YoY.

    Comparatively, ad-driven Twitter, Snap and Pinterest raked in slightly less than $2 billion.

    According to a Zenith report, global ad expenditure will decline by 9% in 2020. However, in 2021, it will recover, posting a 5.8% gain thanks to the Tokyo Summer Olympics. Also, digital ads will contribute an estimated 51% to global ad spend in 2020 based on the report.

    Another study made by IAB states that digital ad spend will grow by 6% in 2020 while traditional ad spend will drop by 30%. Paid search will grow the fastest, at 26%, and social media ad spend will increase by 25%. Digital video will soar by 18% and digital display by 15%.

  • Google investigated in Italy for abuse of a dominant position in the online advertising market

    Google investigated in Italy for abuse of a dominant position in the online advertising market

    Italy’s antitrust regulator announced on Wednesday that it is investigating the American giant Google for abusing its dominant position in the online advertising market.

    Google is suspected of using the data it has collected through its own applications to stop rival operators from competing effectively.

    The investigation would be completed by November 2021.

    The institution states that online advertising sales are the second most important source of revenue in the media sector, and the decrease of competition in the market could deprive publishers and those involved in news sites of very important resources.

    On Tuesday, joint teams from AGCM and Italian police searched some Google headquarters in the country.

    In 2019, the Italian online advertising market recorded revenues of over 3.3 billion euros.

  • Italy’s telecommunications regulator fines Google for betting ads

    Italy’s telecommunications regulator fines Google for betting ads

    Italy’s telecommunications regulator (AGCOM) has fined US giant Google for violating domestic law banning gambling and betting ads.

    The Authority found that Google Ireland, owner of the Google Ads service, has allowed, through the online advertising service, the dissemination, upon payment, of links that direct to certain sites (landing pages), in violation of the rules to combat gambling disorder.

    In particular, the company, through its own search engine www.google.com, has spread the paid announcement of the sublimecasino.com site which carries out gaming and betting activities with cash winnings.

    Sources who wished to remain anonymous told Reuters that the fine was about 100.000 euros ($ 118.250).

  • Techcelerator and Google, accelerator for Romanian startups

    Techcelerator and Google, accelerator for Romanian startups

    Techcelerator and Google for Startups announce the launch of ”Advancing AI” acceleration program for local startups looking to build AI products and scale their businesses.

    The program aims to boost the Romanian AI ecosystem by supporting AI entrepreneurs with access to the dedicated AI resources provided by Google.

    Applications are open until October 15th, 2020. All applicants will be invited to an online session during which Google AI experts will talk about the industry, opportunities, and success stories.

    The jury will select up to five teams

    The selected teams which will enter the program will have to cumulatively meet the following criteria: have a strong technical team with a prototype or a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) making use of technologies like AI, ML, Deep Learning, Big Data, Advanced Analytics.

    The startups should aim to have a feasible product, an internationally scalable solution, and a strong commitment to validate and expand fast in the targeted market.

    For this specific program, Techcelerator maintains the same level of potential investments as in the case of the Fintech program rolled out in parallel: up to 200,000 euros from GapMinder VC and access to co-investment deals from SeedBlink crowdfunding platform, business angel communities, like Tech Angels, and other international investors, as the startups’ progress during the acceleration program.

  • Carrefour and Google launched the voice grocery shopping

    Carrefour and Google launched the voice grocery shopping

    Carrefour and Google launched in France a new voice-based e-commerce grocery shopping experience within the framework of their strategic partnership signed in June 2018.

    Carrefour is the first retailer in the world to offer its customers the new integrated voice shopping service on the Google Assistant.

    Based on a combination of advanced technologies, this innovative service simplifies and personalizes the grocery shopping experience.

    This integration enabled a triple innovation:

    • the Google Assistant allows the user to add items to their shopping list by voice using common words such as butter, milk and cheese. Because the Assistant is connected to Carrefour’s e-commerce inventory, it is then able to convert that list into a cart of products available for sale on carrefour.fr;
    • the conversion is customized, so the specific items added to the shopping cart by the Google Assistant reflect the user’s product preferences as closely as possible, while leaving the user free to delete, modify or add products as they wish;
    • once the shopping cart is confirmed on the Google Assistant, the customer moves seamlessly to Carrefour’s e-commerce site to finalize their order, confirm their slot and delivery method (drive, drive piéton or home delivery), pay and take advantage of their loyalty benefits.
  • Bulgarian IT company AppGreat joined Google Cloud Partner Program

    Bulgarian IT company AppGreat joined Google Cloud Partner Program

    AppGreat, a Sofia based provider of advanced IT solutions, announced that it joined the Google Cloud Partner Program after meeting all the requirements set out by the organization and demonstrating competency in its core areas of expertise.

    The agreement is the latest addition to AppGreat’s portfolio, alongside the likes of eCommerce giant Shopify, web security leaders Reblaze and distributed database experts RavenDB. 

    AppGreat focuses on providing a range of IT services to clients in various verticals. These include native mobile transformation – converting HTML5-based mobile apps to full native mobile iOS and Android solutions – web development including engineering, scripting, security and privacy configuration, and the construction of master data management systems to foster cross-organizational knowledge sharing.

    The company also offers cloud migration services, ensuring the smooth transfer of data and applications from on-premises storage to the cloud or between platforms, architecture consultancy including the strategic mapping and optimization of system and software components for enhanced operational efficiency, and SDLC transformation, comprising product development and project management to maximize R&D capacity throughout the life cycle.

    Josh Shoham, CEO of AppGreat said: “We are delighted to have had our expertise recognized and rewarded by Google. Having developed solutions for companies in some of the most challenging verticals around, we’re confident that this relationship will enable us to rapidly scale our operations.”

    AppGreat is based in Sofia, Bulgaria with offices in Tel Aviv, Israel.

  • Google searches for business loan up by 317% amid coronavirus pandemic

    Google searches for business loan up by 317% amid coronavirus pandemic

    Data gathered by Learnbonds.com indicates that global interest in business loans has risen on the search engine Google. According to the data, between the first week of April last year and a similar period in 2020, the queries have gone up by 317%.

    Coronavirus impact on businesses

    According to the data, most months saw interest in the subject remain largely constant with an average popularity score of 25. However, a notable spike was witnessed from the second week of March 2020 when the score reached 30. During this period, the Coronavirus pandemic had begun taking a toll on many businesses across the globe.

    In the third week of March, the popularity score significantly rose by 90% to 57. During the last week of March, the score was 89. By the first week of April 2020, the searches had achieved the peak popularity of 100 representing a 317% growth from a year ago. During a similar period last year, the score was 24.

    With the current pandemic, most businesses are looking for a bailout to remain in operation for the next few months. According to the report:

    Jamaicans are the most interested in a business loan

    From a geographical point of view, Jamaicans are the most interested in a business loan with a Google search popularity score of 100. South Africa comes second with a score of 59 followed by Nigeria with a score of 56. Other countries with more interest in business loans include Australia (54), Singapore (49), India (47 ), New Zealand (43), UK (42) Pakistan (42) and the United States (40).

    Business loans are specifically intended for business purposes and they are available in bank loans, mezzanine financing, asset-based financing, invoice financing, microloans, business cash advances, and cash flow loans.

  • British Gas: “OK Google, tell me how to fix my boiler”

    British Gas: “OK Google, tell me how to fix my boiler”

    British Gas has used its knowledge of UK boilers and expertly trained engineers to develop a voice activated troubleshooting service with Google Assistant. The service is available via the Google Assistant app on a smart phone, Google home or Google Nest device.  

    British Gas Boiler Support helps solve the most common heating and hot water issues by giving clear and practical directions. It is available at any time and for anyone – not just British Gas customers – experiencing a boiler breakdown this winter.

    British Gas receives around 1.3 million boiler breakdown call outs each winter and estimates that many of these issues could be resolved using the service – saving time and money with no need to call an engineer. It will only guide consumers through safe and easy to perform instructions that won’t damage the boiler.

    Jay Slaney, technical support engineer at British Gas said: “This service solves many of the common, but fixable, problems our engineers encounter all the time while visiting customer homes. We’ve used their knowledge, combined with the latest voice-recognition technology, to quickly narrow down any issue with your heating or hot water.“

    If you live in UK and think there’s a problem with your boiler, you simply say to your Google Home or Google Nest device (or to the open Google Assistant app on your smartphone): “Ok Google, talk to Boiler Support”. The system will then help you troubleshoot the issue.