Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) have been a hot asset class in 2021. Through the end of March, the combined market cap of major NFT projects was up 1,785%, year to date. As the name suggests, a non-fungible asset is meant to be a unique asset that is non-fungible. This means an NFT cannot be interchanged with other assets of the same type. This is what is particularly exciting about them for many investors. Each NFT is made up of information that...
They may well have checked their bank accounts on their phone in the last 24 hours, but I bet they haven’t checked their pension online. Perhaps they can’t do that, even if they wanted to. The fact is that for the majority of people pensions just don’t feature in their everyday thinking and they’re certainly not viewed as an issue to worry about – especially if you’re young. The economy (52%), health (46%) and the environment (40%) are the three...
By Karen Eggleston, Yong Suk Lee, Toshiaki Iizuka In one of the first studies of service sector robotics using establishment-level data, we study the impact of robots on staffing in Japanese nursing homes, using geographic variation in robot subsidies as an instrumental variable. We find that robot adoption increases employment by augmenting the number of care workers and nurses on flexible employment contracts, and decreases difficulty in staff retention. Robot adoption also reduces the monthly wages of regular nurses,...
By Joseph F. Coughlin Milken Institute Center for the Future of Aging: What impacts will the Covid-19 pandemic have on development of technologies that enable older adults to connect with their communities and live independently? Joseph F. Coughlin: By April last year, the nation changed overnight. Work commutes, shopping trips, nights out and visits with friends and family were abruptly halted. We retreated into our homes. Both fear and caution locked us inside. Suddenly, all of us were part of...
By Carol Coye Benson Glenbrook’s “Global Payments” provides the go-to-answers to the big questions about global payments. In clear and lively writing, the author explains the common model behind national payments systems all over the world, what actually happens in a cross-border payment, and how fintech innovators are changing the industry. The book describes payments innovations in the rails, in the products and services, and new out-of-the-box alternatives. It explores real-time retail payments (aka Faster Payments) and how these...
The majority (82 per cent) of employers are opposed to multiple dashboards and dashboards that do not include state pensions, research from the Association of Consulting Actuaries (ACA) has revealed. It also found that less than half of employers have cleaned their data in readiness for pensions dashboards. The ACA's survey revealed "strong support" for elements of the Pension Schemes Bill, although a quarter of employers remain opposed to the regulator's direction of travel. In particular, the research found...
The world has changed exponentially in 2020, leading many multinationals to ask valid questions about how they can enhance their global operations. As a significant expense for any business, pensions and benefits have come into the spotlight. Read also With more childcare and domestic work, the pandemic poses a ‘real danger’ to women’s progress, UN finds More than ever, the pressure is on for benefits teams to demonstrate that they are taking steps to minimise spend and avoid curbing...
By Barbara Barbosa Neves, Frank Vetere This book brings together Sociologists, Computer Scientists, Applied Scientists and Engineers to explore the design, implementation and evaluation of emerging technologies for older people. It offers an innovative and comprehensive overview, not only of the rapidly developing suite of current digital technologies and platforms, but also of perennial theoretical, methodological and ethical issues. As such, it offers support for researchers and professionals who are seeking to understand and/or promote technology use among...
At the start of the summer, Paula Tinkler was ready to take her career in a new direction. This may not be unusual – but the speed with which she was able to make the transition was. Within a week, she was shadowing a carer in Workington, England. Within a month, she was working as a carer herself. Not only was her training rapid – it also took place completely in her own home. “I began the recruitment process...
Martin Eling, director of the Institute of Insurance Economics and professor in insurance management at the University of St Gallen, receives a letter from his pension fund every year. The document describes his situation at retirement age. “The fact that I receive a letter by regular mail once a year is not what I expect in terms of digitisation in 2020,” he says. “There is still little digitisation in the Swiss pension fund sector compared to other sectors”....
