Europe

LONDON, 4TH MAY 2021: NFTs or ‘Non-Fungible Tokens’ are the latest craze to take the art world by storm; powered by the same blockchain technology behind bitcoin.

We’re now one year on from the ‘great home-working shift’ and in that time, much has been made about the accelerated digital transformation businesses have had to embrace, and how this might negatively impact a dispersed workforce. But has anyone stopped to gauge how those impacted individuals feel about this ever-growing proliferation of—and reliance on —technology? Well, they should, because in the UK at least, what you’re likely to find is that this digital revolution isn’t just being forced on companies by external factors, trends or pandemics.

The importance of natural gas to Germany’s energy transition cannot be overstated. In 2010, the country passed Energiewende, its long-term energy strategy to install as much wind and solar energy as possible, as quickly as possible. To deliver on this ambitious goal, Germany needs natural gas - now recognized as the backup fuel for intermittent wind and solar power.

The port of Hamburg has a rich and coloured history. For over 800 years, it has served as Germany’s main port, becoming the main port for Central Europe in the second half of the 19th century. And it has recovered from near destruction after both World Wars to become the third biggest port in modern day Europe - evidence if it were needed, of the port and the city’s incredible resilience.

Sentenial Limited and its wholly-owned subsidiaries (“Sentenial”), and its Open Banking brand Nuapay, have been an early mover in the emerging Open Banking and Account-2-Account (“A2A”) payments sector in Europe. The acquisition broadens the EML product suite and positions EML to be able to take advantage of rapid scale growth in the Open Banking sector in Europe and to expand the capability across all regions.

With its population of less than half a million people, the Mediterranean island nation of Malta may seem like an unusual place for the subject of an article about infrastructure development. But Malta is also home to the fastest growing population in Europe and the EU’s third fastest growing economy. The growth of both metrics calls for a long-term infrastructure plan and capital investment to deliver it.

As a landlocked country in the centre of Europe, the Czech Republic has long looked to rail as a means of trade with its neighbours. During the time of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the country - then known as Bohemia - was responsible for developing first public horse-drawn railway in continental Europe (being built during 1827 – 1832), running gradually between České Budějovice in the southern Bohemia and Linz in Austria.

Few episodes have struck home the importance of ports quite like the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Even as businesses of all manner have closed shop because of government regulation, certain organizations, among them ports, have remained open throughout - underlining their importance to the survival of economies. One such port is the Port of Algeciras in the Bay of Gibraltar - Europe’s closest port to Africa.

The European Union has long seen energy security as being a core central tenet of the grander European project. For this to become a reality, countries within the bloc need to engage in cross-border cooperation and inter-connections to ensure that energy can flow across borders without restriction. For these reasons, EUGAL - the European gas pipeline - is fundamental to the future prosperity of the EU.