With people looking for alternative ways to make money, especially with the impact of COVID on the financial system, people’s interest in the stock market has grown. There are a number of social trading and financial platforms to guide people who want to invest money in the stock markets. Today, even university students are interested in the stock market.

In line with this, social finance platforms such as StockGro, MyVoleo, Tradegyani have been designed to attract millennials and Generation Z customers to stock market investing education.

Platforms like Inventory Gro interact with customers in many mock periods and help them engage with specialists and neighbourhood members to enhance their buying and selling experience and investment.

«Opening a Demat account, KYC for investing in stocks or bonds can also be a cumbersome procedure. As a result, many people get confused and often fall by the wayside,» says Ajay Lakhotia, founding father of StockGro.

The platform simplifies this method for new customers by offering them digital money when they create an account, which they use to buy and sell in real time. Like gaming platforms, it also has writing boards where people can see who is getting the highest return on investment. It also brings people together to discuss funding concepts and trends, just like on social media.

«The definition of long-term financing has changed; people are moving from being passive traders to energetic traders and chasing the moment. Millennials are driving short-term investments, which are held from a few days to a month. Also, compared to middle-aged professionals, college students tend to research the market more continuously and devote many hours to it, so they are better able to time the market. About 30% of our clients are college and university students,» says Lakhotia.

Although StockGro predominantly targets millennials and Generation Z, there are several different platforms for traders of all age groups {and from all professional backgrounds}.

Advantages and disadvantages

There are some pros and cons to these platforms, mainly depending on the profile of the investor. «People don’t usually have an overall investment plan in any sense. Without a plan, investing haphazardly is the main drawback,» says Suresh Sadagopan, a registered fund advisor (RIA) with the Securities and Alliances Board of India (Sebi) and founding father of Ladder7 Monetary Advisories, a monetary planning agency.

«The options on many social trading and financial platforms are quite generic and also product-specific. You have to be transparent about one’s monetary objectives, such as when you want returns, what the dangers and rewards can be, and so forth. They should perceive why and where they should invest. These parameters vary greatly from person to person and the generic options of social buying and selling and financial platforms could not help in this matter,» Sadagopan adds.

When a person has other monetary commitments, such as the costs of raising a young child or caring for a dependent, he or she should be prudent before investing, he or she says.

«However, these platforms are a start for younger people who need to invest and have smaller monetary commitments. These platforms educate them financially and they can get more information about investments,» says Sadagopan.

In short, you have to be careful when it comes to investing in the stock markets.

Stock trading is booming among millennials, but are they rushing too fast?

At a time when savings rates have fallen to less than spectacular levels, more and more people are tempted to trade equities in order to take on more risk for higher returns.

In her research, Dr Angel Zhong, a senior lecturer in finance at RMIT University, found that in Australia alone, retail investors’ trading volume in equities increased by more than 60% during the lock-in period compared to the pre-COVID period.

This is backed up by new data from Commonwealth Bank’s CommSec equity trading platform, which shows that the number of its clients with no trading experience has more than doubled in the last year, from 8% before February to 18% in December. The majority of these new customers (83%) are under the age of 44 and are made up of millennials, Generation X and Generation Z consumers.

But are young people going into business for the right reasons and with enough preparation? Let’s take a look.

Why equity trading is booming

Zhong said there are a number of factors, in addition to record low interest rates, that are causing this surge in stock trading. Some young people saw it as a way to kill time when they were stuck at home. Others were driven by «FOMO» (fear of missing out) to join the trade after the global stock market crashed last March and share prices plummeted.

One of them is Diren, a 20-year-old university student from Sydney who decided to try his hand at stock trading last year. With a lot of time on his hands because of the pandemic, he invested $1,000 in September with the aim of increasing that pool of money to $10,000.

«I was trying to find a way to make money when I am at home. I looked into different things like dropshipping, affiliate marketing, day trading and investing. Buying shares seemed like the easiest of all the options I was researching and I kept getting ads for the investment platform eToro, so I decided to look into it,» he said.

Diren’s portfolio is now worth about $3,000, but he says the initial hurdle for him was the fear of losing money because he had no previous or professional trading experience.

«There have definitely been times along the way when I have lost money. The first few weeks, or even months, I was in the red and most of my positions were losing money, which was very demoralising,» he said.

«However, all the companies I invested in, I researched them thoroughly, trusted them and just had to hang in there and, in the end, they all went into the green and made big profits.

According to Diren, the key is patience and playing the long game.

«Warren Buffet, one of the world’s greatest traders, said: ‘The stock market is a device for transferring money from the impatient to the patient’, and I found that to be very true,» he said.

«There have been many times when I have seen stocks fall a lot, and I have been very keen to sell to cut my losses. But if I was patient and persevered through the fall, it almost always recovered and went higher than before.

«I think it’s very important to be prepared to lose some of your money as well, and to be comfortable with that.»

Online stock trading: What are my options?

The good news is that today it is much easier for retail or non-professional investors like Diren to enter and participate in the stock market. This is thanks to the rise of online stock trading platforms such as Superhero, eToro and SelfWealth. According to Dr Zhong, a big advantage of these platforms is that they are often low-cost. For example, SelfWealth (Classic), which won the Mozo Experts Choice Best Casual Trader Award 2020, charges a brokerage commission of only $9.50 per trade.

However, the downside of using these low-cost platforms is that you do not necessarily have access to in-depth stock analysis. However, some online options, such as CMC Markets and CommSec, offer live market data, analysis and detailed information to clients with more premium accounts, although you have to pay more for these features.

While the internet has made stock trading more accessible, Zhong says it has also given rise to a phenomenon known as «social trading». Here, retail investors exchange stock trading ideas and provide unmoderated investment advice on social media sites or discussion forums such as Reddit and Hotcopper.

A prime example was the recent frenzy around GameStop, when an army of amateur investors rallied on Reddit to buy shares in the struggling US video game retailer GameStop, sending its price skyrocketing. While some walked away with a fortune, others who got caught up in the social media hype ended up losing money.

«In Australia you have to be licensed to give financial advice. But [on social media] anyone can comment and give advice,» Zhong said. «If you are an average retail investor without any financial or investment background, it may be difficult to judge which comments are correct and which are biased.

«Social media trading»is sometimes advertised on online trading platforms as «copying», where a user may choose to copy someone else’s strategy. While this may seem like an easy path, Zhong said it is absolutely crucial to do your own research.

Tips for trading shares

What other tips should you consider before your first operation?

Here, Zhong offers some of them:

Don’t put all your eggs in one basket: A good way to protect your portfolio, says Zhong, is to avoid «putting all your money in one or two stocks». It is important to diversify, not only in the number of stocks, but also in the different sectors in which those stocks operate. For example, buying ten shares in ten different banks is not considered diversification.

Be realistic about wins: as anyone who frequents social media will probably tell you, most people prefer to share the best or most successful parts of their lives. The same concept applies to stock trading, and Zhong says research on financial behaviour shows that people tend to count only their gains and omit their losses. This can create a mentality that «it’s easy to make money because everyone says they’re making money», which can lead to unrealistic expectations and disappointment. Instead, be prepared for losses.

Research thoroughly: According to Zhong, it is important to research thoroughly and take everything you read with a grain of salt. «A newcomer to the stock market has to understand that some trading strategies are the exact opposite of others, because different analysts may have their own opinions,» he said. For example, one expert may recommend a «buy», but another may interpret the same signal as a good opportunity to sell. So rather than following one expert’s opinion, it may be wise to consider several recommendations.
Know who you’re investing in: Speaking of research, it’s also relevant to thoroughly investigate a company and its sector before buying. This may mean reading their financial reports and future plans, as well as keeping an eye on who they work with and whether they are launching new products. Some experienced investors may even think about a stock for several months before making a decision. The government website Moneysmart recommends starting with a sector you are familiar with, as this can give you a better chance of seeing whether the company’s position is strong or weak.

The Diputación de Málaga will support a project to promote resettlement.

The Diputación de Málaga will financially support a project of Cicerones Rurales, Arrabal and Acción contra el Hambre to promote population and employment in municipalities with less than 20,000 inhabitants in the province. Pueblos covid Free, una oportunidad para la repoblación will be developed in El Borge, Benarrabá and Tolox.

This initiative was presented this Thursday by the fourth vice-president of the Diputación de Málaga, Natacha Rivas, responsible for citizenship and depopulation, together with the deputy for the elderly, third sector and international cooperation, Francisco José Martín, the mayoress of Tolox, Francisca García, and Marina Gámez, from the organisation Cicerones Rurales.

Rivas stressed the support of the provincial institution to entities that contribute to improving the quality of life of the population, especially in rural areas, and recalled that this project, endowed with 17,900 euros. It is part of a set of initiatives funded by the Diputación de Málaga through the Delegation of the Elderly, Third Sector and International Cooperation, within the call for aid to the third sector.

The aim of the project is to promote the development of sustainable economic models through social innovation, with an emphasis on quality and safety, and taking into account the resources offered by the smaller municipalities of the province.

In this context, he highlighted the importance of investing in social innovation and social entrepreneurship as a tool to face the demographic challenge in the province. In addition to reducing the digital divide through training or creating social entrepreneurship through the sustainable valorisation of the natural resources of the territory.

The head of Cicerones Rurales, for her part, stressed that this initiative will serve to promote domestic tourism in the province and to promote employment among young people in rural communities and combat depopulation.

The actions to be carried out include communication actions to promote domestic tourism (dissemination of content through social networks, television and radio); advice on entrepreneurship and sustainable innovation for rural resettlement; webinars on business models and sustainable innovation for rural resettlement; and advice on communication based on tourism initiatives.

This year, the Provincial Council will allocate 846,000 euros to third sector entities to implement community care projects in municipalities with less than 20,000 inhabitants, in addition to half a million euros for the purchase of sanitation and hygiene supplies for Covid-19.

One of the worst affected areas is the Serranía de Ronda, where many municipalities are experiencing a further loss of population.

Support for a start-up ramp to encourage rural and social entrepreneurship in areas of Málaga

The project «Malaga activa en rural«, supported by La Noria and Asaja, offers training and will accompany the projects in the areas of business management, motivation, financing and environmental sustainability.

Businesses are also opening in rural and agricultural areas of the province. The Provincial Council’s La Noria Social Innovation Centre and the Agricultural Association of Young Farmers (Asaja) have set up a business creation centre that offers training and mentoring for social entrepreneurship in rural areas through the triple effect. Thus, the social, economic and environmental dimensions will be the ones that companies and entrepreneurs will have to evaluate and take into account when making strategic decisions. The project of the social entity «Málaga activa en rural» is part of a collaboration agreement between the provincial institution and the La Caixa Banking Foundation.

In a statement, Natacha Rivas, fourth vice-president and deputy for Social Innovation and Depopulation, explained that the institution «is committed to creating and promoting new opportunities and economic and social activities in rural areas through the sustainable enhancement of the natural resources offered by the province». Rivas added that «with this project, we seek to introduce activities in rural areas that promote the settlement of the population and prevent their departure».

The programme will offer distance or «e-learning» training provided by experts through «Campus Agrario» and will accompany the social entrepreneurship projects in areas such as business management, motivation, financing and environmental sustainability. You can register now via the La Noria website (www.malaga.es/lanoria). The activities are aimed primarily at young people and women entrepreneurs from rural areas, under 40 years of age, living in rural areas of Malaga, mainly in municipalities of less than 20,000 inhabitants, and who are motivated to start an economic activity in their own environment.

Training itinerary

The president of Asaja Málaga, Baldomero Bellido, for his part, assured that «the objective is for the participants to complete the entire training programme. This will improve the working environment and the atmosphere of self-employment, with the aim of strengthening the roots of the youngest inhabitants of rural areas and creating a real economic and productive structure that promotes social entrepreneurship,» he said.

The project is mainly based on a series of practical workshops that will provide guidance on the most important points in the implementation of the participants’ ideas, provide concepts on the knowledge and skills needed to master the environment and offer tools to integrate the triple bottom line into the project and to facilitate their personal development and activate their motivation.

Informative workshops and mentoring events will precede the online course, which will cover the topics covered in these sessions. Topics such as business management will be addressed with practical and useful content, delivered by professionals in the sector and in collaboration with social partners, fostering partnerships between actors.

Almost every economic conversation these days seems to revolve around Why innovation could curb inflation. Each question seems to lead to another: Is it transitory, and will it get worse? If so, when, and for how long, which of the many factors – including Covid-19’s soaring demand, supply chain shortages, fiscal and monetary stimulus, energy policy, or all the many changes in the energy policy mix – will be able to keep inflation in check? Energy policy or all the many changes in the way we live, work and play in the wake of a pandemic – should be more important in trying to build a picture of what is happening?

In all the debates, one point is rarely discussed: the role of technology, which is arguably the most important variable in what may happen to inflation in the coming years.

For every inflationary factor, from labour shortages to transport constraints, fuel costs or even longer-term pressures such as an ageing population, there is a technological change that could alter price calculations in ways that are difficult to predict.

Consider the transition to clean energy. Demand for electric cars is already driving up the price of raw materials such as copper, lithium, nickel and cobalt. Green vehicles and power plants are much more demanding on metals than the technologies they replace. As more and more companies and countries adopt a carbon tax and seek to reduce fossil fuel production, energy prices could rise further in the short term.

A rapid transition to a cleaner world will create some inflationary pressure, but in the long run it will significantly reduce the costs of climate-related disasters.

Moreover, technological innovation itself will ultimately drive down costs. Data from Morgan Stanley show that, apart from short-term fluctuations, commodity prices have been on a downward trend for 200 years. This is because every time an energy source has become too expensive, a new one has been invented to replace it.

We may be in for a cold and expensive winter. But given the plummeting costs of renewable technologies such as solar panels and wind farms (and the growing public and private investment in them). There is good reason to hope that over time the end goal could be much better and cheaper, which would provide an outlet for some of the analogies with the stagflation of the 1970s.

What about the inflationary aspects of supply chain delays? Some logistics experts believe that port developments will take years. However, we are already seeing that the largest and wealthiest companies (Amazon, Walmart and Costco, for example) are adapting to the problem with their own innovations.

These innovations will include greater vertical integration (e.g. owning some of their own shipping containers rather than renting them, allowing for greater control), but also the use of artificial intelligence systems to better track deliveries. Autonomous vehicles, both cargo and transport, are gaining new momentum. The first autonomous container carrier will be tested in Norway at the end of the year. If these systems calm traffic, some of the delays and price pressures associated with the supply chain will begin to ease.

As the Internet of Things becomes ubiquitous, more and more companies will use new technologies to increase efficiency. As Ark Investment Management CEO Cathie Wood pointed out in a recent interview. These innovations, which include autonomous mobility, blockchain, gene editing, adaptive robots and neural networks, are more likely to herald a period of prolonged deflation than inflation, given the depth and breadth of their impact across all areas of business.

They will certainly disrupt labour markets in ways we cannot yet imagine. Technology, for example, could play an important role in counteracting the inflationary pressures of the ageing baby boom generation. That will require more attention just as the workforce is shrinking, increasing the productivity of the existing workforce and health care system.

China, which has invested $1.5 billion in the use of big data in healthcare over the past decade (and many billions more in artificial intelligence), is likely to be the epicentre of AI-based diagnostics and healthcare innovation.

Of course, policies on the use of big data in sensitive areas such as healthcare and finance will vary from country to country as regulators grapple with the social implications of these cutting-edge technologies. These differences in national policies could themselves be inflationary if they contribute to cross-border frictions in global business and in the movement of people, goods and capital.

In a multipolar world, further delays, shortages and short-term supply and demand mismatches are inevitable.

However, the fact that the global economy has become a little more fragmented in recent years also presents an opportunity for technology-based innovation that could eventually drive down prices. Think vertical farms that grow produce within minutes of where people eat it, telehealth and virtual education platforms that eliminate the cost of travel, and 3D manufacturing that eliminates complex and distant supply chains.

These are just a few of the many new technologies that are on the rise. The change that these innovations could bring is probably the only significant disinflationary trend at the moment. But it may prove to be the most powerful.

Spanish banks remain reluctant to launch cryptocurrency investment products, with the exception of Banco Santander, whose chairwoman Ana Botín announced that the bank is finalising details of its bitcoin ETFs (exchange-traded funds).

«We are a leader in cryptocurrencies. We issued the first bond on the blockchain. We have a strong team working on it (…). Our clients want to buy bitcoins, but we have been relatively slow to adopt them because of regulatory issues. Now we are going to offer cryptocurrency ETFs,» Botín told Bloomberg.

The bank has not yet provided further details on this new product, although it has been in the works for some time, as have other Spanish banks.

The launch of a bitcoin futures ETF in the United States in mid-October shook markets and pushed the price of the cryptocurrency above its all-time highs set last April.

However, sources at the Comisión Nacional del Mercado de Valores (CNMV) confirmed to Europa Press that no such product has yet been registered in Spain, while the marketing of products from outside the European Union (EU) requires authorisation from the supervisory authority and the registration of the fund managers and the funds to be marketed in the corresponding administrative registers.

BBVA has made some inroads into the world of cryptoassets, although it has not yet launched a product like the one proposed by Santander. At the end of 2020, the bank launched a trading service in Switzerland for the purchase, sale and custody of digital assets for private banking clients, allowing them to manage bitcoin transactions and hold deposits in the cryptocurrency.

However, the service is limited to Switzerland, as BBVA considers that the country has «a very advanced blockchain ecosystem, where there is a clear regulation and a great acceptance of these digital assets», as explained to Europa Press sources from the bank.

However, the bank warned that the service does not offer advice on investing in cryptocurrencies, but is limited to an «intermediary» function for those who want to value and invest in cryptocurrencies.

The bank, chaired by Carlos Torres, believes it is important to explore the potential of asset tokenisation as a major innovation that could have a transformative impact on capital markets and the exchange of any value or data.

CaixaBank does not yet offer any services related to cryptocurrencies, although it recognises that this is an area it is studying and is therefore awaiting technological and regulatory advances.

«We are closely following this issue, as well as other technologies that are currently bringing a high level of innovation to the industry internationally. We are studying this technology and we are also closely monitoring regulatory developments and central bank movements on digital currencies, but it is not a service we currently offer to clients,» the bank explained.

Banco Sabadell is also «cautious» with this type of asset and sources close to the bank explained that it is not considering introducing this type of product until they are more regulated.

In the case of Bankinter, the bank does not recommend its customers to invest in cryptoassets, but believes that the blockchain «is here to stay» and «has countless advantages».

«At the bank, we distinguish between two concepts. The first is blockchain technology, which is here to stay and has countless advantages, the most important of which is the traceability of assets. And then there is the concept of cryptocurrencies, which is a purely speculative asset, and because of this characteristic and because it is not regulated, at Bankinter we do not recommend it to our customers,» said the bank’s CEO, María Dolores Dancausa, when asked recently about this issue.

However, he said that if they ever decided to launch a product along these lines, they would do so from their digital bank EVO.

ETFs: the right tool?

62% of US respondents to Fidelity’s digital asset survey are neutral or positive about bitcoin ETFs, while 30% of respondents said they would like to invest in cryptocurrencies through an investment product.

As the figures show, these cryptocurrency-focused investment products have been met with much optimism from the cryptocurrency community, but they are not without their detractors.

«The value of the first bitcoin ETFs is that they allow access to more investors who prefer a more traditional instrument that they know well and can include alongside other investments in their portfolio. However, for those who can do so by buying bitcoins directly, these first ETFs are not very efficient because the fees they charge and the investment through futures affect the return on the underlying asset, which is detrimental to the investor», says Ramiro Martínez-Pardo, CEO of the HeyTrade platform, in statements to Europa Press.

Emanuele Giusto, author of the book «Crypto Jungle», explained in his commentary that the launch of such products could be a «Trojan horse» for investors seeking to enter the world of cryptocurrencies.

«The cryptocurrency world has been waiting for ETF approval, but not futures, but spot. This is not the best idea to enter the world of cryptocurrencies. It is easier and more profitable to go directly into an exchange, preferably decentralised, and buy bitcoin with one click and pay an infinitesimal commission,» he said.

The 10th Ciudad Real Business Forum will focus on local experience

The Chamber of Commerce and the CEEI have organised a new edition of the traditional forum of entrepreneurship of Ciudad Real, which will take place this Tuesday, 9th November, at 10.00 a.m. virtually.

This free meeting, now in its tenth edition since 2012 and the second time it has been held in online format, aims to be a space that, as in previous years, continues to focus on training and the exchange of experiences, and to help those who are starting or considering this activity. As in previous years, it will continue to focus on training and the exchange of experiences, and will serve to help those who are starting out or are considering this activity.

The activity will open with a conference entitled «Entrepreneurship: leadership and transformation», given by Juan Ferrer, an expert in management skills such as coaching, negotiation, teamwork, leadership and time management, and in the discovery of new ways of working.

Ferrer has worked as a consultant in Spain and Latin America, where he has participated in the implementation of change in companies, motivating and engaging people in transformation, development and continuous improvement. He has published three books and is a regular contributor to various media.

This virtual forum will also be attended by Nino Redruello, the fourth generation of the more than one hundred-year-old family business La Ancha. Together with his brother Santiago, this businessman and chef took over the generational baton a few years ago; shortly after this concept, Las Tortillas de Gabino, La Gabinoteca and Fismuler will be added.

They were among the first entrepreneurs in the Spanish gastronomic sector to face the COVID-19 crisis, with their own brand Armando, which opened up new business opportunities. They bring new concepts to the hotel and gastronomy industry, such as marketing, advertising and communication.

Different experiences of entrepreneurship in Ciudad Real

As in every edition of this forum, there will be a panel of experiences with companies from Ciudad Real at different stages of their business life, this time featuring women.

On the one hand there is Freedom and Flow, with sisters Beatriz and Carmen Crespo, a company that works in the health sector with a model of preventive medicine and medical diagnosis in the field of healthy lifestyles.

On the other hand, Violeta Zapata, creator of the Violeta Porté brand, will talk about the process of creating the first Spanish fashion brand aimed at users of insulin pumps as a medical device. For the treatment of diabetes and her work designing and selling clothes and accessories designed to meet the needs of this group.

Ciudad Real becomes a forum for investment and entrepreneurship at the «Business Market».

The Municipal Institute for Economic Promotion, Education and Employment (IMPEFE) of the City Council organised the third forum of the «Ciudad Real Business Market» in the Antiguo Casino. This event aims to promote entrepreneurship, business development and investment .

The forum was attended by several representatives of the political, economic and industrial sectors of the city. The mayoress of Ciudad Real thanked all the registered entrepreneurs and investment funds for their participation in the forum. Eva María Masías said that this meeting serves to make Ciudad Real a national and international benchmark for investors and entrepreneurs to meet and develop the potential that our city has for the future.

The president of IMPEFE, Pedro Maroto, said that the aim of this forum is for Ciudad Real to be seen as a destination for business, especially for young people. He also stated that events will continue to be planned throughout the year to promote investment.

Agustín Espinosa, delegate of the Province of Castilla-La Mancha for the Economy, Trade and Employment in Ciudad Real, expressed his support for this event, which serves as a boost to investment at a time of economic recovery. The Government of Castilla-la Mancha has not ceased to promote business investment, having «allocated 375 million euros to maintain companies between direct aid, to stimulate the tourism sector, loans and guarantees». In addition, it has earmarked 25 million euros for business investment and another 10 million euros for entrepreneurship and the creation of new self-employed workers. He also announced the recent creation of the Council for the Attraction of Foreign Investment.

Josu Gómez, consultant and entrepreneur, highlighted the high level of the forum participants, including Mariyeni del Carmen Bautista, CEO of Della Capital; Francisco Lozano, CEO of Área Financiera; Jorge Field, of Cupido Capital; and Fernando Monroy Huete, CEO of GDSFIN and president of the Madrid branch of the Keiretsu network of business angels. Elena Fernández Bstartup and Fernando Rodríguez Alemany CEO of 15K Angels. Finnova. José Chin, President of the Latin American Chambers of Commerce CAMACOL in the USA, or José Barletta, President of Barnews Research Group and Italo.

Public procurement for innovation, an opportunity to improve the industry

innovation has been one of the driving forces of the planet throughout mankind’s existence, and in today’s interconnected, technological and globalised world, this factor has been magnified. New challenges are opening up in today’s innovation landscape, and the opportunity for government to benefit from innovation, to foster it and to help companies improve through it is perhaps one of the greatest.

This is why various actors, from the European Union to regional governments and national administrations, are trying to support it through Public Procurement of Innovation (PPI).

This instrument could be one of the keys to improving the governance, efficiency and functionality of the more than 720 Valencian business parks. At least, that is what the participants in a breakfast organised this Wednesday by Castellón Plaza with the support of the Valencian Innovation Agency (AVI) and the sponsorship of the Federation of Business Parks of the Valencian Community (Fepeval) thought.

At the Castellón Chamber of Commerce, public and private sector leaders stressed the importance of working together to grow through innovation.

Public-private partnership

This public-private collaboration is one of the pillars promoted by the ICC and should be encouraged, especially in order to transfer innovation to industrial areas, as all participants agreed. For this reason, the Generalitat approved in 2018 «the first law on industrial zones in all of Spain», highlighted the director of Fepeval, Diego Romá.

In it, and how could it be otherwise, «the town councils are a key element» because they are the closest to the administration and where the industrial areas are located. From there, the aim is to find ways to improve the competitiveness of the companies in each municipality, «but also the quality of life of the men and women who work in the industrial areas».

But, in addition, local councils themselves can also benefit from public procurement for innovation. Juan Llobell, president of Tantum Consultores, points out that a city council or any other public body can turn to PPI «if it has a product or an unmet need». However, this is not always easy.

The mayoress of La Vall d’Uixó, Tania Baños, points out that the workload of the local councils makes it difficult to manage even the support offered by the Valencian Institute for Business Competitiveness (Ivace). The Contracting Law obliges them to carry out a project from its preparation to the certification of the work within a year.

Moreover, as Llobell points out, «it is not possible for any city council to know everything that exists on the market» in terms of innovation and what it can use to improve the efficiency of industrial estates.

Management and modernisation entities

This is why Baños, like others, insists on public-private partnerships as an opportunity. However, it is necessary to move in another direction. In the case of Vall d’Uixó, with its two industrial estates, «we find ourselves with a serious lack of communication with companies».

To facilitate this process, the Valencian law provides for the creation of management and modernisation bodies (EGM) to bring together the voices of the companies located in these areas, to serve as mediators in negotiations with the administration, but not only with it.

In this context, the president of the Port Authority of Castellón, Rafa Simó, stresses that «it is necessary to work in a network at all levels, to share challenges and good and bad practices; the experience of sharing is not yet very applicable in our daily work». And the figures prove it.

Of the more than 720 industrial estates in the region, «twenty-something percent have some kind of association or organisation that manages them», says Fran Izquierdo, director of the consultancy division of Segurinter Sistemas de Seguridad.

Romá, who is also director of the Spanish Confederation of Business Zones (Cedaes), confirms this: «Only 10% of Spanish industrial estates have an organisation that manages them. We need EGMs so that the administration is aware of the needs of companies and so that they know that the solution they are looking for can be offered by a company in the same park».

Local administrations only have the option of using Ivace subsidies to build fibre optics, but it only subsidises the building works, not the cabling, which means that the trenches are often empty. However, there may be other ways to subsidise the supply of materials.

Llobell points to various options, such as the EU’s New Generation Funds or the European Multiannual Financial Framework, as well as the channels offered by the state. In many cases, the ideal solution is to «go straight to the big boys«, which applies to Brussels. He says that many grants have not yet been awarded.

But before all these steps, the ideal is to draw up a «specific action plan» for each industrial zone that includes «strategic planning» and is capable of «attracting investors», says Valls. And from there, focus on innovation, «which we don’t know how far it can take us», says Simó. It can also help to meet «the great challenge of sustainability», another of the fundamental objectives of today’s world, says Marín.

And always from the starting point of public-private collaboration, because this division should not be seen as a barrier between the two parts of society, says the president of PortCastelló: «We must abolish the distinction between the public and private sectors and make it between those who are involved and those who are not; those who want to bet on the model or not«. In this sense, it is «important» that local councils have a «department for economic support«, Izquierdo pointed out, to encourage innovation.

Tools already exist

But it is also true that, without going that far, there are already products that industrial companies can use to improve their efficiency. Among these tools, experts point out that geographic information systems or the Lokinn and Innotransfer platforms can be very useful. «But we need to move towards smart business parks and we need everyone to get involved: city councils, companies and administrative authorities», concludes Roma.

Innovation Day: Castellón’s industry will not be sustainable without public-private collaboration

The chilling rise in gas and electricity prices has brought to the forefront a number of energy fronts to which all economic activity in Castellón is exposed.

To the increase in costs must be added the political tension between Morocco and Algeria, which for the moment has led to the interruption of the main gas pipeline to our country. Meanwhile, it cannot be ignored that the European Union has a strict transition programme to emit only 45% of the CO₂ currently consumed by 2030 and to reach 0% by 2050.

The experts gathered at the main table of the 6th Innovation Conference organised by Mediterráneo and Simetría, in collaboration with CaixaBank and EnerHi, agreed that in order to overcome this challenge without leaving anyone behind. It will be necessary to strengthen cooperation mechanisms between companies and administrations, to which must be added the knowledge provided by universities and technological institutes.

When it comes to replacing fossil fuels with renewable sources, streamlining the current bureaucracy will help the future.

Francisco Vea, Innovation Director of the Simetría Group

In his speech, he said that the use of renewable energies between 2030 and 2050 «is the solution, but there are other keys, such as the legislative framework; in addition, we need more collaboration between the public and private sectors». He also stressed that companies «should not think that they will not be affected by these changes«. As for the economic benefits of European funds, «they will help, but we want them to reach not only large companies and SMEs, but also medium-sized ones».

As for the business opportunities associated with the energy transition, «there is liquidity and financial institutions that want to invest in renewables», but the proposals that are on the table will depend on «whether there are changes in the rules during the investment«. He recalled that Symmetry already anticipated this movement and created subsidiaries dedicated to this issue, which have existed for more than a decade.

Toni Llorens, Managing Director of the energy company EnerHi

He believes that at the moment «the solutions already exist, so rather than improving the technology, we need to improve the processes» so that all the renewable energy plans that are presented to the administrations can work as soon as possible. «Processing is not personalised«, he lamented, so at the current rate «we are not going to get there«. Another angle was the cost of wind or photovoltaic installations.

«Previous solutions were expensive, but this is clearly not the case now», both in terms of obtaining clean energy at affordable prices and because of the future prospects of green hydrogen.

«It is a vector that must be taken into account», he said. This is especially important because, in the case of Spain, «we depend 80% on foreign countries and we cannot be competitive if we depend on the countries that produce energy».

Rafa Simó, president of Port Castelló

The arrival of the European funds is a «historic opportunity» to accelerate the energy transformation process of Castellón’s industry, he said. This is especially important in a logistics ecosystem like that of Castellón, in which there are two important players, «such as the petrochemical industry and ceramics».

The facilities of the Port Authority of Castellón are preparing to adopt renewable energy mechanisms linked to maritime transport, through alliances with the ports of Valencia and Alicante.

In his conclusions, Simó said that the success of this key moment must come with «the limitation of external dependencies, because any slightest speculation on prices affects us; with a joint planning and strategy of all the sectors involved and with a commitment to networking» to achieve the objectives set for the coming years.

Vicente Nomdedeu, President of Ascer

The president of the employers’ association, which brings together tile manufacturers, called on the administration, the energy sector and its customers to «listen more», as «many jobs are at stake» in the process. He added that sustainability «has to have it both ways», which refers to both improving the environment in relation to new energy sources and preserving businesses and their jobs.

As for timelines, he said that timescales are tight. «Changes from today to tomorrow are difficult» because currently «there is no other energy source that is as competitive as gas». Still, Ascer said «we are working on up to four ways»to reduce fuel dependence, such as electricity, green hydrogen, biomethane or methods to capture CO₂ released into the atmosphere.

Regarding the contribution of the different sectors of the economy and the political class, Nomdedeu said that «we all have to make an effort, because on the one hand our companies are in a delicate situation with energy costs that we cannot fully reflect in our prices. On the other hand, the government must compensate, regulate and apply temporary measures to solve the energy crisis.».

Empar Martínez, Director General for Industry and Energy of the Generalitat of Catalonia

The regional government representative on the panel of experts acknowledged the need to speed up the procedures for the installation of renewable energies: «It is complicated for all the administrations and we are working on it, although we are beginning to see the reality of the approval of large projects», she said.

On the other hand, he pointed out that these changes must be accompanied by the innovative capacity of companies that have «the capacity to propose solutions in terms of recharging points, electrolysers in the green hydrogen production process or burners in furnaces».

When it comes to new energy sources, «we must think of all the alternatives«, which include not only wind and solar, but also «biomethane or thermal energy».

María Jesús Muñoz, lecturer in financial economics and accounting at the UJI

Speaking on behalf of the university community, the speaker said that companies «already see the need to change the energy sector, there are no longer deniers of the problem and that is a joy». He pointed out that in the current situation «we have to use different energy, produce and consume differently to face a future that has no way back; we cannot go back to the same situation as ten years ago». To this end, he recalled the role of the UJI in this field, in a context «in which everyone has to row in the same direction».

In his speech, he highlighted renewables as a business opportunity and economic stability. «There are reports from the International Energy Agency detailing that they are more profitable than other fossil energies and that they have improved a lot in recent years; renewable energy sources are also more resistant to shocks such as metalloid, have a better yield profile, more profitable portfolios and less risk. em>.

For this reason, he concluded that these changes have the support of the markets. For this to bear the desired fruit, «we have to get our act together or we will continue to lag behind other countries; Spain has been a solar engine, we have missed the train and now we must not miss it again», he concluded.

Myinvestor will finance clients to buy investment funds

MyInvestor, a neobank specialising in investments and mortgages, is entering a new business segment: financing the purchase of investment funds. This digital entity -founded by Andbank Spain and owned by El Corte Inglés and AXA- plans to start offering this type of loans from the first quarter of 2022.

The company, promoted by Carlos Aso (current CEO of the Andbank Group), will offer loans to its best clients to increase their exposure to funds. According to banking sources, the interest rate will be «very attractive».

Unlike personal loans, which have no assets as collateral for the loan, here Myinvestor will pledge the units of the fund in which the client invests. If the client is unable to repay the loan, the institution can foreclose on the collateral and retain the fund shares.

In the last two years and on the occasion of the end-of-year campaign for pension plans, Myinvestor has already granted loans to its clients to finance contributions to the plans at 1% NIR/TAE.

The success of this product has led the bank to consider offering it again in the coming days. However, in this case there are no pledged shares due to the illiquidity of private pensions.

Financing for the acquisition of financial assets is known in private banking as pledge lending. This allows clients to take advantage of market opportunities by pledging an asset to leverage their investment. The less risky the funds – the underlying – the greater the amount that can be lent.

MyInvestor explains that the aim of this product is to help clients manage their wealth. «It is a response to the need and demand of many customers who have expressed their interest in this type of product in recent months, which is innovative and revolutionary for retail banking,» explains a spokesperson for the bank.

The head of this new business unit will be Unai Beato, who also heads MyInvestor’s data department. The project also plans to offer consumer loans, a type of financing in which the customer responds with his own assets but without specific collateral.

MyInvestor offers more than 1,000 investment funds from national and international managers, including Vanguard index funds with no minimum investment. It has the largest showcase of pension plans in Spain: more than 80 plans from more than 20 companies.

The company, which has become the largest fintech company in terms of turnover with more than 1,400 million. And it has more than 635 million euros in investment products.

MyInvestor teams up with Santalucía AM to launch an ultra-prudent fund

MyInvestor has reached an agreement with Santalucía AM to market its Santalucía Renta Fija Fija Corto Plazo Euro MY mutual fund with no minimum investment and a management fee of 0.10%, the lowest in its category available to retail investors.

Santalucía Renta Fija Corto Plazo Euro MY, with five Morningstar stars, actively manages investments in short-term corporate or government debt, mainly European.

The average duration of the fund is between 0 and 12 months, its portfolio is composed of between 60 and 70 issues and is suitable for investors with a minimum investment horizon of one year. It yields more than 1% per annum over 10 years and 0.77% in 2020.

The bank’s customers will thus have an alternative for investing their liquidity, together with the MyInvestor current account, with a remuneration of 1% APR in the first year up to 15,000 euros and 0.10% in the following years.

«With this product, MyInvestor offers its clients a quality fund managed by a large group with consistent returns and minimal fees,» said the neobank, owned by Andbank Spain, Axa Spain and El Corte Inglés Seguros.

MyInvestor launches Val-Carreres value fund with no management fee until it reaches 20 million

Carlos Val-Carreres, the star of MyInvestor, has already facilitated the entry into his new value fund and will start selling the neobank in the coming days. It focuses on the international stock market and its main novelty is that it does not charge any management fees until it reaches an asset value of 20 million euros.

The fund’s key strengths were revealed last month: a value investment philosophy but with a structural approach to the economy, with new trends such as digitisation and electrification; a global approach; and «some of the lowest fees in the market for active management».

All this is combined in MyInvestor Value, as the non-investment bank owned by Andbank, El Corte Inglés Seguros, AXA and other institutional investors is called.

The share class system consists of several phases. The fund will start marketing class A, which will have a free management fee and only a 9% success fee until 20 million is reached. Once that amount is reached, Class B will be launched with a 0.9% management fee and a 9% performance fee for the next 20 million.

Initially, the minimum initial investment will be one euro. Once the A class reaches €20 million, only €5 million worth of notes can be subscribed. When 20 million is reached in B, only one million euros worth of notes can be subscribed, according to the prospectus.

«The aim of this structure is to allow the first 20 million to enter with 0%, democratising investment and offering quality value products with the lowest commissions in Spain,» the entity points out.

MyInvestor, 1.4 billion euros of business

MyInvestor Value uses a watermark model to calculate the management fee based on annual performance with a crystallisation date of 31 December. If three years pass without the manager receiving a success fee, a new watermark will be set in the fourth year.

Val-Carreres has had an illustrious career in firms such as Ibercaja, Lierde Sicav (where he participated in the management of part of César Alierta’s assets) and Singular Bank. He tried the same project with True Value, but their paths diverged early on due to business incompatibility.

Its new home is MyInvestor, which has just celebrated its fourth anniversary with more than 70,000 customers and a turnover of 1.4 billion euros.

MyInvestor launches loans to pension funds, to be extended to mutual funds in 2022

The non-bank has launched a loan to finance customers’ pension premiums, with the participation of Andobank España, El Corte Inglés Seguros and AXA España. The last two training sessions have helped us to manage this aspect of the project.

Specifically, MyInvestor offers a loan with a fixed interest rate of 1%/TIN per annum and monthly instalments of EUR 24.66 for 84 months. The organisation explains that the loan can be cancelled at any time without penalty.

The company has more than 80 pension plans. The company’s products include index-linked plans such as MyInvestor Indexed S&P 500, which is linked to the US stock market, and MyInvestor Indexed Global, which is linked to the global stock market. Both plans are subject to an administration fee of 0.30% and a total fixed fee of 0.49% (0.30% administration fee, 0.08% custody fee and 0.11% investment asset and other fees).

In addition to these indexed plans, MyInvestor also markets plans from banks, insurance companies and independent boutiques such as Santander, BBVA, Bankia, Banca March, Novo Banco, Santa Lucía, AXA, MAPFRE, Mutua, CNP, Casar. Agripassion, PSN, SECI, Magallanes, Marchbank, Horos, Buy & Hold, Renta4, Dunas, 360 Cola, Fonditel, EDM, Guesconsult, Metavalor, GVC Gaesco and Indexa.

Future plans

As you already know at FundsPeople, MyInvestor will pledge your investments in investment funds in the same way as a private bank would. In this case, the funds will be pledged as collateral.

Currently, the private funds managed by Andbank Wealth Management are MyInvestor Nasdaq 100, MyInvestor Weighted World Economy, MyInvestor S&P 500 Equipped and MyInvestor Nasdaq 100. It also offers 250 different funds from international managers, independent blocks and Spanish banking groups, and has an open architecture. Details are not yet available, but it has been confirmed that it will apply not only to its own products, but also to funds from international fund managers.