Blockchain experts at the China Speakers Bureau

China’s financial authorities might be wary of Bitcoins and other digital currencies, but the country is embracing the underlying blockchain technology. Self-driving cars, agriculture, retail and other industries use the deep pockets of the government to introduce the new technology.
At the China Speakers Bureau, we offer a range of speakers who can help you to make sense out of this new direction China is taking, leading the way for global innovation.Read More →

Running an international operation from Shanghai – William Bao Bean

William Bao Bean, managing director of the Shanghai-based Chinaccelarator, tells about his busy week, trying to help foreign startups to enter China and helping Chinese companies to go global. The main problem of his international operation? “You never have a holiday.”Read More →

Apple: a ripple in China’s fintech markets – Matthew Brennan

Online payments have gained market share in China very fast, but that market is dominated by domestic players like Tencent and Alibaba, while foreign ones like Apple are less than a ripple, says fintech expert Matthew Brennan at Pymnts.Read More →

Japan’s IKEA might not sell in China – Shaun Rein

Japan’s discount-furniture king, Akio Nitori, dubbed the country’s IKEA, now wants to export its success into the region’s largest market: China. Business analyst Shaun Rein doubts whether their Japan success can be copied into China, he tells Bloomberg.Read More →

China: going fully cashless – Ben Cavender

China might have invented the paper money, it is most likely also the first one to go fully cashless, says retail analyst Ben Cavender to Motherboard. “People basically run their lives through smartphones in China.”Read More →

Warren Buffett sells better than sport heroes – Shaun Rein

Superinvestor Warren Buffett made a surprise appearance on CoCa-Cola’s Cherry Coke’s can during their China launch. A good move, says business analyst Shaun Rein to AP. Business leaders like him are more popular than sport starts.Read More →

China consumer: pickier than ever – Ben Cavender

Pleasing the China consumer has always been a challenge, but – as Tsingtao and Wanda discovered – consumers have become harder to get. Retail expert Ben Cavender nevertheless sees a lot of room for growth, he tells Reuters.Read More →

Convenience stores keep on growing – Ben Cavender

Department stores in China are losing their shine, but convenience stores keep on doing well. Convenience stores offer consumers better what they need compared to department stores, says retail analyst Ben Cavender to the China Daily.Read More →

Mixing online and offline retail does not work yet – Ben Cavender

Alibaba teamed up with brick-and-mortar retailer Bailian, in the latest effort to combine the best of two worlds. But while the idea seems to make sense, the results up to now have been meager, tells retail analyst Ben Cavender to Reuters.Read More →

Alibaba moves more into brick-and-mortar – Ben Cavender

Internet giant Alibaba paid US$2.6 billion for the retailer Intimate group, another sign Alibaba wants to leverage its online presence to brick-and-mortar retail operations, says retail analyst Ben Cavender to Reuters. Earlier it bought also leading retailer Suning.Read More →

Victoria Secret can get it right in China – Ben Cavender

Victoria Secret took on China online, but has now decided to open its first offline retail flagship store in Shanghai. They move very cautiously, says retail expert Ben Cavender in AdAge, and they have a fair chance of getting it right in one of the most difficult retail markets in the world.Read More →

How M&S got it wrong in China – Paul French

Fashion retailer M&S got it all wrong in China as they focused on non-exciting customers, says retail analyst Paul French to Bloomberg. M&S decided to close down some of its China operation to cut their losses, after a very ambitious start in 2008 in Shanghai.Read More →