Insyte Weekly: Airtel & Apple Strike a Partnership, Visa & Revolut Collaborate to Offer Real-Time Cross-Border Payments, South Africa's Astro-Tourism Strategy and More

If I were to summarise this week’s theme in one word it would certainly be Partnership. From Asia to Europe to Africa, businesses around the globe announced significant partnership agreements that appear to add value to consumers. Here’s a breakdown of some of the week’s top stories.

Media & Entertainment

As reported by Harsh Shivam, Airtel has partnered with Apple to offer exclusive benefits to its customers in India, providing access to Apple TV+ content as part of Airtel Xstream's premium Wi-Fi and postpaid plans. Amit Tripathi, Chief Marketing Officer at Bharti Airtel, emphasized the alignment between Apple and Airtel in enhancing customer experience and entertainment. Additionally, Airtel's Wynk Premium users will be transitioned to Apple Music, granting them access to a wide range of global and Indian music, along with features like Apple Music Sing and Spatial Audio. These offers will be available exclusively to Airtel customers later this year.

Edtech

With 60% of Australian teachers already using AI-driven technologies, there's significant potential for these tools to address workforce and resourcing shortages in schools as reported by Brett Henebery. Personalized instruction, tailored to individual student needs, is increasingly in demand, and platforms like Education Perfect (EP) are leading the way. EP is used by over 1.4 million students and 50,000 teachers across Australia and New Zealand to differentiate content and reduce the burden of one-on-one teaching. Adaptive digital tools help students master key skills, while also providing teachers with valuable data to inform future lessons. Additionally, assistive tools are making learning more equitable for students with learning difficulties. Early trials of EP’s AI-powered feedback tool show promising results, with a 20% improvement in student outcomes. Shane Smith, Co-Founder of EP, envisions AI becoming integral in reducing administrative tasks, enhancing personalized instruction, and fostering a collaborative learning environment between teachers and students.

According to Coral Hoh, AI is poised to disrupt current practices in education by offering innovative solutions for dyslexia, a condition affecting 1 in 5 people and representing a significant challenge in special education. Traditional interventions have often failed to yield substantial improvements, largely due to the complexity of dyslexia and the limitations of current systems, which involve time-consuming evaluations and difficult-to-interpret results. AI, however, can autonomously evaluate and customize interventions for each student, addressing key issues such as brain complexity and processing speed. Tools like Dysolve AI are already showing success in improving reading, spelling, and vocabulary acquisition, making interventions more effective and cost-efficient. This technology could dramatically reduce the financial burden of special education while providing personalized support to students, potentially transforming how dyslexia and other neurodivergent conditions are managed.

Fintech

According to Julie Muhn, Visa and Revolut have partnered to offer real-time cross-border transactions for Revolut's business customers using Visa Direct, Visa's real-time payments platform. This collaboration allows Revolut's commercial clients to send instant card transfers globally, reaching payees in over 78 countries and supporting more than 50 currencies. Visa Direct enhances the speed, security, and reliability of international money transfers, enabling businesses to pay employees, contractors, and customers within 30 minutes. Revolut, which launched its business product in 2017, continues to expand its global financial services, recently securing a banking license in the UK and achieving a valuation of $45 billion.

AI

As reported by Seth Thorne, South Africa ranks among the top 10 countries where people actively use AI, particularly ChatGPT, according to Boston Consulting Group’s Global Consumer Sentiment Survey. The survey revealed that 31% of South Africans use ChatGPT, highlighting the country's significant engagement with AI technology. Globally, India leads with 45% of respondents using ChatGPT, followed by Morocco, the UAE, and Argentina. The report indicates that people are increasingly embracing AI for its benefits in comfort, customization, and convenience. For instance, many use AI for health and fitness apps, tailored product recommendations, and visual searches. However, the widespread use of AI also brings mixed feelings. While many are excited about AI’s potential, especially in the workplace, others express concerns about data security, ethical use, and job displacement. The report emphasizes the need for marketers and leaders to understand these concerns and foster a balanced approach to AI integration, addressing both excitement and apprehension.

Tourism

According to Obinna Emelike, Nabeela Farida Tunis, Sierra Leone’s Minister of Tourism and Cultural Affairs, has urged African tourism ministers to implement visa waivers to boost tourist inflow across the continent. Speaking at the 67th Meeting of the UN Tourism Regional Commission for Africa in Zambia, Minister Tunis emphasized that visa waivers are essential for enhancing tourism, alongside improving air travel between African countries. She expressed confidence that these challenges could be swiftly resolved through genuine cooperation among African nations. Minister Tunis also highlighted Sierra Leone's ongoing policy reforms aimed at improving the investment climate, including tax incentives, easier business registration, and infrastructure development.

A recent article in Southern and East African Tourism Update reports that South Africa is set to launch its National Astro-Tourism Strategy in the Northern Cape on World Tourism Day, September 27. This initiative, led by the Department of Tourism and the Department of Science and Innovation, aims to capitalize on the country's advanced astronomy projects, particularly the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) near Carnarvon. Minister of Tourism Patricia de Lille highlighted the Northern Cape's role in driving this strategy, emphasizing its potential to position South Africa as a world-class astro-tourism destination. The strategy focuses on infrastructure development, promoting indigenous celestial narratives, and fostering inclusive tourism growth, aiming to transform rural areas and enhance the visitor experience. The initiative underscores South Africa's unique advantage of clear, dark skies and its hosting of significant global astronomy projects, positioning the country as a leader in astro-tourism.

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