Close panel

Close panel

Close panel

Close panel

Innovation

Innovation

Forbes analyzes the global landscape to bring us a foretaste of the startups that are set to make their mark in the near future. These are the 25 companies that are on course to hit the highly-prized $1 billion ($1,000 million) mark next year. Here we highlight five of them.

Recent years have seen an explosion in mobile payments in countries like Kenya or the area of Bangladesh. The two countries have something in common: both are developing areas, whose economy and society are in a somewhat precarious situation. This said, a question arises. Why are these systems working here and not in other places where greater efforts are being made to create payment platforms with cell phones? What do both places have in common? Let's find out.

Technology has become smaller and, by extension, less visible to the human eye. This is not merely a reduction in size, this transformation is accompanied by simplifying use, making things easier for the user and camouflaging everything from when the action takes place until the reaction comes. A promising future, but one in which you have to look closely to understand all the implications.