Timing and tenacity pay off for GCash

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Hello reader,

Timing is everything, particularly so in comedy, life, and investing.

Just ask someone like Ronald Wayne, who infamously sold a 10% stake in Apple (AAPL, Nasdaq) for a mere US$800 in 1976. No prizes for guessing that Wayne’s timing was a little bit off.

Of course, how could he have known that Apple would go on to be worth trillions of dollars? Timing, then, is part serendipity and part tenacity. This is something my colleague Melissa outlines in today’s Big Story on Globe Telecom’s (GLO, PSE) GCash.

The mobile wallet unicorn got lucky that several factors converged to allow it to scale rapidly. But as Melissa explores, the company was well-prepared to take advantage of these circumstances. The question is, can Globe repeat the trick with another of its companies? Time, and timing, will tell.

— Peter

THE BIG STORY

Image credit: Timmy Loen

From telco to ‘techco’: the Philippines’ Globe seeks next unicorn after GCash success
GCash’s success has spurred Globe to go harder on its various digital ventures that span climate, health, education, and more. Can they succeed?

3 Trends to keep an eye on

Hot stocks, earnings reports, restructuring, pressure from activist investors, and more.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo (left) visiting the VinFast manufacturing complex in Hai Phong, Vietnam / Photo credit: Vingroup

1️⃣ Revving up Indonesia: Electric vehicle (EV) manufacturers smell opportunity in Indonesia, and with a growing middle class and rich nickel reserves in the country, who could blame them?

Vietnam’s VinFast (VFS, Nasdaq) recently received approval from President Joko Widodo to expand in the country. The company plans to invest some US$1.2 billion in Indonesia, including US$200 million on an EV manufacturing plant.

2 Eye-popping facts

The one you didn’t see coming