New Gen: The 10 most sought-after trends of 2021

Megatrends are transforming forces whose impact is perceptible by an important segment of society over a prolonged period of time, mainly in the business and economic sectors. In New Gen the most sought after by investors and the general public during 2021 were the following:

1. Pets

In the United States, seven out of every 10 households have pets; in fact, more homes have pets than children. Owners provide all kinds of amenities for what they consider members of their family; from premium food, medical care, insurance policies and luxury items.

Why invest in pets?

• The pet care industry is estimated to grow 6% annually through 2025, going on to bill more than $270 billion worldwide, according to a ProShares report.
• For a large portion of owners, the well-being of their pets is paramount, leading them to spend significant amounts on them.
• The appetite for premium and luxury products continues to expand.

2. 5G

5G technology constitutes the fifth generation of mobile networks, which will enable mobile connections to have higher speeds, lower latency and ten times the data capacity of 4G networks.

Why invest in 5G Technology?

• It represents a revolution in connectivity, with all the advantages this confers.
• It is one of the technologies with the greatest potential to change the way we live. The Internet of Things, Artificial Intelligence, Big Data, Cloud Computing, and the rest of the technologies that are changing the world, will directly use 5G.
• The 5G network is going to impact all industries; such as medical, automotive, communications, and transportation.

3. Gaming / e-sports

Video games are all those games displayed on a digital device, while e-sports are the professional competition of these. Both have registered exponential growth in the face of the confinement due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Why invest in video games and eSports?

• The e-sports market has exploded in recent years, with more and more viewers.
• By 2020 viewers were over 200 million worldwide up from 50 million during 2012.
• Demographic and social changes have led to more and more people becoming fans of video games and e-sports.

4. Electric mobility

Electric mobility encompasses all those transportation technologies that run on electricity generated from a sustainable source. It is an alternative to internal combustion engines and is revolutionizing the world.

Why invest in electric mobility?

• The costs of electric mobility have fallen at a dizzying rate in recent years.
• It is a nascent industry with great growth potential, particularly in the automotive sector.
• The market for electric vehicles is doubling every 2.5 years since they began selling more than a decade ago,

5. Cryptocurrencies

The most famous cryptocurrency is Bitcoin. This cryptocurrency is currently attributed with characteristics similar to those of money as a means of payment and functions similar to digital “gold”. It reached a capitalization of more than 1 trillion dollars in 2021.

Meanwhile, Ether the Ethereum network coin, is the second largest cryptocurrency with the most tokens issued. Its applications range from decentralized finance, to intellectual property, art and video games.

Why invest in cryptocurrencies?

• It brings great advances in security and lowers costs, as it allows digital transactions without intermediaries, in an agile, cheap and efficient way.
• It is a new way of exchanging economic value through the internet.
• With blockchain technology, its growth potential is exponential.

6. Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence is the simulation of human intelligence through machines that are programmed to think and use their senses like human beings, thus being able to learn, reason and make decisions.

Why invest in Artificial Intelligence?

• Artificial intelligence is an engine of innovation, allowing to make any process more efficient.
• It has applications in various fields such as health, finance, transportation and education.
• Artificial intelligence can double its economic growth between now and 2035 according to a study by Accenture and Frontier Economics.

7. Robotics

The debate about when machines will replace humans is not new; however, people and machines often need to coexist. Some robots are even capable of performing tasks with better results than humans.

Why invest in Robotics?

• Robots can perform tasks in a very precise, repetitive manner, and at a faster speed than humans which translates into more efficient production.
• They allow humans to dispense with performing dangerous tasks, thus reducing occupational hazards.
• The global robotics market is expected to grow at a rate of 10% by 2025.

8. Healthcare of the future

In recent years, we have seen our society grow older, but at the same time more aware of the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle. The healthcare industry has rapidly transformed, placing more and more emphasis on preventive rather than curative medicine.

Why invest in future health?

• It incorporates such innovative technological advances as artificial intelligence, nanotechnology, 3D printing, or robotics. Combining medicine with these technologies allows our healthcare systems to be much more efficient.
• It allows for highly personalized treatments.
• The healthcare sector has always shown itself to be one of the most stable, as the demand for healthcare is constant, regardless of economic fluctuation.

9. Cannabis

Cannabis, also known as marijuana, is a psychoactive drug that is mainly used for medical or recreational purposes, although it has a variety of uses and has now gained wide acceptance by society and governments.

Why invest in cannabis?

• According to data from Grand View Research, the cannabis market is expected to grow by 17% annually until 2025.
• More and more countries are legalizing the use of marijuana, mostly for medicinal purposes, but some are even allowing its use for recreational purposes.
• The market is expected to experience 126% growth through 2027, according to data from Market Research Future.

10. Fintech

The word fintech is an abbreviation for financial technology and consists of technological development to transform the financial industry, mainly through the digitization of money, investments and personalization of services.

Why invest in fintech?

• Fintech services represent great benefits for companies, mainly SMEs.
• Improved security of finances thanks to biometric data, tokenization and data encryption, as well as participation in blockchain.
• 46% of users use digital channels to cover their financial needs.