The coronavirus crisis accelerated the digital transformation of Europe's economy. Before the pandemic, cutting-edge digital technologies were primarily used by the most innovative and modern firms. The COVID-19 crisis, however, brought the digital transformation to the larger society — and made digitalisation integral to firms' survival. Digital firms were better able to cope with the disruption unleashed by the pandemic, and they were less likely than non-digital firms to see sales decline significantly from 2020 onwards. Many of them used the crisis an opportunity to accelerate their digitalisation. The Digitalisation in Europe 2021-2022 report uses results from the EIB Investment Survey (EIBIS), conducted from April to July 2021, to shed light on the level of digitalisation among Europe's small and medium firms.

The European Union is closing the digital gap with the United States. More than half of European firms invested in digitalisation during the COVID-19 pandemic, and they are rapidly catching up with their US peers in implementing advanced digital technologies. Despite the progress, however, Europe is not well positioned in digital innovation, and it is at risk of developing dependencies in several critical technologies. Some key takeaways: Digitalisation has helped European firms adjust at a time of repeated economic shocks. Digital firms also tend to be more productive. Successfully managing the digital transition and taking advantage of its long-term benefits goes beyond technology adoption – it requires societal change. Firms' digitalisation depends on several factors, such as adequate digital infrastructure, competition-friendly regulation and labor market skills. The report, Digitalisation in Europe 2022-2023 : Evidence from the EIB Investment Survey, uses data collected from firms to shed light on the progress small and medium firms in Europe are making on digitalisation.

Global finance is in the middle of a radical transformation fueled by innovative financial technologies. The coronavirus pandemic has accelerated the digitization of retail financial services in Europe. Institutional interest and digital asset markets are also growing blurring the boundaries between the token economy and traditional finance. Blockchain, AI, quantum computing and decentralised finance (DeFI) are setting the stage for a global battle of business models and philosophies. The post-Brexit EU cannot afford to ignore the promise of digital finance. But the Union is struggling to keep pace with global innovation hubs, particularly when it comes to experimenting with new digital forms of capital raising. Calibrating the EU digital finance strategy is a balancing act that requires a deep understanding of the factors driving the transformation, be they legal, cultural, political or economic, as well as their many implications. The same FinTech inventions that use AI, machine learning and big data to facilitate access to credit may also establish invisible barriers that further social, racial and religious exclusion. The way digital finance actors source, use, and record information presents countless consumer protection concerns. The EU’s strategic response has been years in the making and, finally, in September 2020 the Commission released a Digital Finance Package. This special issue collects contributions from leading scholars who scrutinize the challenges digital finance presents for the EU internal market and financial market regulation from multiple public policy perspectives. Author contributions adopt a critical yet constructive and solutions-oriented approach. They aim to provide policy-relevant research and ideas shedding light on the complexities of the digital finance promise. They also offer solid proposals for reform of EU financial services law.

This edited volume analyses the digital development of the European Union, presenting an interdisciplinary perspective from the disciplines of political science, international relations, economics, and law. The contributions address the main areas where the EU can, and should act, for creating an efficient and protective digital space in Europe. The book highlights the responsibility of the European Union to work on the future of its digital development, looking for prosperity and defending the European conception of society. It explains how European values must be incorporated into the digital revolution and shows how the digital revolution of the EU will defend the Europeans from new threats. The book's comprehensive approach allows the reader to understand this process without in-depth knowledge of the specific discipline. Therefore, it is a must-read for everybody interested in a better understanding of digital development, European Union policy, and the future of Europe.

In light of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that were set in 2015 by the international community as part of the UN2030 Agenda, it has become essential to develop possible solutions capable to address the latest economic, social, political, and demographical global challenges by tackling all the dimensions of sustainable development. Further insight into today’s context concerning the process of making positive and constructive contributions for SDGs is required. Positive and Constructive Contributions for Sustainable Development Goals provides an updated view of the newest trends, novel practices, and latest tendencies concerning the benefits, advantages, opportunities, and challenges of building an international successful process of making positive and constructive contributions for SDGs. Covering topics such as corporate social responsibility, economic development, and social management, this premier reference source is a valuable resource for scientists, business leaders and managers, government officials, students and educators of higher education, entrepreneurs, librarians, researchers, and academicians.

The Republic of Moldova has made digitalisation a policy priority. The country is currently preparing its Digital Transformation Strategy 2023-30, which will emphasise digital literacy, as well as digital business skills, with a view to improving private sector competitiveness.

The book is a collection of best selected research papers presented at the Third World Conference on Internet of Things: Applications & Future (ITAF 2023) organized by Global Knowledge Research Foundation in Cairo during February 4–5, 2023. It includes innovative works from researchers, leading innovators, business executives, and industry professionals to examine the latest advances and applications for commercial and industrial end users across sectors within the emerging Internet of things ecosphere. It shares state-of-the-art as well as emerging topics related to Internet of things such as big data research, emerging services and analytics, Internet of things (IoT) fundamentals, electronic computation and analysis, big data for multi-discipline services, security, privacy and trust, IoT technologies, and open and cloud technologies.