In 2015, investments in fintech nearly doubled to $22.3 billion. And although there were 1,108 deals made, there are only 27 companies that can call themselves unicorns – private companies valued at over $1 billion or more. Locating the Fintech Unicorns Today’s infographic breaks down data on the 27 fintech unicorns, and it comes from Glance Technologies, a Canadian-based payments company that just IPO’d on the Canadian Securities Exchange. In total, the world’s fintech unicorns add up to a total valuation of $138....

Today’s infographic from Raconteur breaks down the material shift towards renewable energy, and where in the world it’s taking place. Time to go green A recent United Nations report estimates that renewables must make up 70% to 85% of electricity by 2050 to combat the dire effects of climate change. The good news? Embracing renewable energy is becoming easier on the wallet. Most renewable energy sources are becoming cheaper and quicker to produce, and it’s speeding up widespread adoption....

The Looming Copper Supply Crunch This infographic is presented by Western Copper & Gold Copper is among the three most used metals in the world, and high quantities of the red metal must be mined every year to meet global demand. The market for copper is equal to approximately $120 billion each year, which rivals that of even iron ore, the most widely traded metal. This is because infrastructure, technology, and automobiles consume massive amounts of copper....

The Re-Awakening of the Golden Triangle Many years ago, a remote and mountainous region in northwestern British Columbia gained considerable notoriety as an emerging mineral district. With a rich mining history, one of the world’s largest silver mines (Eskay Creek, discovered in 1988), and million ounce gold deposits – this area of incredible wealth became known as “The Golden Triangle”. However, despite its obvious potential, the vast majority of land in this highly prospective region has been left mostly untouched by humans....

Much like the way organic products have risen to prominence in supermarkets, consumers will start to demand high-quality products as the cannabis industry matures, as well. Today’s infographic comes from The Green Organic Dutchman, and it elaborates on why investors and consumers alike are anticipating a growing trend towards organic cannabis. Roots of the Movement In a nutshell, organic refers to products grown without fertilizers, pesticides, or genetic modifications. By that definition, organic practices also help to minimize the impact of farming on an environmental level....

The FAANG stocks alone have gained over $1 trillion in market capitalization since 2014 – and these stocks, along with other tech movers and shakers, have helped propel indices to constant new highs. Growing Competition While tech shows no signs of letting up on its dominance over markets, investors should know about two other multi-billion dollar sectors nipping at its heels. In today’s infographic, done in conjunction with SmallCapPower, we’ve highlighted the macro investment cases behind tech as well as these other high-growth areas: battery metals and cannabis....

Like many other modern goods, they get made in manufacturing plants that are designed to produce at scale. However, the factories pumping out the world’s cruise ships and electric cars are anything but ordinary. Most of them take up many city blocks, while a few of them have the size, workers, and amenities of an actual city. From Hyundai’s Ulsan Factory in South Korea to the Boeing Factory near Seattle, today’s infographic and list from Futurism shows the world’s biggest factories....

What is a Hedge Fund? For many entry-level investors, hedge funds are shrouded in mystery and exclusivity. It’s common, for example, for media coverage to focus on the ultra-wealthy founders and CEOs of hedge funds, such as Ray Dalio or Bill Ackman, as well as their secretive investing strategies or exclusive clientele. Like investment banks, they are seen as an elite fixture on Wall Street, and they also get scapegoated for a variety of market problems ranging from manipulation to a lack of transparency....

This was during a time of extreme uncertainty in the markets, and the world’s first mutual fund allowed this pool of investors to diversify across a number of European countries and American colonies. Like most other early mutual funds, it was a closed-end fund – meaning that after the first 2,000 units were purchased, participation could only occur from buying or selling shares on the secondary market. This first fund, called “Eendragt Maakt Magt” (“unity creates strength”), lasted for 50 years and set the stage for what is now a $40....

It’s a major ingredient in big-ticket consumer goods like autos, appliances, electronics, and new homes. Simultaneously, copper is also gobbled up for many industrial uses including telecommunications, utilities, construction, and industrial machinery. An Economic Bellwether Today’s infographic comes to us from Kutcho Copper, and it shows the red metal’s important role in the economy, as well as why it has become a famous economic bellwether. Rising Demand When the economy is doing well and new things are being made, demand soars for the red metal....

Today’s map from HowMuch.net resizes countries around the world based on international tourist receipts in 2017, using data from the World Tourism Organization. Top International Destinations Here are the world’s top countries for tourism, based on total money spent: Coming into the top spot is the United States with $210.7 billion spent by 74.7 million tourists, or roughly $2,819 per person in 2017. The country boasts attractions like the Grand Canyon, Disneyland, the Statue of Liberty, beaches in Hawaii or California, or Yellowstone National Park, with the highest rated U....

As a result, we don’t often get to see the nuances of the global economy, such as how much specific regions and metro areas contribute to global GDP. In these cartograms, global GDP has been normalized to a base number of 1,000 in order to show a more regional breakdown of economic activity. Created by Reddit user /BerryBlue_Blueberry, the two maps show the distribution in different ways: by nominal GDP and by GDP adjusted for purchasing power parity (PPP)....

Today’s post is the incredible Unified Geologic Map of the Moon from the USGS, which combines information from six regional lunar maps created during the Apollo era, as well as recent spacecraft observations. Feet on the Ground, Head in the Sky Since the beginning of humankind, the Moon has captured our collective imagination. It is one of the few celestial bodies visible to the naked eye from Earth. Over time different cultures wrapped the Moon in their own myths....

Oil is one of the world’s most important natural resources, playing a critical role in everything from transportation fuels to cosmetics. For this reason, many governments choose to nationalize their supply of oil. This gives them a greater degree of control over their oil reserves as well as access to additional revenue streams. In practice, nationalization often involves the creation of a national oil company to oversee the country’s energy operations....

However, the country is also the third largest in land size, giving it a wide and diverse geographical landscape. As a result of these factors, it is possible to have both ends of the population distribution spectrum. Many people live in modern megacities, while others choose to reside in a vast countryside sparsely dotted by cottages and lakes. A small tract of land such as Manhattan has 1.6 million people living in a relatively small space....

As job loss rose across the globe, many countries introduced job retention schemes to steady unemployment rates. At the same time, working hours for many who held on to their jobs were reduced. To put it in perspective, COVID-19’s negative impact on working hours globally has been around 4x more than that caused by the Global Financial Crisis in 2009. Working Hard or Hardly Working? As of January 2021, an estimated 93% of the world’s workforce lives in a country with some type of workplace closure restrictions still in place....

Despite this, there are still pockets around the globe that are rich in linguistic diversity. Here’s a look at the top 10 countries where the most languages are spoken. These numbers include established and immigrant dialects. Top 10 Countries with the Most Languages Despite a population of just 8.8 million, Papua New Guinea comes in first with a total of 840 languages spoken across the country. To put things into perspective, that’s almost 12% of the world’s languages spoken in an area that’s roughly the size of California....

Just under one billion people still lack basic access to electricity, and many more connect to the grid through improvised wiring or live through frequent blackouts. On the flip side of the socioeconomic spectrum, a growing chorus of voices is pressuring governments and corporations to power the global economy in a more sustainable way. Today’s visualization – using data from the World Energy Council (WEC) – ranks countries based on their mix of policies for tackling issues like energy security and environmental sustainability....

The global population of ultra-high net worth individuals (UHNWIs) grew by 46,000 to a record of 218,200. The report notes that UHNWIs benefited from a surge in the value of financial assets last year. The majority of ultra-wealthy individuals already reside in the United States, but 2021 saw a staggering increase of 30,470 people bring added to this exclusive ultra-wealthy category in the country. China and India will likely see their ultra-wealthy populations increase dramatically, but still have a long way to go before catching up to the United States....

Yet, while the ripple effects of COVID-19 have thrown many businesses into disarray, some companies have not only managed to stay afloat amidst the chaos—they’ve thrived. Using data from Kantar BrandZ, this graphic looks at the top 100 most valuable brands of 2021. Methodology Each year, research group Kantar BrandZ ranks companies based on their “brand value,” which is measured by: The financial results are then combined with quantitative survey data, sourced from over 170,000 global consumers....