Top Tech for 2022
The Top Three Tech Sectors That Should Be on Your Watchlist for 2022
The end of one year is always a good time to pause for thought and prepare for the next. 2021 was certainly an interesting year, as the continuing effects of the pandemic accelerated certain sectors beyond all expectations while others came to a grinding halt. With nearly two years of pandemic experience now behind us and 2022 already on the horizon, here are the three tech sectors that should be on your watchlist.
Digital health
Digital health investments were gradually increasing in the years before COVID-19, but they boomed as the global pandemic evolved and new healthcare needs emerged. More capital flowed into digital healthcare solutions in 2020 than in any previous year. If the digital health sector of ten years ago wasn’t mature enough to be an attractive investment option, that scenario has now changed dramatically. Today’s digital health technologies have been refined and perfected, and the cultural changes that are necessary for widespread digital health adoption are well underway. With the acceleration received from COVID-19 and a global market size predicted to be worth around USD 640 billion by 2026, this is effectively the right time to invest here.
Within digital health, the startups that succeed are those that provide solutions to real clinical or patient needs, while the technologies that succeed are those that can integrate into the practical realities of healthcare. In 2020, digital health investors injected capital mainly into businesses offering remote and on-demand healthcare. The investment trend is moving away from health IT and towards digital health, as the latter becomes increasingly attractive to consumers and therefore also to investors.
Edtech
Edtech has already seen exponential growth over the last decade and is now being expedited by the pandemic-driven demand for new online learning technologies, which also make study more flexible for business schools and students. Some MBA programs are already delivered 100% online, with extended timelines for completion, meaning people can study when, where, and how they need to, thanks to sophisticated virtual learning tools and video conferencing software.
Integration of VR and AR is growing as well, helping students to learn more and learn faster. They can bring traditional learning experiences to life and provide hyper-personalization of traditional degree programs with tailor-made course content, while ensuring more interactive learning experiences throughout.
Gamification is not totally new to the classroom. It provides new ways to teach, and it can also improve student engagement, which is a challenge for education providers in both online and face-to-face teaching environments. The global gamification market is predicted to grow by 29% by 2027, so it’s a trend to keep an eye on.
Data analytics are already being used by some higher education institutions to identify students who may need additional support. This could be very useful for business schools, enabling them to support online MBA students with whom they have no in-person contact and stimulating involvement. Comparison of data compiled can help establish which students would work well together in group scenarios and could assist in creating a working community.
Fintech
Fintech has also continued to demonstrate its agility and ability to innovate, as the events of the pandemic accelerated trends that were already in motion and created new ones. Cross-border commerce has boomed and with it the demand for fast and reliable cross-border payment solutions. As ecommerce has gone more digital, smartphone payments are on the rise and mobile technology needs to meet the demand, for both quantity and reliability of transactions. Digital payment features will help traditional financial institutions attract and retain customers who are abandoning traditional card payment methods. Digital-only banks bring many benefits and in the future most banking will probably be entirely online as cloud banking is already a reality.
The use of intelligent technologies will certainly continue to expand in the financial sector due to the many benefits they provide for institutions, merchants, and consumers. Artificial intelligence and machine learning can be implemented for better risk management, to make operational improvements through data analysis, and to improve customer experiences.
Platform as a Service (PaaS) enables financial institutions to adapt to evolving regulations and evolving needs, providing a customized infrastructure for anything from payment processing to resource management. Payroll technologies may be a relatively new entry in the fintech industry, but they look set to become major players in 2022.
Financial institutions may have been slow to adopt it, but blockchain technology is redefining business operations across the board as well, in new startups and established companies alike. This is due to the unbeatable security that blockchain provides and the speed with which transactions are carried out and errors are eliminated.
