From zero to 50 million bike shares in no time - No. 64

Tencent, the operator of the WeChat messaging app in China, is starting to bring in luxury brands to sell their high end designer handbags on the platform. This just proves for me that mobile can be used for anything. Large transactions as well. I am really wondering what we in the West and Whatsapp are doing. If you read this article on how Financial Times tries to get a little bit of reader attention (no money making involved) through Whatsapp, the difference could not be bigger. 

If you really wat to understand how crazy and unexpected all this development in China is, do read this article. You will understand how and why a chemical company is buying a Western game developer for 1 billion US dollars. Games are booming over there and if you have money, you do not want to miss the boat. I experienced this myself, visiting a trend hedge fund company in Hangzhou that now turned its eye to game development. Its owner, mr Lou, a fascinating enterpreneur who is into calligraphy and tea.

If this was not enough, consider bycicle sharing in China. Virtually non-existent a year or two ago, the number of bicycle-sharing users in China will more than double to 50 million by the end of this very year. You see those bikes every where, people paying with a scan on their mobile phone (Alipay and WeChat Pay). Bike sharing is actually becoming bigger than ride sharing.