An energy revolution thanks to an algorithm and a basic income that is finally on its way? After a year like 2020, things couldn’t get much crazier, but Saxo Bank is playing to this with its 10 “outrageous predictions” for 2021.
The bank and its investment strategist Steen Jakobsen traditionally bring 10 high-profile, but also highly improbable visions of the future at the end of the year. Although many of the predictions seem rather improbable, there is always a chance that one or more of them will come true unexpectedly. Saxo Bank did not foresee a disruptive pandemic last year, but with the launch of a digital renminbi this year one of its 10 predictions for this year still materialised, sort of.
The supertrends already present in the social and technological field have been accelerated by the coronavirus crisis. ‘As a result, revolutionary things will be possible in the coming years, both technologically, medically and in terms of sustainability,’ says Jakobsen.
After all, what if, despite all efforts, the coveted and necessary energy revolution were to emerge from an algorithm? Although new and sustainable energy solutions stimulate growth, the world economy needs a disruption in this respect as well, according to Saxo Bank.
Breakthrough in the field of nuclear fusion
And there will be one in 2021. Thanks to a breakthrough in the field of nuclear fusion, a new algorithm will increase the energy production through this technique by a factor of 20. The result is a commercial alternative to conventional energy. Both the public and private sectors will invest heavily. This makes it possible to implement the new fusion design within a few years.
Welcome to a world no longer hampered by water or food scarcity, thanks to desalination and vertical agriculture. Cheap transport, fully unleashed robotics and automation technology. The current young generation will be the last to work.
In addition to the increasing focus on the environment, the coronavirus has brought other issues more to the fore. For example, the crisis has further exacerbated social inequalities and increased the need for a good work-life balance. The answer to both issues is a global basic income. Add to this the fact that working from home has taken off because of the pandemic, and the result is that many people will leave expensive cities and settle in the areas where they grew up.
Vaccine proves to be a double killer
2021 will also be the year in which, thanks to a vaccine, we will overcome the coronavirus. However, after the initial jubilation, there also appears to be a downside. The vaccine is proving to be a killer not only for the virus, but also for part of the economy. As a result of the strong recovery, some parts of the economy are completely overheating. Interest rates, wages and inflation are rising dramatically, causing a large number of companies and sectors to collapse.
Is all this fake news? No, fake news is coming to an end! The irritation about the harmful effects and influence of misinformation on the internet and social media has been growing for years. In 2021, the large media companies are finally forced to act. From now on, information will only be shared using a blockchain technique after a reliability check and news items can be traced back to the source.
In case you haven’t yet had enough of the wild predictions, below is the complete list:
- Amazon “buys” Cyprus
- Germany bails out France
- Blockchain tech kills fake news
- China’s new digital currency inspires tectonic shift in capital flows
- Revolutionary fusion designcatapults humanity into energy abundance
- Universal basic income decimates big cities
- Disruption dividend creates Citizens Technology Fund
- A successful Covid-19 vaccine kills companies
- Sun shines on silver, which sizzles on solar panel demand
- Next-generation tech supercharges frontier and emerging markets
You can find the complete whitepaper “Outrageous predictions 2021” in our market reports database.