Of Interest
you are currently viewing:International Standards Proliferate, Reshaping Global Economy: Too Many Developing Countries Are Left Behind, Report FindsDecember 11, 2025--A proliferating set of international standards-covering everything from food labeling to the specifications of 5G cellular networks-s steadily reshaping the global economic order, delivering hefty benefits to the wealthy nations and large multinational companies that set them while leaving many developing countries on the sidelines, according to a new World Bank report. Today, standards are foundational economic infrastructure, as vital to prosperity as roads or ports, according to the World Development Report 2025: Standards for Development, which provides the first comprehensive analysis of the landscape of global standards. By making the transportation of goods seamless, the standardization of the shipping container boosted global trade to a greater extent than all of the trade agreements of the last 60 years, the report notes. Since the turn of the century, however, standards have also become weapons in trade wars: non-tariff measures such pesticide specifications or labeling requirements, for example, now affect 90 percent of global trade, up from just 15% in the late 1990s. Source: worldbank.org |
Quantum sector enters new phase after a decade of rapid growth, according to new OECD and EPO study
December 17, 2025--The quantum technology landscape has expanded rapidly over the past decade, with rising firm entry, increasing investment and strong growth in innovation across quantum communication, computing and sensing.
