BYD, Upco International, Moderna: bet on the winners!

Share takes foot off the gas

The Chinese electric car manufacturer BYD had to consolidate somewhat. After reaching a high of just under EUR 22 last week, the share price corrected in part to EUR 17. This is also the area in which the upward trend that has been in evidence since August is proceeding. However, the fundamental data for the "Build your dream" share are still correct. In addition to the surprisingly strong demand for the new Han model, another promising partnership was announced yesterday. Didi Chuxing, the largest ride-hailing Company in China, and BYD, presented the world's first customized ride-hailing vehicle.

With ride-hailing, you book the ride spontaneously via an App. This has the advantage that important booking information, such as the position of the driver and his arrival time, can be displayed in real-time. D1, as the new car is called, is designed for the 550 million passengers and more than 10 million drivers on Didi's transport platform. By 2025, more than 1 million such carpool cars are to be available on Didi's platform.

At the digital pulse of time

According to Statista, the global transaction volume in the area of mobile point-of-sale payments is expected to reach approximately USD 1.5 trillion in 2020 and over USD 4.15 trillion by 2024, representing an average annual growth rate of 29.4 percent. The Canadian Company Upco International intends to have a piece of the pie in this growth. The launch of the beta phase of UpcoPay last week brings the Company a decisive step closer to its goal. Initially, UpcoPay is to serve as an innovative, highly secure direct payment method between individuals or between individuals and merchants, since it is based on a blockchain.

Building on this, after the implementation of an e-wallet it will be possible, among other things, to load money, process payments or transfer foreign exchange without having to set up an account or enter sensitive bank data. From 2021, Upco users in Europe will be able to use UpcoPay to send and receive money quickly, securely, and without the use of a credit or debit card. Over time, this service will be extended to other areas such as retail and hospitality.

Strong partners

Token.io is used for this open banking platform for B2B, B2C but also C2C business. The platform already has existing connections with 6,000 banks in Europe alone. This means that no new accounts need to be opened for affiliated companies and end-users. Transactions are confirmed immediately, and the fees for the merchants are reduced by over 50%. This is significantly lower than competitors like PayPal or the well-known credit card providers, VISA or Mastercard.

Business units offer synergies

In addition to the Digital Services division mentioned above, Upco International also offers traditional telecommunications wholesale in the Wholesale Telecom division. Here, better contractual conditions with international telecommunications providers are achieved by pooling many smaller customers in cross-border telephone traffic. These customers can then use the Digital Services division at any time, resulting in strong organic growth.

Thanks to a complete realignment and the replacement of the management team at the beginning of the year, the Company, based in Vancouver and New York City, is ideally positioned to help shape the digital transformation. The current market value of CAD 4 million does not, in the least, reflect the rapid development of the Company.

BioNTech in pole position

If you follow Formula 1, BioNTech has won the open practice. After the Mainz-based Company announced the successful data from the pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial for its vaccine candidate BNT162b2 last week, emergency approval in the US can be applied for as early as the end of November. The emergency approval will allow vaccination of people who have high occupational exposure to Coronavirus, such as nurses and physicians. The potential vaccine achieved an efficacy rate of more than 90%, seven days after the second dose.

CureVac is cool

There is a significant catch to BioNTech's magic formula, that being that the vaccine requires arctic temperatures of minus 70 degrees Celsius in transport and logistics reports to ensure its effectiveness and the vaccine can only be kept in the refrigerator for one day. The competitor from Tübingen has eliminated this problem. CureVac's own Covid-19 vaccine candidate remains stable for at least three months, even at plus five degrees Celsius, the Company announced on Thursday afternoon after the evaluation of internal test results.

This would allow the vaccine to be transported and stored at refrigerator temperature. One must not forget, however, that time plays against CureVac. Thus, the Tübingen-based Company does not intend to start a large-scale Phase IIb/III test until the current fourth quarter. Therefore, the market launch can only take place in mid-2021 at the earliest, and the Company is still looking for a strong partner.

Touchdown Moderna

Although a week later than the German competitor, but with a clear exclamation mark, Moderna's results flickered across the screens yesterday. The preparation of the US Company has an efficacy of more than 94 percent - and has an additional decisive advantage over BioNTech's vaccine. According to the US Company's headquarters, it is possible to store its vaccine for 30 days, much longer than the previously estimated seven days. For longer-term storage, it can be placed in freezers, but not the minus 70 degrees Celsius called for by Pfizer. Advantage Moderna!