Real estate tokenization and smart home technology continue to grow, negotiations surrounding the bipartisan infrastructure bill stall its passing, artificial intelligence is poised to transform the construction industry, and more.
- Contra Global leverages real estate tokenization, the process of creating tokens on the Blockchain and assigning them to real estate properties that already exist or are under construction, to remove traditionally high barriers to investment entry as well as intermediary fees in the industry. (Navid Ladani, Yahoo Finance)
- Following the 2-week closure of the construction industry after protests turned violent over vaccine mandates, the Victorian government announced its reopening with up to 25 percent capacity of workers and new vaccination rules. (ABC News)
- Though the construction industry has traditionally relied heavily on human experience and expertise to complete projects, the industry is rapidly adopting digital solutions to adapt to chronic labor shortages, the need for sustainable solutions, and supply-chain disruptions. (Tom Taulli, Forbes)
- A recent report from McKinsey highlights more attention is needed on transport infrastructure, as approximately $2 trillion of investments worldwide will be needed each year until 2040 to fuel economic development and the transition to carbon zero. (Emma Loxton, Luca Milani, Detlev Mohr, and Nicola Sandri, McKinsey)
- The bipartisan infrastructure bill remains in flux as House Democrats dropped plans to vote last week after failing to reach agreement around a separate social policy and climate package. (Andrew Duehren, Kristina Peterson and Eliza Collins, The Wall Street Journal)
- Smart home technology has passed the early-adoption phase and is firmly part of the “mass market,” with the biggest sellers projected to be smart TVs, streaming players and other “networked entertainment devices.” (Scharon Harding, ARS Technica)