Global smartphone sales reached 380 million units in the first quarter of 2017, a 9.1% increase year-on-year, according to data from the research and consulting firm Garner, published by Europa Press.

BBVA Global Executive Chairman Francisco González, together with Queen Maxima of the Netherlands and OECD Secretary General Ángel Gurría, presented the 2015 PISA Report on Financial Literacy. According to the conclusions of the study, Spain sits below the OECD average. BBVA’s Global Executive Chairman called for “everyone to join forces to make progress in an issue that is so significant to people’s well-being” like financial education.

According to Bank of America's Merrill Edge study, millennials prefer to travel, go out to dinner or pay for a gym membership, rather than ensure their financial future. Specifically, 81% of millennials tend to spend more on travel, 65% on dinners and 55% on fitness rather than save for their financial future.

As reported in Expansión, 20,000 new species were discovered and named in 2016, adding to the planet’s puzzle of biodiversity. The bush that bleeds and the worm shaped like a churro (the sweet Spanish snack made of fried dough) are two of the ten new species scientists have selected as the most significant discoveries.

Expansión reports that according to the conclusions of AIMC’s 20th Census of Movie Theaters, the number of movie theaters increased this year for the first time since 2011 to nearly 700. However, the last three years have registered increases in the number of moviegoers. The sector is also moving ahead in its digitization process, as nearly 90 % of movie theaters have been digitized.

Brands are hiring influencers to reach out the masses. Companies are paying dizzying sums of money for a picture. They say the investment is worth it. However, trusting communications to people outside an organization entails risks.

According to the European Parliament, online platforms like Uber, Airbnb and Deliveroo that connect suppliers of goods and services with consumers have become increasingly popular in just a few years. The value of transactions from the four main sectors of the collaborative economies totaled 28 billion euros in the European Union in 2015, nearly doubling the total from 2014. However, this new business model comes with both challenges and opportunities.

As reported in Futuro a Fondo, Deloitte has estimated that development and growth of robo-advisors in the asset management market at more than $3.7 trillion by 2020 and more than $16 trillion by 2025. These figures are three times the amount the main global asset managers currently manage.

As reported in Prensario, the IDC FutureScape study concludes that 40 % of the 3,000 biggest companies in Latin America will have teams specializing in innovation and digital transformation by the end of 2017. By 2020, digitally improved products, services and experiences will not just be a priority for these companies, the majority of the business will depend on their ability to create them.

Expansión reports that, according to the Annual Adecco V Monitor of Salaries, which is prepared by Adecco, a human resources company, along with researchers at Barceló y Asociados, the average salary in Spain rose only 0.3 % in the last five years, to €1,636 per month. However, the purchasing power of the average salary paid in Spain fell 2.4 % in the same period, and it is down in all autonomous communities with the exception of Cantabria (+2.5 %) and the Community of Madrid (+0.6 %).