Boris Grozev's Blog

As the year comes to its end, I always like to take a look back and see what I have done well as well as what can be improved, and of course I tend to ask myself why…

2018 has been an incredibly dense year for the world as whole as well as for myself personally. Geopolitically, there has been soo much that happened. The following list can perhaps outline what the world has spoken the most of:

• The US has decided to withdraw its troops from Syria allowing the Russian Federation assert its growing role in the Middle East
• The biggest protests in France since 1968 have taken place. The yellow vests movement has demanded better social justice and challenged the current modus operandi of the European Union and the globalised world.
• BREXIT negotiations have been central driving force of European politics and economics. They have been major source of uncertaintly.
• Global uncertainty has has been omnipresent. This major theme can be read in the begging of the trade war between the US and China, the fact that the US has announced its witdrawal from the INF deal can trigger a new arms race, the Khashoggi murder and the fact that the US has unilaterally exited the deal with Iran means that the future can be troublosome in the Middle East.

In 2018 the world has seen many incredible breaktroughs. Technology has advanced at the speed of light. It is nearly impossible to write down a list of these innovations as there are soo many. Personally, I am optimistic to see how these incredible discoveries will be implemented in everyday life going forward. The good news is that many start up founders do share the same opinion. Here are few of those that grabbed my attention the most.

• In MedScience we have seen the first 3D printed organs
• First gene edited baby has been born, pushing further the boundries of DNA research
• Space travel and research have reached new peacks, such documenting sunsets on Mars as well as dramatically reducing the cost of space travel.
• AI and Machine learning have been instrumental to technology development in 2018

In 2018 the world of business and finance has seen many changes that will have lasting impact. Monetary policy changes, half centurty long policy trade policy reviews, algo trading, unusual stock market behaviour and hedge fund closures have been few of the interesting events.

• After a decade long record low interest rate environment central banks accross the globe have started to raise interest rates
• The world has seen the first trillion dollar company
• The world stock market has traded sideways and as of the time of this writting will most likely finish flat or slightly negative. Good news is that in 2019 chances are investors will find better entry points.
• Oil has been one of the most discussed investments in 2018 and has certeanly been very volatile from lows of 50 USD per barell to highs of 86 USD. It will certainly continue to drive markets in 2019.

For me personally, 2018 has been an incredible experience. As with everything else, it is hard to say what has been the most important. The year was marked by the loss of my maternal grandmother. An event that has made me grow up and perhaps finally become an adult. I have visited and worked in five new countries this year. At my job at Bloomberg, I had many challenges but at the same time I learned the most and closed the best ever year in terms of enterprise sales. Family wise, we have we have managed to gather all together for the year end, which givem the cultural differences as well as geographical locations of everyone, it is a huge achievement. We have also managed to grow our relationships to the next level, which is fantastic. Business wise, the family business has grown and we have managed to make the first real estate investment in long time. My wife’s business is also in a ready to go mode. I have also compled my first 10K run in the desert, in the summer which is a challenge. I learned a lot about blockchain and read Eckhart Tolle‘s Power of Now which is a book that I can easily recommend. And much much more…

For 2019, I already have an exciting list of things to do. Getting ready to get them done. Thanks for reading and let me know how was your 2018. Thank you 2018 and lets make 2019 great again!

About the author

Boris Grozev is a seasoned fintech executive. Moreover, he is an entrepreneur by heart. Boris has helped number of businesses. To clarify, he has created and implemented business development and product enhancement strategies. In addition, his advisory work in emerging and frontier markets has resulted in culture and technology change. Above all, it has fostered innovation and lead to tangible results. He also invests in variety of asset classes and shares his experiences from the journey to financial independence. Boris’ leadership abilities, ambition naturally spread to others. He is a fast learner. His stamina, attitude and passion to succeed help to achieve common goals.