Barcelona

Taking a train to go to work in Barcelona or Girona has become an impossible mission

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Finding an AVANT train ticket to move around Catalonia has become quite a risky mission. Thousands of people who travel daily from Girona and Lleida to Barcelona face the impossibility of finding this type of ticket less than two weeks in advance. The high demand has overwhelmed the supply of places on high-speed services, forcing users to plan their trips weeks in advance or risk being left without transportation. The problem in figures. Demand for AVANT services has skyrocketed in recent years. According to Renfe data that share elDiario, in 2024 the Figueres-Barcelona line transported 1.52 million passengers, 43% more than in 2022. From Lleida, the increase was even more pronounced: 488,000 travelers in 2024, 65% more than two years before. This exponential growth has exceeded the capacity of the current infrastructure, creating a bottleneck that especially affects peak demand times. Why are AVANTs collapsed? The phenomenon has several causes. The main one is 50% bonus in the price of the passes implemented in 2022, which has turned these trains into an accessible alternative to the private vehicle. Added to this is the deterioration of the Rodalies and Media Distancia service, plagued by incidents and delayswhich has pushed many users towards high speed. Travel times are also a more attractive factor: 40 minutes from Girona to Barcelona compared to an hour and a half by conventional train, or an hour and a quarter from Lleida compared to more than three hours by Rodalies. The odyssey of getting a ticket. Daniel Blay, who usually takes the Girona-Barcelona train, account to elDiario that “on Monday of each week I try to reserve all the tickets for the following week, because if not you will run out.” For some critical schedules, such as the 7:25 train from Girona, there are no places available “within ten days or two weeks.” From Lleida, the situation is similar. Kevin Bruque, spokesperson for the Avant Catalunya Users platform, explained to the media that “you only find 15 days in advance to get a ticket if you are lucky.” Delays exacerbate chaos. In addition to the shortage of places, users report a significant increase in delays. More than 550 users have a Telegram group for the Girona line, coordinated by Blay, in which they already They have documented 292 delays longer than four minutes only in November 2025. Many of these delays occur on return journeys in the afternoon, when trains accumulate delays from long-distance services from Seville, Valencia or Madrid, according to the media. To solve this problem, many travelers demand shuttle trains that do not depend on connections with other routes, they assured from elDiario. The official response is insufficient. Renfe recognizes that the offer has grown from 1.4 million seats annually in 2022 to 2.4 million in 2024, but users maintain that frequencies have not been added during peak hours, where they are most needed. The operator attributes the delays to the improvement works on the Catalan railway network, especially in the future Sagrera station. However, passengers consider that these explanations do not solve the underlying problem: the need for more trains and more seats. More solutions. Among the urgent measures proposed by several of the traveler platforms, the 50% bonus should be maintained beyond 2025, since its disappearance would make the cost unaffordable for many workers and students. On the other hand, they demand an increase in frequencies and available seats. CCOO has proposed reusing Avlo service trains that are out of use to double the capacity of AVANT, an initiative that the Generalitat has included in its railway strategy under the name Catav, according to share the ARA Newspaper. In the case of Lleida, users also claim to be able to access the empty seats on the Madrid-Barcelona AVE trains that stop in their city, something that is currently only possible on four frequencies. What happens now? The Minister of Territory, Silvia Paneque, advertisement last week that the Government is working with the Ministry of Transport to improve AVANT services in Girona and Lleida. CCOO confirms that the ministry has agreed to study the proposal to reuse Avlo trains. It remains to be seen if the proposals end up reaching a solution that clarifies all this chaos. Cover image | Zarateman (Wikipedia) In Xataka | Renfe has three AVRIL trains lost and an even more serious problem: it still does not know when it will receive them

Barcelona is tired of cars not respecting the bus lane. So it’s installing AI cameras on its buses

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2,500 violations in one month. That is, Barcelona City Council could have fined more than 80 drivers every day. It has not done so because, at the moment, the project is in the testing phase, but it has served the City Council to confirm its suspicions: the invasion of the city’s bus lanes is a constant and a real problem. To confirm this, Barcelona City Council has launched a pilot test equipping four buses with cameras enhanced with artificial intelligence. They are units of lines H12, which crosses the city on Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes, and D20, which in this case covers the entire route of Avinguda del Paral-lel and a nearby section around the port. The project was already presented last February but it wasn’t until summer when we knew all the results. Four buses and 2,500 violations The data published suggests that something is not working in the Catalan city. They collect in Hybrids and Electrics that just four units collected more than 2,500 violations in just one month. These infractions have not been sanctioned because, as we said, it was a pilot project that will serve to define new strategies and look for solutions. The truth is that it is obvious that the Barcelona transport company has to deal daily with all types of vehicles that illegally occupy a space that should serve to prioritize the passage of public transport. To record these infractions, the cameras recorded the movement and position of the vehicles as the bus moved forward. They specified in the presentation of the project that cameras have not been used in the study to identify people or license plates. The software, they say, only counted if there was an object blocking the road and is capable of discerning illegal occupations, such as a parking lot, from those permitted (taxis, right turns…). With the data they want to propose solutions among which, of course, the possibility of turning buses into real moving radars has not been mentioned. Although buses have highlighted the problem, the truth is that Barcelona already has the so-called “multacar”cars with cameras that record violations of the bus lane and that, these do, issue penalties with the violations found in their path. And the city council also has similar vehicles that They control regulated parking areasinstantly checking if a car has exceeded the allowed time and, in that case, fining it. The big difference is that installing this system on the buses themselves would allow the fleet to become an exercise in constant surveillance throughout the service. And taking into account the data recorded, the volume of sanctions would be expected to be very high in that case. Photo | TMB In Xataka | FlixBus wants to operate international bus lines in Spain. He has encountered two enemies: Alsa and Avanza

proposes an ERE for 1,200 employees in Madrid and Barcelona

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The round of more than 30,000 layoffs that Amazon announced at the beginning of the week seemed something far away. Finally, the figure was lowered to 14,000 layoffswhich is still dramatic. However, two companies linked to Amazon in Spain have initiated employment regulation files (ERE) for their workers in Madrid and Barcelona, ​​which indicates that Spain is also among Amazon’s workforce reduction plans. 1,200 jobs between Madrid and Barcelona Just a few days ago, Amazon announced a round of staff layoffs that would affect some 14,000 employees around the world. According what was published by EFE and Europa Press, the company’s corporate employees in Spain will be part of that adjustment. As confirmed by Amazon at the request of Xataka, two employment regulation files have been opened in the companies Amazon Digital Spain, whose offices are located in Madrid, and Amazon Spain Services, located in Barcelona. The combination of both processes will affect up to 1,200 employees of these corporate offices. Sources from EFE point out that the layoffs would be limited only to the staff of those offices, but not to the operations and logistics part that Amazon has spread throughout the national territory. Amazon’s global workforce is estimated at around 1.5 million employees, of which around 350,000 hold corporate positions. According to data from 2025 provided by Amazonits staff in Spain would be about 28,000 employees distributed in 19 provinces. Amazon indicated in its official statement on the reduction of 14,000 jobs globally, that those affected would be offered a period of 90 days to look for a new position within the company, although it was clarified that this period could vary depending on the legislation in force in each country, so we do not know if those affected by this ERE will be able to relocate to other positions within the company. It’s not for money, it’s for agility Amazon’s decision in Spain is known just after publishing one rrising economic resultsin a context in which the company continues to break turnover and profit records. The reaction from the Government has not been long in coming from the Minister of Labor, who from her profile on BlueSky has attacked Amazon and its founder: “A company that has million-dollar profits and that leaves its workers stranded is a model of shame. The “Amazon miracle” is this: Jeff Bezos at the service of Trump, not paying taxes, destroying small businesses and mistreating its workers,” wrote Yolanda Diaz. Unlike what usually happens, the constant layoffs that are taking place in large technology companies (and in other that they are not) They are not explained in a context of financial crisis of those companies (which, in fact, set records in your quotes) but in a scenario of optimizing their templates to be more agile in the race for AI. This is how Andy Jassy, ​​CEO of Amazon, explained it in recent statements reported by CNBC: “It’s actually a question of culture. If you grow as fast as we did for several years, you know, the size of the companies, the number of people, the number of locations, the types of businesses you’re in, you end up with many more people than before, and you end up with many more layers.” Eliminating those layers of middle positions reduces your internal bureaucracy and speeds up decisions. In Xataka | Big Tech doesn’t stop firing its engineers. At the same time, they have stepped on the accelerator in hiring Image | amazon

from Barcelona to Seville direct for 22 euros

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Last April, Renfe began operating between Barcelona and Seville with a direct high-speed train. Without transfers, the company connects both cities in just under six hours, making some intermediate stops but offering a service that now does not require transfers. Coinciding with the arrival of the Christmas, Ouigo will also activate this service. In this case with intermediate stops in Zaragoza, Madrid and Córdoba where passengers will be able to get on or leave the train on a route that will last just over six hours but that offers some relevant changes compared to Renfe. Ticket simulation between Barcelona and Seville for 22 euros From Barcelona to Seville… passing through Madrid Starting today, October 23, Ouigo has launched the sale of train tickets between Barcelona and Seville. He has done it with an exit offer that leaves the possibility of covering this entire line for just 22 euros. Prices can reach up to 100 euros on specific days but most of the tickets that have been put on sale currently range between 22 and 55 euros. The exit campaign is very aggressive. It does so to promote a new route that aspires to impact the Andalusian and Catalan corridors. In the latter, Ouigo had gone presence and had focused on the southern areamore sensitive to ticket prices. However, AVLO departure of trains between Madrid and Barcelona It gives a new opportunity to the company that will take advantage of it with a train that leaves the Catalan capital shortly after 7:35 a.m. and arrives in Seville before 1:51 p.m. In six hours and 16 minutes, it is possible to move between both cities at a ridiculous price. At least on the way out. In addition to putting a very attractive connection on the map during vacation times, Ouigo makes its service more efficient since the high-speed train makes previous stops in Zaragoza, Madrid and Córdoba. In fact, this forces the company to lengthen the trip compared to Renfe, which with its direct train connects both cities in less than six hours. Where is the advantage for Ouigo? With this train, Ouigo remains alive in the high speed between Madrid and Barcelona without making a greater effort. However, it may be difficult for Renfe to make its offer between the Catalan and Andalusian cities more profitable because it has options that take less time but at the risk of do not stop in Madrid. In exchange, what is offered with the AVE is a much faster connection. Since this route, which does not pass through Madrid, was launched, you can travel between Barcelona and Seville in five hours and 37 minutes. That is, the AVE takes about 40 minutes less. A new chapter in the high speed battle. While Renfe is committed to joining both cities in the shortest time possible in exchange for raising prices and at the risk of making it more difficult to make the service profitable, Ouigo offers a cheaper option but in which some concessions must be made in terms of the time available. Photo | Tania Mousinho and Pourya Gohari In Xataka | Renfe has found a scapegoat for its problems on the Madrid-Barcelona line: Talgo and its AVRIL trains

The Spanish rail giant escapes millionaire contracts, including the Barcelona Metro. The reason: his link with Israel

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Basque Caf’s rail manufacturer is in a committed situation after Its inclusion in the United Nations list which points to companies with operations in Palestinian territories occupied by Israel. This circumstance could close the doors of important public contracts, such as The Millionaire Barcelona Metro Contest. In the blacklist. Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona (TMB) has a tender open to acquire 39 new trains worth 321 million euros. The specifications includes a clause that prohibits the participation of companies that appear in the Registry of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCR). CAF, current TMB provider, now appears in that list for its participation in The tram of Jerusalem thisa project awarded in 2019 with the Israeli construction company Shapir. The CAF position. The company based in Beasain defends the legality of your contract and denies any violation of human rights. As communicated to the National Securities Market Commission, it has reports from independent experts that support its position and ensures that the project “generates positive impacts on the population” by also providing service to the Arab community with a “inclusive and non -discriminatory” hiring policy. The Alstom turn. The French multinational Alstom, which has a factory in Santa Perpètua de Mogoda, appealed in August before the Catalan Court of Public Sector Contracts against this restrictive clause. However, the recent update of the UN list has retired to Alstom from the registrationwhich now allows you to present to the contest. This exit makes CAF the main affected, since the resolution of the resource will determine whether or not to participate in the tender, whose term remains open until December. More Spanish companies indicated. CAF It is not the only company Spanish in the Black List of the UN, which includes about 160 signatures. Florentino Pérez’s construction company, its SEMI subsidiary and the Ineco public company, under the Ministry of Transportation, also include. CAF is charged with equipment and materials that “facilitate” Israeli settlements, in addition to providing support services and using natural resources, which makes it the Spanish with the greatest reproach by the international organism. A political and social debate. Inclusion in this list does not imply direct sanctions, but yes it has practical consequences. The United Nations urges States to adopt “appropriate measures” to prevent human rights abuse, and administrations such as the Barcelona City Council have incorporated this exclusion in their responsible hiring policies. The debate has also reached the Basque political terrain, where part of the CAF staff starred in concentrations demanding the cessation of the contract with Israel, while the lehendakari Imanol Pradales He has asked that you have “care with the accusations” and has urged the company to make “an ethical reflection”. Implications. Beyond the Barcelona contest, appearing in this registry can affect the reputation of companies, rating rating agencies and access to other public tenders if similar clauses appear in the tender. Public hiring represented 11.55% of Spanish GDP in 2023which turns these vetoes into a relevant economic issue for the companies indicated. Cover image | TMB In Xataka | The longest bus in the world is called Daf Super Citytrain: more than 30 meters long and capacity for 350 people

Dubrovnik feared to become the new Barcelona, ​​so it has come farther than anyone to fulminate mass tourism

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There was a time that Croatia went from 0 to 100 As for visitors. If it is an almost unprecedented destination for the great masses of tourists, to become a “must” where the last Mediterranean jewel to explode. Tourism then became an economic power of the nation, and Dubrovnik became a space that It began to rival With places Like Barcelona. And then Croatia reversed. Tourist collapse preserve. As we said, the walled city of the Dalmatian coast, known as the “pearl of the Adriatic”, became the last decade in a paradigmatic example of what has been called extreme touristification. With visitors overcoming in a proportion of 27 to 1 to residents and a historical center transformed into a decoration of mass consumption after their stellar role In Game of ThronesDubrovnik faced the UNESCO WARNING of losing his condition as a World Heritage if he did not put a brake on lack of control. The diagnosis was devastating: tourism, far from enriching the city, was killing its authenticity and expelling its inhabitants. The radical turn. And then 2017 arrived, when Mayor Mato Franković He assumed the challenge To reverse the situation with measures that, unlike those applied in other European cities, do not remain in superficial patches. While Venice imposes rates on hikers or Barcelona borders hotel beds, Dubrovnik has set a maximum capacity within the walls of 11,200 people. Not only that has also drastically reduced the arrival of cruises: from the eight newspapers that docked only two in 2016, with the obligation to remain at least eight hours to foster tourism more leisurely and profitable. With the implementation of control cameras and of the Dubrovnik Passthe City Council obtains real -time data that allow it to manage flows and anticipate saturations. Urban and social reforms. Plus: The transformation is not limited to regulating the entry of tourists. The strategic plan includes the purchase of old town buildings to allocate them to affordable rent For young families, the opening of a school in a historic palace and new standards that penalize the tourist lease of housing, thus encouraging repopulation. Measures as curious as the prohibition of suitcases With wheels (replaced by an Economic Transportation of Equipos), they seek to preserve the material and immaterial heritage, preventing the streets from becoming a noisy and hostile showcase. The message is clear: Dubrovnik does not want to be a theme park, but a living city. Most controlled tourism. Plus: From next year, access to walls and museums must reserve in time stripeswith a traffic light system that will indicate the moments of greater and lesser influx. The intention is to avoid human stamps and improve the experience of those who visit the city, although some residents suspect that it is a tool to maximize income. In parallel, the Cruise limitation It has reduced the pressure on summer peaks, allowing the number of visitors not to exceed the critical threshold of 10,500 people a day in high season. Resistances and criticism. The measures have not convinced everyone. Neighbors like veteran Marc van Bloemen consider That the reforms do not go to the bottom of the problem and accuse the Consistory of treating the city as an ATM, where the inhabitants feel displaced. In his opinion, time reserves are a trick to attract more visitors and not a real limitation. Faced with this skeptical vision, others Like Marko Miloslocal guide and resident of the historic center, defend that the situation has improved with respect to the maximum saturation years and highlight that the reopening of schools and the return of families is returning life to the center. The international look. Travel agencies Like Regent Holidays recognize the value of Dubrovnicense experimentalthough they warn that the rigidity of the system could divert tourists to other less saturated Croatian regions, such as Istria or the Adriatic Islands. However, the fact that a city so dependent on tourism chooses to sacrifice immediate income volume in favor of sustainability and quality of life makes it a global reference. The mayor insists in which it is a long -term commitment: less visitors, but with a greater expense and a more balanced coexistence with residents. Necessary risk. Thus, the path taken by Dubrovnik is a RARE Avan exception in a world where most destinations continue to pursue a Unlimited tourism growth. The Croatian city dares to challenge that logic and seeks a new balance where quality does not mean quantity. Franković Recognize in the BBC That the benefits will not be immediate, but trusts that, in a few years, Dubrovnik is remembered not as a tourist decoration, but as a living community that knew how to recover his soul. If the experiment thrives, it can mark the course for other cities trapped between the profitability of mass tourism and the survival of its identity. Image | Alex Proimos, Kenny McCartney In Xataka | The eruption of a volcano was synonymous with danger 100 years ago. Today has made Iceland a theme park In Xataka | It is not that mass tourism has been installed in Madrid, Barcelona or Rome, is that it has reached the Galapagos Islands

Girona has managed to decongest its historic center copying a trick of Barcelona: erase from Google Maps

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Girona has made Google and Waze modify the routes that took cars, especially tourists, to cross the old town of their city known as Barri Vell. This historical area has the Restricted circulationwith priority for pedestrians and limited access to residents and businesses. For Avoid excess traffic and preserve the pedestrian character of the center, the City Council asked the managers of those browsers to prioritize alternative tours and clearly mark the restrictions of access to the area. Atasque between 2,000 years of history Before, Google Maps and Waze guided To many drivers inside the Barri Vell to take shortcuts, especially tourists who trusted the GPS to move around the city. The problem is that, like most historical centers, this generated Unduse circulation in narrow and cobbled streets that are not designed for road traffic and hindered the circulation of neighbors. Such and as they highlight in The newspaper, In Barri Vell the circulation is restricted and special authorization is required to access even for distribution and service vehicles that are subjected to an access time control to prioritize the pedestrian use of the monumental center with more than 2,000 years of history. “We have been working to guarantee pacification at Barri Vell and the priority for pedestrians to be the seal of the city,” wrote Lluc Salellas, mayor of Girona In his X profile. Touch the photo to go to the original message The municipal idea for decongestion The Gironés City Council sent letters to Google and Waze to request that Barri Vell be eliminated as a recommended route to avoid the passage of tourist cars in this area. This management took several months, but finally was effective and GPS applications stopped proposing the historic center as a shortcut for the internal displacements of the city. In addition, the municipal team works so that the information shown in the browsers be as accurate as possibleclearly indicating the places where tourists They can park outside the historic center and preventing vehicles from being reserved where the spaces for loading and discharge are reserved. “We have made Google and Waze clearly mark that Barri Vell is an area with restricted circulation; and therefore, do not send tourists’ cars so easily,” explained Mayor Salellas to The newspaper.es. Girona is not the only one that has “erased” Google Girona It is not the only city that has asked Google to modify the information it gives to its users to redirect tourism flows and reorder the traffic of its streets. Barcelona City Council applied a similar measure To decongest the accesses to Park Güell, one of its most visited tourist places, eliminating from Google Maps one of the bus lines that went up to the park. This action sought to avoid the saturation of tourists and prioritize the service for the use of their neighbors, freeing them from the saturation of thousands of tourists who visit Gaudí’s work every day. In Holland, a small town managed to make fun of Google Maps To decongest its streets coordinating their neighbors to send false reports of cut streets. That caused the GPS to redirect traffic to alternative routes by freeing its neighbors from excess traffic. In all cases, this coordinated strategy with GPS applications has managed to reduce mass tourism in the most sensitive areas of cities, demonstrating how technological ones can influence tourist flows. In Xataka | One day, all Germans in Germany appeared closed on Google Maps. The problem is that nobody knows why Image | Unspash (Brandon Gurney, Priscilla du Preez)

This Barcelona bus has been working with a fuel that we all produce: our excrements

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A bus of line V3 has been circulating through the streets of Barcelona that has been operating exclusively with a renewable fuel generated from what we least imagine: human waste. And best of all, the experiment has been considered a success. A project that has managed to evolve. This project was baptized as’Nimbus‘, and is the result of a collaboration agreement between The local water management company VeoliaMetropolitan Transport of Barcelona (TMB) and the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB). Together they have turned the concept of circular economy into something very tangible: transform the sludge of wastewater into biomethane for public transport. Five years later, and with good results in the hand, the project is ready to move on to the next level and start with large -scale production thanks to European funds. The ultimate goal is to make the production of this fuel based on the solid waste of the city to end in the deposits of the buses themselves in the future that is not very distant. This creates this fuel. The heart of this innovation It is found in the purification of Baix Llobregatone of the largest in Europe. Every day, this plant processes about 400,000 cubic meters of wastewater. While 95% of the water is regenerated for agricultural or urban uses, the remaining solid waste, known as sludge, usually end as dry material for agriculture. The Nimbus project has given it a new purpose. Using an innovative process, researchers have managed to transform four cubic meters of mud per hour into high purity biomethane. This gas is pure enough to be used in vehicles with natural gas engines without any modification. The secret is to refine the initial biogas. Initially, gas contains 65% methane and 35% carbon dioxide. Instead of separating gases, Veolia’s team Combine carbon dioxide with hydrogen that is obtained in renewable sources. In this way, almost all the biomás becomes biomethane, making the resulting fuel emit so much carbon dioxide. A fuel responsible with the environment. The figures that result from this first phase have shown that this biomethane works very well. It emits 80% less carbon dioxide than traditional natural gas and complies with strict regulations of EU euro VI emissionsalthough it produces nitrogen oxide to very small amounts. An alternative to electric buses. Right now, Barcelona’s periphery routes need a bus that has a high passenger capacity and greater autonomy. This is something that electric buses cannot offer today, but biomethane, maintaining the reduction in the emission of carbon dioxide. The future: more buses and production at an industrial scale. After five years of success, the Nimbus experiment gave way to a new phase: the project Sempre-Bio. The objective is now climbing production, going from generating biomethane for a bus line to do it for two. For this they have a budget of more than eleven million dollars, with financing from the European Union. As detailed in the project, with this budget they will “reduce the investment and exploitation costs of biomethane production plants and expand the biomethane production potential through new routes of waste valorization.” Many projects to find the ideal fuel. Synthetic fuel It is one of the great research results for finding an alternative to natural oil. One of the examples is The e-diéselwhich is based on “water and air” for conventional engines, or even Toyota He already works with hydrogen to turn it into an alternative To keep the combustion engine. But the reality is that right now combustion cars are in danger of extinction. Electric cars They don’t stop growingand the Chinese market Not stop driving this sector on other continents Like Europe. Images | Wang Xiong In Xataka | Aid of the Moves III 2025 Plan to buy an electric car: money to receive, since when you can ask for and how to request it

Four -hour tails for the Labubu store in Barcelona illustrate that they are more than a fashion: they are an addiction

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Labubu fever moves globally. In Spain it takes time being a phenomenon And this is certified by the opening of a new permanent store in Barcelona that already has four -hour tails and people traveling from other countries To buy in it. Pop mart, The Chinese company that manufactures these dolls Collectibles, has generated a millionaire business with inherited tactics of video games and bets. Phenomenon in Barcelona. The new Pop Mart, and only permanent in Spain (in November last year the brand opened A pop-up also in Barcelona), has opened in the portal of L’àngel, one of the main commercial arteries of the Catalan capital. The first day were seen tails of more than 200 meters and astronomical expenses: with prices that are between 12 and 240 euros, there are those who confess to having Inverted 700 euros in these dolls for being “an investment.” What are they? The Pop Mart are the dolls that the company of the same name manufactures and can be purchased Through its websitein specific stores such as this new one in Barcelona, and even in vending machines. They are divided into series of variants of the same doll, thus promoting collecting. His most successful product is Labubu, a creature with a monkey and disturbing smile. It is part of a broader collection called The Monsters, and generated last year 419 million dollars in benefits for Pop Mart. Massive success. The company was founded in 2000 and has ended up becoming one of China’s best known brands at the global level, with milestones such as its actions in 2024 They rose 370%. They even have their own attraction park in Beijing, Pop Land40 square kilometers. According to data from Time130 of the company’s 530 stores at the end of last year are outside China. In 2024, its benefits for international sales rose 375%. According to him The company itselfin 2024 it had benefits of 1.8 billion dollars, of which 40% came from outside China. The reasons for success. The first and most obvious is viral contagion in networks. It is obvious that there are more and more celebrities and influencers that show your labubusand it is usually pointed out as the initiator of the viral phenomenon to Lisa, from the K-Pop Blackpink group, Although now the dolls are in the hands of famous Americans and European such as Rihanna, Dua Lipa, Madonna or Kim Kardashian. Fever is such that they have already generated their own falsification marketwhich swarm for markets such as Wallapop, Milanuncios or Vinted, sometimes with swollen prices. However, beyond the imitation behavior of celebrities, there are other reasons for success: the gamification of the phenomenon. Little thing. The first step that Pop Mart takes to generate addiction is to generate shortage: there are no specimens of the doll, and take advantage of Pop Mart Mart. A small art that many Influencers They explain How to master social media accounts. As explained This Rolling Stone articlethe purchase process is already a maze of voluble rules tests and that include virtual dead ends in the store, and knowing how to enter the Store At the right time of the Just day (Pop Mart does not warn when the Restocks will be). The Labubus Gacha. The Pop Labubu Mart and the Gacha video games (In which random awards are paid with virtual coins, although in many cases the games have systems free-to-play) share the mechanics of random collecting, that is, they are steroid slots. Labubu They are sold in surprise boxes or Blind Boxeswhere buyers do not know exactly what figure they will receive. Labubu reward to the most constant (or fortunate) with “secret” unusual figures and the Gacha games have certain extremely difficult characters to obtain. Both systems are designed to generate addiction and compulsive purchase, with psychological manipulation through hidden probabilities (although today in video games They are regulated) and limited events. The key is to convert uncertainty into an entertainment experience for which consumers are willing to pay, creating a cycle of expectation, emotion and disappointment that drives to try again. Header | Dushawn Jovic in Unspash In Xataka | There is a 30 -euro doll over a lot of mobiles in Spain. Welcome to the fashion of the ‘Sonny Angel’

Barcelona has become the European capital of the Neobancos. And he has achieved it unintentionally

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N26, Qonto, Revolut and Monzo, the four major Neobancos, have established their main European operations in Barcelona in the last six years, as collected by a publication from BCN Fintech Collection by Dealflow: N26 opened its third global center in 2018 with 300 employees in the 22@@. Qonto manages its international operations from there with 170 workers. Revolution It plans to reach 400 employees in 2025 and look for headquarters diagonally. And Monzo He has just announced his HUB Barcelona This July. Why is it important. This concentration was not designed by any institutional strategy. Barcelona was not promoted as capital Fintech nor offered specific incentives for Neobancos. It simply happened: each company chose the city for its own reasons and the ecosystem was formed alone. The context. Neobancos see Spain as a strategic market for Europe, but they need technological talent to compete with traditional banking. Barcelona offers a unique combination: Lower operational costs that London or Berlin. Pool International talent in constant growth. And quality of life that attracts developers and Product Managers. Madrid remains the official financial capital with the Bank of Spain, the CNMV and the headquarters of the great banks. But Barcelona wins in the collection of technological talent, especially international. The facts. Among the four companies there are more than 1,000 employees in Barcelona, the majority in product and engineering development. Revolut specifically declared a year ago Having arrived 750 workers throughout Spain, half of them in Barcelona. To those four giants are added companies with a more local approach such as Unibooriented to farm administrators, U 11onzein addition to imagin of Caixabank, for example. Between the lines. The interesting thing is that this has not happened in a planned way. There were no campaigns of attraction or anything similar, each Neobanco made the decision independently, attracted by similar factors: talent, costs, connectivity and lifestyle. It is a good example of how a Cluster Real Technological: Not for a PowerPoint institutional, but for real competitive advantages that companies discover for themselves. In Xataka | India has been moving away from international payment networks. It is a hard blow for the giants Visa and Mastercard Outstanding image | Altumcode and Logan Armstrong in Unspash

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