Europe's tech awakening: How flourishing e-commerce giants are pulling continent out of the wilderness

Major disruptors behind new wave of success

Traditional European business is facing a slow and prolonged corporate extinction. It can be hard to see incremental change taking place when close to it, especially in a crisis when the priority is getting back to normal.

However, if you can step back and look not just five years into the future but 10 or even 20 years, you are more likely to recognise trends and opportunities. In Europe's case, the important trend is the shift away from old economy retailers and banks and towards e-ommerce and fintech firms, creating a huge opportunity for innovative businesses. European companies have quietly built up some of the world's largest digital platforms for e-commerce, and the next stage will be anything but quiet. They are just beginning to see the kind of success based on digital scale and network effe...