Asia has for the first time overtaken Europe in its number of innovation centers built and operated, with the region now host to nearly a third (29%) of all such centers globally. In our latest analysis, Asia added more innovation centers than any other region. So strong is Asia’s growth that it could soon overtake the US as the biggest hub of innovation centers, if it continues to grow at the same rate. The availability of talent is a key driver for growth. Of the 14 new Fintech innovation centers established globally between March and October 2016, 5 of these were in Asia as organizations look to tap into the region’s talent pool to meet changing customer needs. Four out of the nine new artificial intelligence (AI) focused innovation centers in the March-October 2016 period were opened in Asia. Asia’s increasing influence is also due to a culture of technology-driven innovation and Government support. This has led to heavy investment not only from Asian companies, but from Europe and US-based giants too. Five key innovation hubs – Singapore, Bangalore, Shanghai, Tokyo and Tel Aviv – are driving Asia’s rise; these five cities in our global top 10 rankings together account for 36% of all Asian innovation centers.