Press Release
Pac-Man and Lazy Fatalism: Why Global Education’s Acquisition Frenzy Is Colliding With Economic Reality
As student demand tightens and affordability pressures rise, education strategist warns that scale without discipline may amplify risk rather than reduce it
United States, 18th Mar 2026 — The global education sector is entering a more competitive and economically complex phase as student demand tightens, affordability pressures increase, and capital continues to pursue aggressive expansion across international education markets.
Education strategist Elaina Cohen warns that many institutional growth strategies still reflect assumptions from a previous era—one characterized by expanding student mobility, rising middle classes, and steadily growing enrollment pipelines.
“Institutional brand alone is no longer sufficient,” Cohen said. “The global education market is becoming far more competitive, and strategies built for expansion cycles will not necessarily sustain institutions in the decade ahead.”
Across many developed economies, the number of school-age students is beginning to level off or decline as birth rates fall below replacement levels in numerous countries. While demographic change is only one factor shaping the education market, it is tightening the overall pipeline of potential students.
“We are all fishing in the same pool,” Cohen said. “And the pool is not expanding the way many institutions assumed it would.”
Yet capital continues to move aggressively through the sector.
Cohen argues that the pattern increasingly resembles a Pac-Man dynamic, with institutions rapidly acquiring schools across markets under the assumption that scale itself guarantees stability.
“That mindset can become a form of lazy fatalism,” she said. “It assumes that if you acquire enough schools, demand will somehow materialize.”
“But unlike the arcade game, the board does not refill.”
Demand Is Redistributing Rather Than Expanding
While traditional education markets across Europe, East Asia, and parts of North America face slowing student growth, youth populations are expanding elsewhere.
Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia—particularly India—are poised to become some of the most significant education growth markets in the coming decades.
According to United Nations population projections, Sub-Saharan Africa’s population could nearly double by 2050, reaching more than 2 billion people. The region already has the youngest population globally, with a median age of roughly 19 years.
Countries including Nigeria, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, and Ghana are expected to experience substantial youth population growth.
India represents another powerful demographic center of gravity. With more than 250 million people between the ages of 15 and 24, the country holds the largest youth population in the world.
Economic growth is also reshaping these markets. Several African economies—including Rwanda, Kenya, Ghana, and Ethiopia—have recorded GDP growth rates frequently ranging between 5% and 8% annually, while India has maintained growth often exceeding 6% per year in recent years.
These trends are expanding demand for private schooling, international curricula, and global university pathways.
However, Cohen cautions that demographic expansion alone does not guarantee stable education markets.
“Demand ultimately follows purchasing power,” she said. “Population growth without income growth produces a very different market dynamic.”
When Capital Moves Faster Than Affordability
In many emerging markets, international school tuition can exceed several multiples of average household income. As a result, demand is often limited to expatriate communities or a narrow domestic elite.
This creates a structural tension between investor expectations and economic capacity.
“GDP growth headlines can be misleading,” Cohen said. “The real question is how quickly household income and middle-class purchasing power are expanding.”
Without that alignment, institutions expanding rapidly into emerging markets may encounter volatile enrollment cycles and persistent pricing pressure.
“Capital often moves faster than household income,” Cohen said. “When that happens, institutions end up competing for the same small segment of families.”
The Risk of Leap-Frog Investment
As global investors pursue growth opportunities in education, some institutions have adopted what Cohen describes as “leap-frog investment.”
Leap-frog investment occurs when premium schools are built or acquired in anticipation of future wealth expansion before the underlying middle class has fully developed.
“Infrastructure investment is essential,” Cohen said. “But leap-frogging the income curve can create fragile markets.”
If middle-class purchasing power expands more slowly than expected, institutions may face under-enrollment, heavy discounting, or persistent competition for a limited pool of affluent families.
The Limits of Tuition Inflation
For decades, many institutions relied on annual tuition increases as a predictable revenue strategy. In numerous private education markets, tuition has risen five to seven percent year over year for extended periods.
However, that model is becoming increasingly difficult to sustain.
Across many developed economies, household income growth has not kept pace with tuition inflation. In the United States, median household income has grown roughly three to four percent annually over the past decade, while private school and university tuition has often increased at significantly higher rates.
Rising costs for housing, healthcare, childcare, and transportation are also placing increasing pressure on family budgets.
“Tuition increases of seven percent year over year are simply not digestible for many families anymore,” Cohen said. “When pricing consistently outpaces income growth, institutions eventually reach a ceiling.”
Evidence of this pressure is already visible across the sector. Tuition discounting has expanded significantly, with average discount rates at U.S. private colleges now exceeding 50 percent for first-time students, according to enrollment industry reports.
“Increasing sticker price while expanding discounts creates the illusion of growth,” Cohen said. “But in many cases the net yield is deteriorating.”
Structural Misalignment in the Education Economy
What is emerging across global education markets is a growing structural misalignment. Tuition models in many premium institutions were built during decades of demographic expansion and rising middle-class purchasing power. Today, however, student populations are tightening in many developed economies while household income growth has slowed relative to tuition inflation. At the same time, capital continues to pursue expansion strategies through acquisitions and international market entry. The result is an unusual tension: institutions attempting to scale supply while the affordability foundation that once supported demand is becoming less predictable. In economic terms, the education sector is transitioning from a demand-expansion environment to a competition-for-share environment—a shift that requires far greater discipline in pricing, portfolio strategy, and revenue governance.
Capital Markets Are Becoming More Selective
These pressures are increasingly intersecting with capital market expectations.
Investors who once rewarded rapid expansion are now placing greater emphasis on predictable revenue, disciplined pricing strategies, and sustainable margins.
“In expansion periods, demographic growth masked many operational inefficiencies,” Cohen said.
“In tighter markets, those inefficiencies become visible very quickly.”
Revenue Governance Becomes the Strategic Advantage
Cohen has directed multinational revenue systems within education enterprises operating across more than twenty-five countries, overseeing revenue strategy, enrollment operations, marketing, and technology teams.
Her work has included revenue forecasting tied to demographic modeling, pricing architecture redesign, acquisition diligence, and institutional portfolio strategy.
Under tightening conditions she implemented structural changes that reduced tuition discount exposure, improved net tuition yield, rationalized underperforming programs, and converted previously non-performing initiatives into recurring revenue streams.
“These were not simply enrollment gains,” Cohen said. “They were structural protections for long-term financial stability.”
According to Cohen, institutions that succeed in the next phase of global education will treat revenue as a governed system aligned with demographic and economic realities.
“The era of passive enrollment is over,” she said.
“In competitive markets, precision replaces optimism.”
Media Contact
Education Without Borders
info@edwb.org
https://edwb.org
About Elaina Cohen
Elaina Cohen is a global education strategist specializing in enrollment systems, revenue governance, and institutional growth strategy across multinational education enterprises. Her work focuses on aligning demographic trends, economic conditions, and operational strategy to build resilient education institutions in evolving global markets.
Media Contact
Organization: Education Without Borders
Contact Person: Elaine Jackson
Website: http://www.edwb.org/
Email: Send Email
Country:United States
Release id:42746
The post Pac-Man and Lazy Fatalism: Why Global Education’s Acquisition Frenzy Is Colliding With Economic Reality appeared first on King Newswire. This content is provided by a third-party source.. King Newswire makes no warranties or representations in connection with it. King Newswire is a press release distribution agency and does not endorse or verify the claims made in this release. If you have any complaints or copyright concerns related to this article, please contact the company listed in the ‘Media Contact’ section
About Author
Disclaimer: The views, suggestions, and opinions expressed here are the sole responsibility of the experts. No Digi Observer journalist was involved in the writing and production of this article.
Press Release
AlgoQuant Asset Management Selects Liquid Mercury to Enhance Digital Asset Trading Infrastructure
Chicago, United States, September 28th, 2026, Chainwire
AlgoQuant will deploy Liquid Mercury’s institutional-grade trading technology to scale its multi-strategy investment platform and enhance execution capabilities across global digital asset markets.
Liquid Mercury, a leading technology provider for digital asset marketplaces and crypto trading, announced today that it has been engaged by AlgoQuant Asset Management, an investment manager focused on solving inefficiencies in fast-evolving markets, to provide trading technology and infrastructure services.
The engagement will enable AlgoQuant to leverage Liquid Mercury’s institutional-grade trading technology and infrastructure to enhance its multi-strategy investment platform. AlgoQuant will gain access to deep liquidity, advanced execution capabilities, and professional-grade trading tools that support the firm’s commitment to quantitative excellence, risk integrity, and operational resilience.
Liquid Mercury’s battle-tested platform combined with AlgoQuant’s sophisticated quantitative strategies provides a powerful foundation for executing complex digital asset trades across global markets. This technology integration allows AlgoQuant to maintain 24/7 trading operations while scaling talent, capital, and technology without compromising precision.
With a team spanning key global financial and digital asset markets, AlgoQuant operates as a multi-strategy investment platform designed to perform across diverse market environments. Through Liquid Mercury’s platform, AlgoQuant will benefit from access to top-tier liquidity providers, low-latency infrastructure, and comprehensive middle and back-office tools designed to meet the demands of institutional asset managers operating in digital asset markets.
“AlgoQuant came to us with very specific infrastructure requirements that are unique to their sophisticated quantitative strategies,” stated Liquid Mercury CEO, Tony Saliba. “What sets Liquid Mercury apart is our ability to shape our tech stack to meet each client’s distinct needs. This level of customization isn’t something firms can always find off the shelf, but our battle-tested platform was built with the flexibility to adapt while maintaining institutional-grade standards. We’re honored to provide the tailored technology infrastructure that will support AlgoQuant as it continues to scale its investment platform.”
“Liquid Mercury has been an excellent technology partner for AlgoQuant Asset Management,” said Alexander Goncharov, President of AlgoQuant Asset Management. “We are very pleased with their sophisticated technology stack, collaborative approach, and willingness to tailor the platform to our specific needs. Their infrastructure delivers the speed, reliability, and precision required in today’s digital asset markets while integrating seamlessly with our proprietary systems and workflows.”
About AlgoQuant Asset Management
AlgoQuant is an investment manager with a clear mission: to solve inefficiencies in fast-evolving markets. From day one, the firm has been focused on building a platform that can scale talent, capital, and technology without compromising precision. At the heart of AlgoQuant’s model is a commitment to quantitative excellence, risk integrity, and operational resilience.
AlgoQuant operates as a multi-strategy investment platform with global reach, featuring team members and trading teams based in key global financial and digital asset markets. The firm’s structure supports 24/7 execution, oversight, and engagement with global allocators.
Further information can be found at www.aq.io
About Liquid Mercury
Liquid Mercury powers professional crypto trading and digital asset marketplaces. Founded by legendary trader Tony Saliba, who was featured in Jack Schwager’s “Market Wizards,” Liquid Mercury is the #1 choice for sophisticated buy-side and institutional sell-side trading professionals moving into crypto.
Mercury Pro is an institutional-grade trading platform designed specifically for professional traders navigating crypto derivatives and spot markets. The platform offers sophisticated trade execution tools including DMA routing, staging, execution algorithms, and anonymous multi-dealer RFQ to source block liquidity. Traders can manage all orders and trade data in a single platform with real-time views of balances and account positions.
Key capabilities include access to crypto derivatives at leading onshore and offshore exchanges, institutional-sized pricing with top OTC liquidity providers, and a wide range of spot products across leading exchanges. The platform supports both single-leg and multi-leg orders in net price structures, with low-latency infrastructure built for high-frequency and algorithmic trading strategies.
Liquid Mercury integrates with world-class custodians including Fireblocks, Gemini, and BitGo, and provides comprehensive APIs (FIX, WebSocket, and REST) for automated trading and workflow customization. Built by professionals for professionals, Liquid Mercury combines battle-tested trading technology with deep liquidity access and best-in-class workflow automation.
For more information about Liquid Mercury and the $MERC token, users can visit www.liquidmercury.com or merc.liquidmercury.com.
Disclaimer
This press release is for informational purposes only and does not constitute an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy, any securities or fund interests in any jurisdiction. Any offer or solicitation of interests in any fund managed by AlgoQuant Asset Management Corp will be made only by definitive offering documents, and only to eligible investors in accordance with applicable law. No statement in this press release is, or should be construed as, a representation as to the past or future performance of any fund or strategy managed by AlgoQuant.
Contact
Director
Kent Egan
Liquid Mercury
sales@liquidmercury.com
About Author
Disclaimer: The views, suggestions, and opinions expressed here are the sole responsibility of the experts. No Digi Observer journalist was involved in the writing and production of this article.
Press Release
Aster Launches Perpetual Grid Trading 2.0 with Up to 140,000 $ASTER Liquidity Mining Campaign
George Town, British Virgin Islands, September 28th, 2026, Chainwire
Aster, the privacy-first onchain trading platform backed by YZi Labs, today announced the launch of its Liquidity Pool Mining campaign, a four-week incentive campaign featuring a total reward pool of up to 140,000 $ASTER and running from September 28 to October 25, 2026 (UTC). To celebrate the launch of Perpetual Grid 2.0, the program is open to all Aster users running Perpetual Grid strategies on eligible trading pairs.
Rewards will be distributed hourly based on each eligible Grid’s share of trading volume. The base reward pool is set at 10,000 $ASTER per epoch, with additional rewards available based on market conditions and trading activity on the platform. Participation is automatic, with no registration required.
“As Aster continues to bring more emerging assets and opportunities onchain, we’re also focused on building the tools traders need to navigate increasingly dynamic markets. Perpetual Grid offers a flexible way to capture opportunities amid market volatility, and Grid 2.0 takes this experience further with greater flexibility and independence. This upgrade is another step toward our broader vision of building the frontier of onchain trading,” said Leonard, CEO at Aster.
Incentivizing Automated Perpetual Trading
The campaign builds on Aster’s expanded Perpetual Grid infrastructure, giving users a new way to participate in automated trading while earning additional $ASTER rewards from eligible Grid activity. Both Maker and Taker volume count toward the campaign, while manual trading and activity outside the Grid strategy are excluded.
An Estimated Bonus APY is also displayed to provide an indication of potential annualized $ASTER rewards based on recent campaign activity. The estimate can change as trading volume, participating Grids and other campaign conditions change, and does not guarantee future rewards or returns.
Grid 2.0 Separates Automated and Manual Strategies
Alongside the campaign, the newly upgraded Perpetual Grid 2.0 enables Grid strategies to operate independently from users’ regular Perpetual trading. Each Grid runs through a dedicated Grid Bot subaccount, keeping its positions and margin separate from the main Perpetual account.
With support for both Cross and Isolated Margin, users can run automated Grid strategies while continuing to trade Perpetuals manually, including on the same trading pair. Isolated Margin supports up to 50 independent Grid strategies per account, with no per-pair limit.
Discover Strategies Through Grid Marketplace
Aster’s Grid Marketplace further simplifies strategy discovery by allowing users to browse active Grid strategies and review metrics such as PnL, ROI, runtime, price range, leverage and trading activity.
Users can use an existing strategy as a starting point through Copy, or switch its direction through Reverse, turning a Long strategy into Short or vice versa. Copied or reversed strategies remain independent from their source and do not automatically synchronize with the original Grid.
The Liquidity Pool Mining campaign is available on designated eligible trading pairs, with the Week 1 eligible pairs including OURA/USD1, POLYMARKET/USD1, and META/USD1. The reward pool is shared across participating pairs. Individual rewards are determined by each Grid’s eligible trading volume relative to the total eligible volume generated during the relevant hourly period.
More eligible trading pairs may be added in subsequent weeks to reflect the latest market trends. For more information about the campaign, eligible trading pairs and current campaign parameters, please visit the official campaign page.
About Aster
Aster is a privacy-first onchain trading platform backed by YZi Labs, with unique features like Hidden Orders to protect user trading activity. It pioneers the frontier of on-chain trading through perpetual futures, spots, and earn products for top-trending assets, including RWAs, memes, and core crypto markets. It is powered by Aster Chain, a Layer 1 blockchain built to power the future of decentralized finance.
Users can learn more about Aster on the official website or follow Aster on X.
Contact
Marketing Manager
Lola Chen
lola.chen@asterdex.com
About Author
Disclaimer: The views, suggestions, and opinions expressed here are the sole responsibility of the experts. No Digi Observer journalist was involved in the writing and production of this article.
Press Release
RL Remodeling Marks Two Decades of Family-Style Building in Los Angeles as Demand Drives Expansion Across Southern California
RL Remodeling, a family-run Los Angeles design-build contractor founded in 2006, is expanding across Southern California on the strength of community referrals and repeat clients. One of the early pioneers of ADUs in LA, the company credits its growth to a diverse, long-tenured team that is trained in-house with monthly follow-up sessions, hands-on owner involvement in every project, and an office culture where everyone knows each client by name. From its Los Angeles roots, RL Remodeling now serves the greater LA area, Orange County and San Diego.
Los Angeles, California, United States, 28th Sep 2026 – RL Remodeling, a Los Angeles design-build contractor founded in 2006, is expanding its service footprint across Southern California in response to sustained demand from homeowners in the greater Los Angeles area, Orange County and San Diego. The company, which was among the first contractors in Los Angeles to focus on accessory dwelling units, says its growth has been driven almost entirely by referrals from the communities where it started.
“We never set out to be the biggest remodeling company in LA,” said the owner of RL Remodeling. “We set out to be the one people recommend to their neighbors. Everything else followed from that.”
A Family Model in an Industry Known for Turnover
Construction is a field where crews change from one project to the next. RL Remodeling has taken the opposite approach. The company describes itself as family-based, and it means that literally in how it runs the business. Team members stay for years, often growing from entry-level roles into senior positions, and the company invests in that growth directly.
Rather than relying only on outside certifications, RL Remodeling trains its own people. New hires are taught the company’s methods in person, and every team member takes part in follow-up training sessions each month to stay current with building codes, materials and design trends. That consistency shows up on job sites, where clients work with people who know the company’s standards because they helped shape them.
“When you keep the same people for years, quality stops being something you have to check for. It becomes the default,” the owner said.
The team is also notably diverse, made up of people from a range of nationalities and backgrounds. The office marks each culture’s holidays throughout the year, something the company sees as part of its identity rather than a side benefit.
Everyone in the Office Knows Every Client
One of the more unusual features of RL Remodeling’s operation is that every person in the office is involved in every project. There is no hand-off between a salesperson, a project manager and a crew who never meet. Clients are known by name across the company, and questions get answered by people who are already familiar with the job.
The ownership stays hands-on as well. Owners are personally involved in each project, from the first site visit through final walkthrough, and the company points to that personal touch as the reason many clients return for a second, third or fourth project over the years. A significant share of its work today comes from repeat customers and their referrals.
Celebrating the Work as a Team
Regular office meetings at RL Remodeling double as showcases. The full team gathers to review before-and-after results from recently completed projects, giving crews, designers and office staff a shared view of what they have built together. The company says these sessions do more for morale and standards than any formal review process could.
“Our people love seeing a garage turn into a finished ADU, or a tired kitchen turn into the center of a home,” the owner said. “Showing that to the whole team reminds everyone why the details matter.”
An Early Voice on ADUs in Los Angeles
RL Remodeling was building accessory dwelling units in Los Angeles before they became a mainstream housing solution. As California loosened regulations and demand for backyard homes, garage conversions and rental units grew, the company was already experienced in the permitting, structural and design challenges these projects involve.
Today ADUs remain a core part of the company’s work alongside kitchen and bathroom remodeling, room additions, whole-home renovations and new construction. Its early start has given RL Remodeling a depth of ADU experience that newer entrants to the market have not had time to develop.
Growth Driven by Demand, Not Marketing
The company’s expansion into new locations has followed a simple pattern: clients in one neighborhood recommend RL Remodeling to friends and family in the next, and the company adds coverage as the requests accumulate. From its roots in Los Angeles, it now serves communities across the San Fernando Valley, the Westside, Orange County and San Diego.
RL Remodeling says it intends to keep growing the same way, adding team members who fit its culture and locations where its clients ask for it, without changing the personal approach that built its reputation.
About RL Remodeling
Founded in 2006, RL Remodeling is a licensed design-build contractor serving the greater Los Angeles area, Orange County and San Diego. The company specializes in accessory dwelling units, kitchen and bathroom remodeling, home additions, whole-home renovations and new construction. Known for its family-based team, in-house training and hands-on ownership, RL Remodeling has built a client base that returns and refers year after year. Learn more at rl-remodeling.com.
Media Contact
Organization: RL Remodeling
Contact Person: Dana Laksman
Website: https://rl-remodeling.com/
Email:
info@rl-remodeling.com
Contact Number: +18883241144
Address: 5950 Canoga Ave Suite 420 Woodland Hills, CA, 91367
City: Los Angeles
State: California
Country: United States
Release id: 49499
The post RL Remodeling Marks Two Decades of Family-Style Building in Los Angeles as Demand Drives Expansion Across Southern California appeared first on King Newswire. This content is provided by a third-party source.. King Newswire makes no warranties or representations in connection with it. King Newswire is a press release distribution agency and does not endorse or verify the claims made in this release. If you have any complaints or copyright concerns related to this article, please contact the company listed in the ‘Media Contact’ section
About Author
Disclaimer: The views, suggestions, and opinions expressed here are the sole responsibility of the experts. No Digi Observer journalist was involved in the writing and production of this article.
AlgoQuant Asset Management Selects Liquid Mercury to Enhance Digital Asset Trading Infrastructure
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