Bookmarks (174)

It’s funny how things go around and come around again. For years, I’ve been bemused why banks cannot merge and be successful across borders. There have been almost zero European bank mergers of any size that are cross-border and the few that exist – Santander, Unicredit, Nordea to name a few – have all found... The post Fintechs are building global platforms: what can...

Things we’re reading today include … Experts alarmed by Trumps’ crypto meme coins: ‘America voted for corruption’ | The Guardian Trump’s embrace of meme coin sours mood in crypto industry – ABC News Trump pardons Silk Road creator Ross Ulbricht – BBC News Cryptocurrency Market to Grow by USD 39.75 Billion (2025-2029), Fueled by Digital... The post Things worth reading: 22nd January 2025 appeared...

Since I started in finance, there’s been an interesting debate around whether firms can grow through organic growth or acquisitive growth. Most banks have consolidated over time to become the behemoths they are today. By way of example, just look at the history of JPMorgan Chase: Source: The Brand Hopper Or, as it surprises many... The post Does growth through M&A work anymore? appeared...

Things we’re reading today include: Donald Trump’s net worth doubles as crypto market soars | The Independent Trump’s new meme coin and crypto token soar on his first day in office | Al Jazeera Circle CEO: Trump Will Act ‘Imminently’ on Banks’ Crypto Trading Elon Musk’s Antics on X Are Too Much for Germany’s Central... The post Things worth reading: 21st January 2025 appeared...

As someone focused upon the future, there are a few futuristic cities that astound me. Dubai is one, as I go there every year for a winter break, and recently visited the Museum of the Future. That already sounds strange, as museums usually host the memories of the past, not the future. The museum was quite... The post What does tomorrow’s city look like? appeared...

Things we’re reading today include: Melania Trump launches cryptocurrency on eve of inauguration – BBC News Santander ‘considering quitting the UK’ after two decades because of too much red tape Brown Brothers Harriman’s slavery links exposed by Liverpool campaign | The Guardian Bank of England delays rules designed to avoid banking crash by a year... The post Things worth reading: 20th January 2025 appeared...

This week’s main blog discussions include … Britain’s recent budgets feel like a long walk on a short cliff I’m not going to make any political statements, but have been watching UK political activity for the past few months, as has Elon Musk and others. In particular, there have been two milestone budget events in... The post The Finanser’s Week: 13th January – 19th...

On Monday, the crypto-president of America takes office. Bearing in mind that I’ve said several times he will be the crypto-President it is interesting that, in the last few weeks, he will be more than this. He will be the Big Tech President. Here is why. We live in such interesting times. Digitalisation has creeped... The post Big Tech wants Big Gov to protect...

Things we’re reading today include … Trump 2.0 Could Mean a More Bank- and Fintech-Friendly Environment Former Bank of England governor Mark Carney running to replace Justin Trudeau as Canada’s PM | Sky News Russians are so nervous about the economy that the central bank took to Telegram to dismiss rumors about deposits being frozen... The post Things worth reading: 17th January 2025 appeared...

For a long time, I’ve had this chart that shows how banks can become digital banks by moving from the distribution of paper through buildings with humans to the distribution of data through software and servers. It’s a stable of my presentations and the argument is that the front, middle and back office needs to move... The post How the digital bank model needs to...

Things we’re reading today include … Cryptocurrency Growth Outpaces Mobile Phones and the Internet Klarna and Stripe strengthen partnership Trump’s new SEC leadership poised to kick start crypto overhaul, sources say | Reuters The Bank of England’s new approach to bank stress testing – speech | Bank of England Europe: largest banks by market cap... The post Things worth reading: 16th January 2025 appeared...

Some years ago, I wrote a paper for SUERF. What’s SUERF? SUERF stands for Société Universitaire Européenne de Recherches Financières, which is French for the European University of Financial Research. It is a non-profit, non-partisan organisation that aims to promote discussion and understanding of financial and monetary issues. All well and good. The reason for... The post Are you really a smart contract? appeared...

Things we’re reading today include … Trump’s plan for a strategic bitcoin reserve could trigger a crypto ‘arms race’ and reshape the global economic order UK fintech warned against complacency as investment drops – The Banker Bank of England and NYDFS swap staff with expertise in emerging payments and digital assets Bank of England plans... The post Things worth reading: 15th January 2025 appeared...

I’m not going to make any political statements, but have been watching UK political activity for the past few months, as has Elon Musk and others. In particular, there have been two milestone budget events in the last two years, both of which damaged the UK economy massively. Add on to this all the Brexit... The post Britain’s recent budgets feel like a long...

Things we’re reading today include … Binance Faces US Class Action Lawsuit After Supreme Court Rejects Appeal – Fintech Singapore Looking to Buy PayPal in 2025? Here’s the Fintech Stock’s Secret Weapon. | The Motley Fool Big Tech’s Big Bet on Trump – The New York Times Report: Donald Trump to Issue Crypto Executive Order... The post Things worth reading: 14th January 2025 appeared...

Donald Trump’s administration is expected to turn the US into a crypto-friendly hub using a range of changes to tax policies. Here’s the best guess of what that means. For some time I’ve talked about Donald Trump’s ambition to be the crypto President and, as his inauguration on January 20th approaches, it makes you wonder... The post How Donald Trump will build crypto-America appeared...

Things we’re reading today include … Whale frenzy: 1 billion XRP accumulated in 48 hours means THIS for price! – AMBCrypto Lloyds bankers could face bonus cut if not in office two days a week | Lloyds Banking Group | The Guardian ‘Of course I remember the bank strikes,’ my mother says. ‘Your dad took... The post Things worth reading: 13th January 2025 appeared...

This week’s main blog discussions are all about 2025 and what people predict … The World in 2025 Welcome to 2025! As usual, at the start of the year, there are a whole raft of predictions as to what will happen. I used to write my own personal predictions and review them at the end... The post The Finanser’s Week: 23rd December 2024 –...

A final wrap-up of the big trends of 2025 is obvs to talk about fintech. Looking at the big fintech trends, probably the best place to start is with Simon Taylor’s 111 page report (ONE HUNDRED AND ELEVEN PAGES!!!). Simon and his BFF Jev at Sardine note a number of developments, such as the fintech hyperscaler.... The post 2025 in fintech is going to be...

Things we’re reading today include … UK fintech funding races ahead of Europe European fintech funding tumbles in 2024 amid geopolitical instability – Tech.eu Lloyds, Halifax and Bank of Scotland makes HUGE change in bank branches | The Sun Six big US banks quit net zero alliance before Trump inauguration | The Guardian Bank of... The post Things worth reading: 10th January 2025 appeared...

So, I’ve already talked about payments, technology and mentioned cryptocurrencies but, this year, crypto deserves its’ very own singular entry. Cryptocurrencies are huge in 2025. This is not only because Donald Trump and Elon Musk will do their utmost to make America the Crypto Capital, but because – after sixteen years – cryptocurrencies are coming... The post What will happen with crypto in 2025?...

Continuing the theme of payments in 2025 I really liked the view of McKinsey, who produced a really nice report to coincide with SIBOS last year. What did they say? In short “simpler interfaces, complex reality”. What does that mean? It means that “payments are becoming disconnected from accounts, and the number of players is proliferating,... The post What’s happening with payments in 2025? appeared...

I got a whole load of payments predictions for 2025 … just a shame that it was no one paying me! Seriously though, a lot of people shared a McKinsey report that focuses upon this area, released around Sibos 2024, that opens with: “The tantalizing vision for global payments has long been that they’d be safe,... The post 2025 is all about digital wallets, tokenisation...

Things we’re reading today include … Why US Banks are Leaving the Net Zero Banking Alliance ‘X Money’ Leak Reveals Elon Musk’s Game-Changing Plan As Bitcoin Nears $100,000 Price Trump’s Wall Street accident waiting to happen Making of the most connected bank in Bangladesh PSD3’s Global Reach Brings US Firms New Challenges Fintech Sector in... The post Things worth reading: 7th January 2025 appeared...

I wanted to make this a short blog update on tech changes in 2025, but it’s incredibly long and, unsurprisingly, nearly all about AI. If 2023 was the year of ChatGPT and 2024 AI, this is the year of Agentic AI. What’s the difference? Well AI has so far been pretty much a pull technology. You... The post Is 2025 all about Agentic AI? appeared...

Things we’re reading today include: ‘Trump bump’ adds almost $2 trillion to crypto market EU crypto regulation MiCA comes fully into force FinTech Ad Spending Climbs 45% in Last 3 Years Shawbrook aims to kickstart London IPO market with £2bn float The banking system’s net zero reckoning Investment banks prepare for 2025 crunch More records... The post Things worth reading: 6th January 2025 appeared...

I was tempted to include this in the economics section, but the focus is different. The focus here is on your company, its staff and work. Economics is focused upon countries, markets and investments. The two are different. Nevertheless, it is hard not to cover the same things, as almost all business predictions seem to... The post What will happen in work and business...

Welcome to 2025! As usual, at the start of the year, there are a whole raft of predictions as to what will happen. I used to write my own personal predictions and review them at the end of the year but now, with so many predicting so many things, I’ll leave to the panel of... The post The World in 2025 appeared first on...

One of my friends just sent me an interesting article all about trust, fraud and cryptocurrency so, as a Christmas present, I wanted to share it with you. Here goes … With the digital revolution, crypto has become a global financial phenomenon. Blockchain technology has changed how we make transactions, interact with clients, and use... The post IP risks in cryptocurrency trading and preventing...

This week’s main blog discussions include … The Top Ten Blog Posts for 2024 2024 has been a bumper year for this blog. According to Google Analytics, the blog has 175,000 active users, an increase of 30% over 2023, with near 300,000 views and a million interactions and so, as usual, I share the most... The post The Finanser’s Week: 16th December – 22nd...

It’s the end of the year. I was wondering how you would summarise 2024? Someone asked this question on Reddit and the general answers appear to be that the world is going to hell and there is little we can do about it. Nice, although the regular surveys by Ipsos disagree: Despite the cost of... The post Wishing you happy holidays and a peaceful...

2024 has been a bumper year for this blog. According to Google Analytics, the blog has 175,000 active users, an increase of 30% over 2023, with near 300,000 views and a million interactions and so, as usual, I share the most read blog entries at the end of the year. Here are the Top 10... The post The Top Ten Blog Posts of 2024...

Things we’re reading today include … Berlin mulls extravagant measures to stall takeover attempt on top bank – POLITICO A running list of BaaS banks hit with consent orders in 2024 | Banking Dive US regulator orders USAA Federal Savings Bank to correct unsafe practices | Reuters The fintech sentiment: Are banks ready for DORA?... The post Things worth reading: 19th December 2024 appeared...

It’s interesting to see AI appearing more and more in financial conversations. A few examples just this week: AI’s Role in Banking: A Game Changer or Just Another Fad? How Artificial Intelligence is changing banking How AI is helping banks support sustainability transformation. The ability to quickly process large amounts of data makes AI models... The post The move from AI to AGI to...

Things we’re reading today include … Why VPNs Have Become Essential to Fintech Cybersecurity 40% of UK High Net Worth Individuals Currently Hold Cryptocurrency Assets Lloyds advert banned for making false environmental claims | The Guardian UK Stock Market’s IPO Ranking Now Trails Oman and Malaysia – Bloomberg Bank worker stole £5m from safe deposit... The post Things worth reading: 18th December 2024 appeared...

I asked the question: What’s a cash machine for if no-one uses cash? in the 1990s. As the guy heading up the strategy for cash machines for a major cash machine company beginning with N and ending in R, it was a good question to ask. Thing is that no-one took the question very seriously... The post Cash, huh! What is it good for?...

Things we’re reading today include … Bitcoin rallies past $107,000, hopes grow for strategic reserve | Reuters Donald Trump and the “crypto capital of the planet” | Lowy Institute Nubank Announces Investment in Tyme Group, a Digital Bank With Operations in South Africa and the Philippines Why Norges Bank leads the world in transparency FIS... The post Things worth reading: 17th December 2024 appeared...

I found a very nice montage of the future jobs world on my newsfeed the other day, so here is the final summary of the other work we will be doing. I don’t agree with all of the thoughts below, e.g. working anywhere in the world is already here, but it makes for an interesting... The post Jobs of the future: Finalé – a...

Things we’re reading today include … Bitcoin jumps to new record high of more than $106,000 – BBC News The fintech company that collapsed and took $90m of people’s life savings with it | The Independent Tech-savvy Saudis push consumer fintech to new heights | Arab News Lloyds Bank seven-day warning over ‘locked’ accounts HSBC... The post Things worth reading: 16th December 2024 appeared...

This week’s main blog discussions include … The challenge is how to deliver freedom, security, control and privacy A really interesting conversation popped up during a meeting with a fintech yesterday. The core of the discussion was around trust and identity – my favourite themes of the moment – and we got into a debate... The post The Finanser’s Week: 9th December – 15th...

A really interesting conversation popped up during a meeting with a fintech yesterday. The core of the discussion was around trust and identity – my favourite themes of the moment – and we got into a debate about the fact that most people want freedom and control of their lives. They want privacy and security... The post The challenge is how to deliver freedom,...

It is easy to believe in these futuristic scenarios that we won’t need human advisors. In the words of Vivian Ward, the escort in Pretty Woman: Vivian: You work on commission, right? Saleswoman: Ah, yes. Vivian: Big mistake. Big. If you believe that the future will no longer involve financial advisors, you are making a... The post Jobs of the future, Part Ten: the...

Things we’re reading today include … Trump advisers seek to shrink or eliminate bank regulators Klarna Fined for Anti-Money Laundering Failures Thought Machine valuation cut by nearly 40% by investor Molten Ventures Visa Direct to deliver faster bank transfers in a minute or less ‘Suspicious transactions’ led to collapse of UK fintech Stenn HSBC reviews... The post Things worth reading: 13th December 2024 appeared...

This was an interesting headline in The Wall Street Journal which made me open my eyes: Why the Coolest Job in Tech Might Actually Be in a Bank For tech and AI talent, jobs at financial services companies are more desirable than they have ever been. Banks have been working hard to make it happen.... The post Is the coolest job in Tech in...

With drones, self-driving vehicles and supersonic flights rising day after day, we are very likely to see a massively congested sky by 2050. Some would say the Jetsons has arrived and, if you look at what is happening today, they are not far wrong. Most of our flying and automated vehicle structure will run autonomously... The post Jobs of the future, Part Nine: Air...

Things we’re reading today include … Trump combines AI and crypto in White House ‘czar’ role FSOC: Financial Landscape Unprepared for FinTech and Crypto Cake Digital Bank Achieves Profitability in 3.5 Years European airline Ryanair partners with TrueLayer to offer Pay by Bank | Open Banking Expo Santander Appoints PayPal Vet to Head Digital Consumer... The post Things worth reading: 12th December 2024 appeared...

There’s a lot of debate about the big axis of power today: America and China (ed: what about India?). Both have massive tech giants  and both have super economies. Where does this leave Europe? It’s interesting for me in that most of the discussion is that Europe and Eurocrats strangle all innovation with regulation or,... The post Europe’s regulation strangulation appeared first on Chris...

We are looking at a possible million humans or more living on Mars by 2050. How will they live? What will they be doing? Is it going to be easy to travel between Earth and Mars? Are the communication systems going to work to keep connected with families on both planets? Why would you want... The post Jobs of the future, Part Eight: Multiplanetary...

Things we’re reading today include … Deutsche Bank and Crypto.com sign corporate banking deal Ukraine’s Mobile Frontline Bank Dodges Shells To Deliver Cash A new dawn for Metro Bank? – Investors’ Chronicle Goldman Sachs exits Net-Zero Banking Alliance | ESG Dive Ant International Expands Fintech Reach with AI Push | FinTech Magazine The evolution of... The post Things worth reading: 11th December 2024 appeared...

I talked a bit about Amazon and Apple teaming up to develop AI strategies to compete and beat Alphabet/Google and Microsoft the other day. It got me thinking: why are we talking the American Big Tech giants when there are several Big Tech Asian giants namely Alibaba, Baidu, Tencent and NVIDIA themselves. What are their AI... The post The AI arms race is on …...