~chris-skinner-s-blo | 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...