~chris-skinner-s-blo | Bookmarks (172)

It’s fascinating how things change. Donald Trump is President-Elect and bitcoin’s price soars to over $80,000. Quite predictable as he will be the crypto-President, as mentioned in July,  but maybe a forecast of a bitcoin price of $100,000+ by year-end is not so outrageous after all. Then, what intrigued me, is two stories. The first... The post Will the new America be based upon...

Things we’re reading today include … There’s another big winner of the US election: cryptocurrency | The Independent The cryptocurrency market has surpassed the total value of the FTSE 100 – Share Talk End of Treasury’s stake in NatWest is nigh, and no flashy sell-off required | Nils Pratley | The Guardian Argentinian fintech Ualá... The post Things worth reading: 12th November 2024 appeared...

Last week, McKinsey released their latest podcast and the title caught my eye: Transforming to an AI-powered finance function It’s a really interesting chat between OpenAI CFO Sarah Friar and McKinsey senior partner Lareina Yee on the podcast At the Edge. Listening to it (and there’s also a transcript), here are a few highlights of Sarah’s thoughts,... The post How AI can transform the finance function...

Things we’re reading today include … Bitcoin tops record $80,000 as Trump nears sweep of US Congress – BBC News Crypto firms including Robinhood, Kraken launch global stablecoin network | Reuters Treasury weighs sanctions on cryptocurrency tied to Howard Lutnick – The Washington Post Central Bank Digital Currency: Progress And Further Considerations Banking chaos as... The post Things worth reading: 11th November 2024 appeared...

This week’s blog discussions include: What does Trump’s victory mean for banks, tech, fintech and the future? Unsurprisingly, after a major election that will influence the Western world, the election of Donald Trump resulted in a flood of PR releases and contacts to tell me how this will influence the economy, Europe and the world.... The post The Finanser’s Week: 4th November – 10th...

Unsurprisingly, after a major election that will influence the Western world, the election of Donald Trump resulted in a flood of PR releases and contacts to tell me how this will influence the economy, Europe and the world. Some even got more specific, talking about how it will change fintech and cryptocurrencies. Let’s take a... The post What does Trump’s victory mean for banks,...

Things we’re reading today include … Detroit to Accept Cryptocurrency for Taxes and Fees by 2025 Transforming to an AI-powered finance function | McKinsey Allica Bank Retains Spot at Top of the Deloitte UK Tech Fast 50 Ranking COP29 should create clear policy roadmap to spur bank lending for renewable energy | IEEFA Visa Backs... The post Things worth reading: 8th November 2024 appeared...

Building on my blog the other day about BLIK (the Polish digital wallet), I just got two really insightful pieces of analysis on European payments – talking of a payments vision – from PWC in a report on Europe’s open banking vision and Jeremy Light, a good friend formerly of Accenture, on EU wallets. Here’s the... The post The European Payments Vision: United by Wallets...

Things we’re reading today include … What Trump Means For Fintech There’s another big winner of the US election: cryptocurrency | The Independent The environmental impact of cryptocurrency – The Mancunion Assessing the Bank of England’s climate risk collateral reforms for their greening potential Single mum left ‘mortified’ after DWP scrutinises her bank account Banks... The post Things worth reading: 7th November 2024 appeared...

Two weeks ago, I asked where the UK Payments Vision is. It should have been delivered this year, and yet there is still no sign of it. Having said that, the Bank of England did start to build a view. In late July 2024, the Bank of England launched a Discussion Paper on Innovation in money... The post The National Payments Vision: Run Britain with...

Things we’re reading today include … Why doesn’t the Bank of England tell the truth? Bank Resolution (Recapitalisation) Bill undergoes further scrutiny in Lords – UK Parliament Brazil’s Central Bank Previews Contactless Pix Payments Ant Digital Technologies Unveils “Dual Chains and One Bridge” Solution UK Banks Deploy Mobile Network Data to Combat Payment Fraud Government-backed... The post Things worth reading: 6th November 2024 appeared...

I have been amazed by the transformative power of technology in finance over the past two decades. From mPESA in Kenya to Alipay in China to NuBank in Brazil to PayTM in India, we have seen a massive shift in the world of finance. The fact is that today, wherever you are, whoever you are,... The post The transformative power of fintech appeared first...

Things we’re reading today include … UK Finance response to Bank of England discussion paper on Innovation in money & payments CFPB Releases Final Open Banking Rules: Key Takeaways for Fintech Companies US regulators must take reins on fintech oversight – bank associations Why Leading US BNPL Fintech Affirm has Staked UK Claim | FinTech... The post Things worth reading: 5th November 2024 appeared...

Things we’re reading today include … Are challenger banks too ‘fun and friendly’ to really win our trust? | The Drum British fintech founder who moved to U.S.: U.K. tech’s problem isn’t taxes—it’s ambition | Fortune Europe From Code To Conscience: Humanities’ Role In Fintech’s Evolution 1 in 3 Brits Report Mental Health Struggles Due... The post Things worth reading: 4th November 2024 appeared...

You may be wondering about the headline of this blog, but it’s all about the rapidly changing would of money. It used to be simple. Government would control monetary supply in the economy and wholesale and retail banks would distribute such money to businesses and citizens. It’s still the same, just that it’s all moving... The post G2CB2WB2RB2B2C2CBDC … WTH? appeared first on Chris...

This week’s blog discussions include … Banks make millions from the most vulnerable As mentioned, I’m dealing with my mother’s financial affairs as she reaches end of life, and I’m finding it incredibly frustrating. The process is that there first needs to be a Power of Attorney in place. Luckily, she saw that coming and... The post The Finanser’s Week: 28th October – 3rd...

In a rather parochial perspective, I asked my friends to give a reaction to Rachel Reeve’s budget, and got a nice summary back. Here’s the low-down: Autumn Budget Brings Relief for Pensioners but Sparks Debate on Inheritance Tax Changes The UK’s autumn budget is setting the stage for significant changes aimed at helping pensioners maintain... The post What does the UK budget mean? appeared...

During lockdown in the pandemic, I went a bit off script and started singing karaoke songs, with the words changed to focus on banking and payments. It was just a bit of fun to keep me busy at that time. Nevertheless, there are still many moments where I hear a song and think oh, that... The post A Cashless Whisper appeared first on Chris...

Things we’re reading today include … Banks’ use of AI could be included in stress tests, says Bank of England deputy governor World’s Safest Banks 2024: World’s Biggest Banks | Global Finance Magazine Lloyds shareholders could take £1bn hit over car finance crisis | Lloyds Banking Group | The Guardian BIAN launches latest version of... The post Things worth reading: 1st November 2024 appeared...

It intrigues me how quickly our world of money is changing from crypto to fintech to BaaS to infinity and beyond. The question that constantly sits in the back of my mind is how to regulate all this stuff to maintain trust? From Synapse to FTX to Beenz to Boo, how can the regulator keep... The post Who do we trust, how and why?...

Things we’re reading today include … Cryptocurrency payments have become a reality Reddit has sold most of its cryptocurrency portfolio – MarketWatch Cryptocurrency firm founder pleads guilty to fraud after novel FBI probe | Reuters Mandelson and Schwartz leave troubled fintech Bank of London Bank specialisation and zombie lending | CEPR UBS profits beat forecasts... The post Things worth reading: 31st October 2024 appeared...

I recently had a discussion about Genghis Khan, who I think of as some ancestral tyrant dictator who sowed his seed so far and wide that most of the modern world has his DNA. However, he also had another side called leadership. A friend of mine decided to use Khan’s leadership model to frame digital... The post What has Genghis Khan ever done for...

Things we’re reading today include … Nearly half of fintech founders mull leaving UK ahead of crunch Budget Former bank boss in Latvia jailed for ordering killing of whistleblower Cryptocurrency promoters on X amplify China-aligned disinformation ‘Pig butchering’ scammers targeting job seekers with cryptocurrency fraud – Intelligent CISO Reeves to make Bank of England put... The post Things worth reading: 30th October 2024 appeared...

As mentioned, I’m dealing with my mother’s financial affairs as she reaches end of life, and I’m finding it incredibly frustrating. The process is that there first needs to be a Power of Attorney in place. Luckily, she saw that coming and gave it to me. That’s a government portal which allows me to take... The post Banks make millions from the most vulnerable...