~chris-skinner-s-blo | Bookmarks (164)

Things we’re reading today include … UK fintech jobs market booms Fintech Investment Director At Lloyds Banking Group Highlights Key Financial Technology Trends For 2025 Deutsche Bank profits collapse as German economy reels  A message from Christian Sewing on Deutsche Bank’s 2024 results Statistical release: BIS international banking statistics and global liquidity indicators at end-September... The post Things worth reading: 31st January 2025 appeared...

As a long-term and dedicated user of facebook and twitter since the 2000s, it is weird to find that, today, they are no longer useful tools. The feeds are now stacked with Mark Zuckerberg updates, Musk propaganda and worse. The only tool that’s still useful is LinkedIn, although there are issues there too. So it... The post Who wants payments on X? appeared first...

Things we’re reading today include … Trump Media Launches Fintech Brand With Bitcoin and Crypto Focus – Decrypt Donald Trump lashes out at Federal Reserve after central bank keeps rates steady Formance raises $21M to build the AWS for fintech infrastructure | TechCrunch Failed fintech start-up will leave creditors £100m out of pocket The bank... The post Things worth reading: 30th January 2025 appeared...

Being an optimist, I always think the future is bright – is it orange or yellow and blue? – yet, when looking back into the past, almost every year has something happening somewhere that moves the world’s axis. It’s like my favourite quote from Vladimir Ilyich Lenin who, after the Russian Revolution in 1918, said... The post Is DeepSeek an inflexion point? appeared first...

Things we’re reading today include … Elon Musk’s X partners with Visa to offer digital wallet X is ‘barely breaking even’ as the big banks get antsy over their debt Head of Czech central bank wants it to buy billions of euros in bitcoin Hackers steal $85 million worth of cryptocurrency from Phemex Fintech firm... The post Things worth reading: 29th January 2025 appeared...

Marc Andreessen announced that their office in London, opened only two years ago, would shut down and its got everyone talking. Is London finished? Is the UK’s claim of being a great tech economy over? Will it bring down the government? Well, there are differing views. Many believe it is due to the new Trump... The post You can take a16z out of the...

Things we’re reading today include … Nvidia shares sink as Chinese AI app DeepSeek spooks US markets – BBC News Bitcoin falls below $98,000 as cryptocurrency market hit by tech stock declines Political interference in central banks risks economic harm, ECB president warns | The Guardian DWP will take money from bank accounts when balance... The post Things worth reading: 28th January 2025 appeared...

Thirty years ago, I predicted the end of the intermediary. It’s the one prediction I got wrong as the intermediary – the middleman – is the key to good business. This is one thing I’ve learned after all these years. It’s not what you know. It’s who you know. The broker who can link the... The post The art of good business is being...

Things we’re reading today include … PayPal fined by New York for cybersecurity failures Trump orders crypto working group to draft new regulations, explore national stockpile | Reuters Leak Reveals Musk’s Doge Could Be About To Trigger A Bitcoin-Inspired Price Game-Changer 1 Top Cryptocurrency to Buy Before It Soars 120%, According to a Former Goldman... The post Things worth reading: 27th January 2025 appeared...

This week’s main blog discussions include … Digital Trust: How do you know you are you? For many years now, we have been talking about digital identity. The core is how to prove you are you. You have to be identified, verified, authenticated and approved. You would think with so many layers of monitoring access... The post The Finanser’s Week: 20th January – 26th...

Things we’re reading today include … Strengthening American Leadership in Digital Financial Technology – The White House Trump Issues Executive Order to Boost Cryptocurrency Industry – The New York Times Trump orders crypto working group to draft new regulations, explore national stockpile | Reuters Davos 2025: Is the cryptocurrency era about to begin? | World... The post Things worth reading: 24th January 2025 appeared...

For many years now, we have been talking about digital identity. The core is how to prove you are you. You have to be identified, verified, authenticated and approved. You would think with so many layers of monitoring access that everyone online in the financial system could be trusted. So, how come there are criminals,... The post Digital Trust: How do you know you...

I had a nice conversation the other day with a research group about the future of cash. Here’s a quick summary of the conversation. The conversation explores the future of cash and digital currencies, highlighting different demographic preferences and the challenges in transitioning to a cashless society. Demographic Tiers: There are three main demographic groups: tech-savvy... The post The future of cash appeared first on...

Things we’re reading today include … Santander boss speaks out after growing fears of bank pulling out of UK UK’s FCA Charts Path From Open Banking to ‘Open Finance’ Top 10: Global Neobanks | FinTech Magazine A whistlestop tour of US banks – Investors’ Chronicle JPMorgan, Deutsche Bank position for boom in ultra wealthy families... The post Things worth reading: 23rd January 2025 appeared...

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...