~chris-skinner-s-blo | Bookmarks (165)

Things we’re reading today include … Monzo, Revolut, Starling or Chase? The best digital bank accounts, compared | The Independent How Monzo Bank Built a Cost-Effective, Unorthodox Backup System to Ensure Resilient Banking – InfoQ Banks downgrade top sustainability roles Commonwealth Bank boss makes admission about the future of cash | Daily Mail Better Cryptocurrency... The post Things worth reading: 25th February 2025 appeared...

I made this headline immediately challenging for anyone not in my space, as it incorporates all the TLAs (three letter arconyms) to confuse and abuse you. A fascinating release from Europe’s Central Bank announced that they aim to move soon to distributed ledger technology (DLT) settlements for payments last week. What did the announcement say?... The post ECB with DLT and CBDC create RTP...

Things we’re reading today include: ‘Worst hack in history’ as $1.5bn in cryptocurrency stolen | Money News | Sky News HSBC and other banks fined after using chat rooms to discuss gilt trades Four major City banks fined more than £100 million by watchdog Michael Saylor Urges US To Buy 20% Of BTC Supply, Use... The post Things worth reading: 24th February 2025 appeared...

This week’s main blog discussions include … Why are CBDCs not working? After many years we have had many discussions of many countries and many banks talking about launching many central bank digital currencies (CBDCs). Today, only three countries have a live CBDC: the Bahamas, Jamaica and Nigeria. Doesn’t that feel a bit strange? Well,... The post The Finanser’s Week: 17th February – 23rd...

After many years we have had many discussions of many countries and many banks talking about launching many central bank digital currencies (CBDCs). Today, only three countries have a live CBDC: the Bahamas, Jamaica and Nigeria. Doesn’t that feel a bit strange? Well, most governments are experimenting with CBDCs and SWIFT, to retain their control... The post Why are CBDCs not working? appeared first...

Things we’re reading today include … Eurosystem expands initiative to settle DLT-based transactions in central bank money European Central Bank Takes Step Toward Blockchain-Based Payments System – Decrypt European Central Bank’s annual loss hits record €7.9bn SEC rebrands cryptocurrency unit to focus on emerging technologies UK Fintech Investment Fell By Over 25% In 2024, But... The post Things worth reading: 21st February 2025 appeared...

I found a fun meme on Facebook about passwords. Passwords. What??? When I was a lad, we didn’t have passwords and usernames. What has the world become? Well, it’s become a world of people who are dumb and stupid and create passwords that are ridiculous and easily hackable. For example, the world’s most popular passwords are 123456,... The post Why do we trust the network? appeared...

Things we’re reading today include: HSBC net zero goal delayed 20 years, as CEO offered 600% bonus HSBC hit by fresh Hong Kong row: Bank accused of ‘shrugging its shoulders’ in the face of Chinese oppression | This is Money Top 10: Challenger Banks | FinTech Magazine After raising $1 billion, fintech Varo closes another... The post Things worth reading: 20th February 2025 appeared...

I saw a fascinating pair of columns on City AM last week. One was advocating London as the UK fintech unicorn centre of Europe: London named Europe’s ‘unicorn capital’ for fintechs … whilst the other claimed the new UK Labour government policies were scaring fintech founders out of the UK and into Europe, in this... The post The balance between taxation and innovation appeared...

Things we’re reading today include … The 50 Hottest Fintech Startups In 2025 Argentine president defends his $LIBRA cryptocurrency tweet after crash, comparing losses to gambling | CNN UK capital of European fintech, despite four-year investment low – Tech.eu DBS, HSBC have best-performing mobile banking apps in Asia, according to a new report | South... The post Things worth reading: 19th February 2025 appeared...

Jamie Dimon, CEO of JPMorgan Chase, held an internal town hall meeting last week and got onto the subject of working from home (WFH). It turns out he doesn’t like it. In a lengthy foul-mouthed rant, he tells staffers that it’s full of sh*t. Here’s a short part of the tirade, as discovered by Barron’s... The post Jamie Dimon: f*** off WFH appeared first...

Things we’re reading today include … Bank overtakes Monzo to become Britain’s favourite ‘Times are hard’ for fintech but latest report reveals glimmer of recovery | Computer Weekly Three Reasons Why MicroStrategy’s Michael Saylor Thinks BTC Prices Will Reach £3.9M in the Long Run | IBTimes UK Coins, watches and more: A look at Trump’s... The post Things worth reading: 18th February 2025 appeared...

After our Valentine Day shenanigans, it is interesting to think about the other side of love. The dark side. The fake love. The reason I mention this is that I keep reading about romance fraud, and wondering how people can be suckered into such scams. For example, there was a recent headline about a French... The post What happens when it’s love … not...

Things we’re reading today include … Argentina’s President Milei faces impeachment calls after promoting cryptocurrency | CNN High rise, quick crash: Why did $LIBRA cryptocurrency’s value go on a roller-coaster ride? – Firstpost London named Europe’s ‘unicorn capital’ for fintechs Labour’s non-dom tax raid forces Castle-owning fintech founder out of the UK HSBC to shed... The post Things worth reading: 17th February 2025 appeared...

This week’s main blog discussions include … Is BaaS dead? I see a lot of people writing that Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS) is dead. That saddens me a little, as I created the term twenty years ago – have I mentioned this before? – but I agree. It is now past its prime. It was replaced by open... The post The Finanser’s Week: 10th February – 16th...

It’s Valentine’s Day. A day full of love. A day that makes me think of the film Titanic, which tells the love story of Jack and Rose and the greatest ship disaster in history. But then it also raises a question: was the iceberg the issue? Just for Valentine’s Day, here is a different version... The post Did John Pierpont Morgan sink the Titanic?...

Things we’re reading today include: Love and Money: Surprising Insights into Modern Romance JP Morgan runs out of desk space after banning working from home IBM under fire as return-to-office order suspected of replacing human staff with AI How Is AI Transforming the FinTech Industry? UK: leading fintech companies by valuation 2025 | Statista Coinbase... The post Things worth reading: 14th February 2025 appeared...

Almost every day these days is an AI headline, but this video really struck me. It is showing the selfies we would have taken in historical times: Can you imagine? The reason it struck me is that you have to wonder today what is real online and what is not. The more our networked system... The post Is the world spinning too fast due...

Things we’re reading today include … ‘Highway robbery’: NYC comptroller accuses Musk of stealing $80m from city bank account | The Independent If your bank rips you off, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau gets your money back. Elon Musk is killing it | The Independent The 5 biggest banking security threats – and how to... The post Things worth reading: 13th February 2025 appeared...

I shared a post the other day by Usman Sheikh, a serial investor based in Dubai. The post is asking the question whether AI can replace consultants although, to be more pointed, specifically McKinsey. How could that happen? McKinsey have the best and brightest minds in the world: they only hire graduates at the top of... The post Will AI replace McKinsey? appeared first on...

Every day there appears to be another update about how AI will change our world. The latest one in my inbox is a report from the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), who warn that AI is likely to have a “seismic impact” on the economy and society, particularly in roles reliant on computer-based tasks. That’s almost all of... The post Will AI destroy humanity? appeared first on...

Things we’re reading today include … Bank outages: Committee demands answers from banks and building societies following Barclays IT failure – UK Parliament Swedish fintech giant Klarna signals major move into crypto ahead of April IPO Agentic AI and the future of fintech and banking automation I’m a Bank Insider: How Banks Serve the Ultra... The post Things worth reading: 11th February 2025 appeared...

I see a lot of people writing that Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS) is dead. That saddens me a little, as I created the term twenty years ago – have I mentioned this before? – but I agree. It is now past its prime. It was replaced by open banking. Then there was embedded finance and today it is... The post Is BaaS dead? appeared first on Chris...

This week’s main blog discussions include … Elon Musk now controls the American payments system I feel like a continual splurge of Musk is happening, ever since Donald Trump became President, but the latest is really interesting as Elon Musk is now in control of the Treasury department payments system that runs America. The challenges of... The post The Finanser’s Week: 3rd February – 9th...