The Finanser’s Week: 11th July – 17th July 2011

Our biggest stories of the week are ...

The Top 20 Banks of the World, 2011: China hits the Big Time

I’ve enjoyed the Banker’s Top 1000 listings for a long time now and, when last year’s listings came out, looked back over the last twenty years to see how things had changed. This year’s list has now just been published...

Massive innovations in payments ... not?

Just been through a meeting on payments and my role was to talk about all things that I see as innovative. That’s a long list so here’s my summary list ...

Inside the Head of Transaction Banking

I was fascinated to hear the priorities and issues facing the head of transaction services in a major global bank this week. Here are his key areas of focus ...

Paul Volcker disagrees with Sir John Vickers

Paul Volcker’s in town and he’s been everywhere! I was invited to one of the events he attended at the Official Monetary and Financial Institutions Forum (OMFIF), and it’s ten years since I last bumped into Paul ...

Honesty? Strewth, honestly, steal from an Aussie ...

I got a nudge today from NAB who have just launched a new experiment to find out how honest Australians are. NAB, National Australia Bank, recently pulled the pants down on their competitors by telling them they were all dodgy in a national advertising campaign framed around...

The major general news stories of the week include ...  

Euro plunged into crisis as contagion hits Italy - The Independent
European finance ministers were struggling last night to persuade nervous markets that Italy will not be the next domino to fall in the eurozone's apparently endless succession of sovereign debt crises.

Italy Is 2 Percentage Points From 'Disaster' - Business Week
Italian bond yields are less than 2 percentage points away from disaster as its 10-year notes tumble, according to Gary Jenkins, head of fixed-income at Evolution Securities Ltd.

Defaulted Greece May Have to Rescue Trichet as ECB Stands Firm - Business Week
European Central Bank President Jean-Claude Trichet might need to rely on Greece for assistance if the nation defaults.

'Big four' banks line up to oppose ICB's call for retail ring-fencing - The Independent
Britain's banks have lined up to oppose reforms proposed by the Government's Independent Commission on Banking (ICB).

Bank of England pays 82 people more than £100,000 - The Telegraph
The Bank of England is paying 82 people more than £100,000 and supplementing many with pension contributions equivalent to almost a third of their salaries again, its annual report reveals.

Cheque use will not be scrapped - BBC
The banking industry will not scrap the use of cheques after all, the UK's Payments Council has announced.

Antonio Horta-Osorio in charge of Lloyds: the facts - The Telegraph
Antonio Horta-Osorio, the Lloyds Banking Group chief executive, is determined to turn around the lender, which is 41pc owned by the UK taxpayer. Here are some facts about his leadership so far.

Drop in City workers on the lookout for new jobs - The Independent
Aggressive headhunting tactics could be on the way back to the City after a sharp drop in the number of financial workers looking for a new job, according to a financial services recruitment firm.

McKinsey concedes Galleon case 'embarrassing' - Financial Times
The management consultancy will not know for 20 years what damage the Galleon insider trading scandal has done to its brand, its head says

Survey Says Banks In Race to Monetize Mobile Payments - Payments News
KPMG has released a survey that shows how banks are looking to preserve their place in the payments value chain in light of new competitive threats from non-traditional sources, such as mobile payments. "According to the KPMG survey, 84% of banking and FS execs said mobile payments will have significant.

If you like the Finanser, check out the books of the blog: the new Complete Banker Series

The Financial Services Club is sponsored by:

For details of sponsorship email us.