Chris Skinner's blog Shaping the future of finance

Just over a month away from Christmas and the festive season is off to a rock and roll start. This week sees the launch of the annual John Lewis schmaltzy advert (see every one since 2006 here) and after six on December 5 sees the …

Actually, it’s not just banking. It’s money. Money is about control – something I blog about regularly – and men control societies, economies and the world. Women are subjugated in that world, which is why there is a minority of female founders of FinTech firms …

I’ve said for a while that the Big Tech giants will not become banks. Amazon and Alibaba will do a lot of bank-like activities, but they will never move into full-service banking, as in offering deposit accounts. Why won’t they? Because that’s full banking activity …

Things we’re reading today include … Deutsche Bank tech failings hit thousands of payments UBS wealth management co-head Khan unveils plans to grow business: paper TSB ‘may close up to 100 branches and put 400 jobs at risk’ Apple co-founder says Apple Card algorithm gave …

The main blog headlines are … Seven Fin and Tech truisms we wish were myths (with thanks to Anne Boden) I attended the New Statesman’s FinTech Summit yesterday. I gave the opening speech and was followed by the indomitable Anne Boden, CEO and Founder of …

I got a tweet the other day pointing me to a report from the Financial Stability Board about the use of decentralised technologies for financial services. Excellent report from the Financial Stability Board @fsb about the impact of decentralized #fintech#finserv #DeFi #DLT #payments #lending ➡️https://t.co/toIsNQ580a pic.twitter.com/LUfGxn9akl …

Things we’re reading today include … Citi, Deutsche get go-ahead to probe regulator witnesses in landmark cartel case Wall Street investors slam Warren’s policies City traders: We want shorter working hours How big tech is dragging us towards the next financial crash Financial crime through …

I got an email the other day from TransferWise, a service I use frequently. Why do I use it? Because I moved to Poland. Poland’s currency is the Zloty and paying everything on my card in British Pounds with conversion rates seemed stupid. It really …

Things we’re reading today include … Deutsche Bank collapse rebuttal sets off Twitter storm Factbox: How the SEC is making life easier for corporate America Goldman’s journey: from high finance to the Mittelstand Second U.S. law firm plots rival London forex class action London Stock …

I attended the New Statesman’s FinTech Summit yesterday. I gave the opening speech and was followed by the indomitable Anne Boden, CEO and Founder of Starling Bank, who talked about the path to profitability. She asserts the bank will deliver profitability next year, but her …

Things we’re reading today include … Citigroup Says It’s Open to Expanding Bank-Branch Footprint Modern Central Banking Is More Vulnerable Than We Think Banks boosted new lending to fossil fuel projects last year, figures show IBM, Bank of America team up to launch financial services-specific …

We hear a lot about how crypto and bitcoin encourages illegal activity, drugs, money laundering and such like. The reality is that such activity today is tiny when compared with the amount of illegal activity, drugs and money laundering going through the banking system. As …

Things we’re reading today include … Goldman Sachs offers would-be parents on staff $20,000 to buy eggs OneCoin lawyer on trial for role in ‘crypto-scam’ Regulators press Deutsche boss to drop dual roles Santander buys majority stake in fintech Ebury for £350m Edmond de Rothschild …

I’ve blogged for a while now about the different approaches to Big Tech in China and America. In China, Big Tech is pretty much working hand-in-hand with government to solve society’s issues and police them. People in the West may not like it or understand …

The main blog headlines are … McKinsey reckon banks are in a ‘do-or-die’ moment … really? A few talking points last week, but two hit me in particular. The first is a McKinsey report that reckons half of the world’s banks are not viable. Their …

My children are big fans of The Gruffalo. If you’re not familiar with The Gruffalo, it’s the story about a mouse who might get eaten by threatening creatures like a Fox, an Owl or a Snake, but makes up a fictional character who could actually …

Things we’re reading today include … Banks face compensation claim over payment fraud New Wells Fargo CEO says he wants to fix problems, isn’t a ‘wallflower’ Why the repo market went awry… Facebook sued for age, gender bias in financial services ads A scholar of …

I’ve a number of great friends in the industry, and enjoy their company and contribution. One of those friends is Gijs Boudewijn, Chair of the Payment Systems Committee at the European Banking Federation who kindly quoted me in his recent presentation on Open Banking. He has …

Things we’re reading today include … Rise of machine trading forces data providers to pivot Federal Reserve cuts rates again amid trade and growth fears Brexit deal means ‘£70bn hit to UK by 2029′ Citi to withdraw from two-thirds of FX platforms NatWest to offer …

I’m acutely aware that so many people write and talk about how big banks are dumb and stupid and don’t get digital, that I try to avoid that mantra personally. People do accuse me of being a bank basher, but I’d rather say that I’m …

Things we’re reading today include ….   Lloyds Bank creates inheritance mess for hundreds of bereaved families after wills storage blunder The next Bank of England governor will face another recession – and Brexit won’t help with that PPI hit could tip Lloyds Bank into …

Last week I blogged about Chime’s issues with their third party partner Galileo going down, blocking payments and cards for their five million users for a short time. I made the comment: I would still claim that using cloud native third party partners in a …