Chris Skinner's blog Shaping the future of finance

I am having a debate on a regular basis about being cloud-native and digital at the core versus cloud-based and adding digital. The two are very different. Most big banks are moving to be cloud-based and adding digital, but that is not digital at the …

Things we’re reading today include … Covid-19: Lloyds staff to work from home until spring Covid leaves 6m UK small businesses and 16m jobs in ‘precarious position’ Jack Ma rails against global financial rules ahead of $30bn Ant Group IPO Banks transfer balances by cheque …

The main blog discussions this week include … It’s all about supply and demand … and right now everyone is demanding from home My father was a teacher. His expertise focused upon economics. Does it show? I am an economics fan, and studied consumer economics …

I went back and talked to the elephant. The elephant in the room. The elephant I hadn’t noticed until, one morning, he was there. The elephant that says he’s the economy. Me: Hello again, how are you? The Elephant: Not great, how are you? Me: …

Things we’re reading today include … The future of banking supervision in a changing world Goldman Sachs to pay $3bn over 1MDB corruption scandal Goldman subsidiary pleads guilty in 1MDB scandal Rishi Sunak’s ex-Goldman Sachs boss emerges as next possible BBC chair EU explores tougher …

Everyone was talking about a V-shaped recovery in March 2020. Then it went onto a dialogue about whether it might be U-shaped or even W-shaped. Now, some economists are talking about a K-shaped economy. Some say this is all about the haves and have nots – …

Things we’re reading today include … Metro Bank balance sheet weak The end of free bank accounts is bad news for Monzo and its rivals Boxing legend Manny Pacquiao swaps punching for payments UK borrowing on course to exceed £1bn a day but markets unperturbed …

One thing that is clear about demand and supply is, when you think about where we are today, there is little demand for anything. We are all staying at home – and so the only demand is what can be delivered to the home – …

Things we’re reading today include … UBS smashes expectations with 99% rise in third-quarter net profit Hong Kong banks told to report potential breaches of security law Visa and Mastercard accused of charging ‘excessive’ fees Monzo launches £180-a-year premium account despite downturn Machines to ‘do …

My father was a teacher. His expertise focused upon economics. Does it show? I am an economics fan, and studied consumer economics as a specialist subject as part of my university course. The main thing I remember now – quite a few years later – …

Things we’re reading today include … Banks are far more exposed to climate change than they’re disclosing The share of Americans with bank accounts hit a new high in 2019 Goldman Sachs: Soaring Profits, Uncertain Future Bank boss: UK facing ‘unprecedented economic uncertainty’ NatWest pledges …

I wrote my blog the other day with the title Why I’m fed up with blockchain. It amused me to see how much backlash it created, particularly on LinkedIn where there are over sixty comments as of today. In fact one guy called Ajit even …

Things we’re reading today include … Wanted: Economist for Digital Currencies Warren Buffett plowed $5 billion into Bank of America during the debt crisis Peter Schiff’s bank under investigation in tax evasion probe The costly fallacy of ‘asset class’ investment Firms urged to get ready …

The main blog discussions this week include … Will DeFi destroy banking? It has been a while since I sat back to think about the future bank. I talk about the future bank all the time, but the overall view of a bank in its …

Talking of politics and, after my piece last week about the possibility that Chinese infrastructure could replace our European (SWIFT) and American (Visa) operations Kathleen Tyson, a good friend and member of the Financial Services Club, piped up and said: Don’t give up on the …

Things we’re reading today include … Coronavirus: About 1.4 million Brits to stop using bank branches Bank of America’s digital investments continues driving engagement UK banks not ready for negative interest rates, says NatWest chairman Will we be getting our cash from shops, not ATMs? …

I keep wondering about the future. Governments vs Libertarians? Centralised vs decentralised? DeFi vs CBDC? My conclusion is CBDCs will win, in the financial markets. Why? Because money is critical to our lives. It’s a key. You cannot ignore it. It’s what we created to …

Things we’re reading today include … The Bank of England should not impose a negative interest rate Bank Of America Says Consumer Spending Is Up, Card And Mortgage Delinquencies Down What bank results tell us about the US economy ahead of the election Brexit: Banks …

It has been a while since I sat back to think about the future bank. I talk about the future bank all the time, but the overall view of a bank in its totality. What will it look like in 2030 and beyond? I think …

Things we’re reading today include … JPMorgan beats analysts’ profit estimates Tax rises of more than £40bn a year ‘all but inevitable’ Ant Group under scrutiny over exclusive sale of shares in IPO How dealmaking is changing Morgan Stanley IMF estimates global Covid cost at …

In the UK, we talk a lot about The Nanny State. There’s this idea that government can be too controlling and demanding, and treats us like children and they are our nanny guardian. It reminds me of this sketch from Tracey Ullman … Jacob Rees-Mogg in …

Things we’re reading today include … Banks make billions on overdraft fees. Biden could end that Congress’s scrutiny of tech giants could be blessing and curse for banks Former Barclays execs to launch digital bank Regulators battle over US fintech charters Royal Mint coin celebrates …

Some time ago, I mentioned that code is art and, if code is art, how do you attract great artists? Banks are not really seen as a place for an artist. It is like bringing maths and art together. The two don’t mix. Like science and …

Things we’re reading today include … Aussie bank BANS customers from using credit cards on any gambling services UK active managers fail to prove their mettle in a bear market The Great Wall (Street) of China Campaigners urge IMF to sell gold to provide debt …

The main blog discussions this week include … Talking to the elephant in the room Yes, we’re all doing stuff from our home offices. I don’t know what your office is like, but mine’s quite nice. I like it. Until I noticed a strange smell …

Yes, we’re all doing stuff from our home offices. I don’t know what your office is like, but mine’s quite nice. I like it. Until I noticed a strange smell yesterday. Didn’t know what it was, so I had to look around the room a …

Things we’re reading today include … JPMorgan puts $30B toward fixing banking’s ‘systemic racism’ Further 150m people face extreme poverty by 2022, warns World Bank Fragile European Banks Bracing for Covid-Era Distressed Loans Starling Bank is seeking partnerships with other lenders IBM to split into …

I’ve talked about Global Processing Services, GPS, a few times now. They’re the power behind payments processing at several major start-ups like Curve, Revolut and Starling Bank. Anyway, during this crisis, I decided to have a chat with them in more depth and interviewed Shaun …