The Finanser’s Week: 20th September 2009 – 27th September 2009

The biggest news stories of the week include:

The Financial Crisis and America’s Casino Culture (New York Times)
EU unveils new 'super-regulators' 
(BBC)
EU brings financial supervision reform to G20 (Euractiv)
Lord Turner keeps heat on bankers with further attack 
(Telegraph)
HSBC chairman Stephen Green pushes for banking reform despite economic recovery (Telegraph)
Exchanges warn G20 of dangers in ‘dark pools’ 
(Financial Times)
RBS 'not a toxic brand' says boss
 (BBC)

And our key stories of the week include:

Why First Direct wins

Director magazine has a fantastic case study all about First Direct.  First Direct is regularly voted the UK's #1 bank and many people have no idea why.  Here's why ...

Almost 99 red balloons (banks bust)

Just noticed that the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) closed down their 93rd and 94th banks
in the USA this weekend.  Who will be the 99th we wonder?

What is innovation in payments?

I was asked to write about innovation in payments last week,
and so here’s the first of three parts. The first part will focus upon
retail payments innovation; the second, corporate payments; and the
third, trade settlement.

Telefonica O2's Money ads launched

I've noticed that the new ads for mobile telephone firm O2 have started for their new Visa cards, “Powered by NatWest”.  Nice ads and I wonder where this could lead.

Lord Turner and the G20's new bank regulations

I was asked to comment on Lord Turner’s speech today, which he made at the Mansion House last night.  Reading
through the transcript of the speech, it is clear that he is announcing
the new regulatory drive in anticipation of the agreements to be
announced this week by the G20.  The speech can be summarised as follows ...

Has the G20 Solved the Financial Crisis?

NO.  I was going to leave it at that but ok, I guess I better explain.
The G20 is here.
No more G7 or G8.
Twenty of them now. All huddled together working out what to do with the banking system.  What to do, what to do.  Well, here's what happened.

Banking is Art (defaced)

Who would have thought that the desperate times we live in could create
imaginative new art forms ... but that’s exactly what the crisis did
for one PR person in New York.

Having a party with Windows 7

If you had a really bad experience with Vista, then it's time to cheer up as Windows 7 is coming on 22nd October. 

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