Our biggest stories of the week are ...
A few predictions for 2111 ...
Welcome to 2011 and I hope you all had a lovely, jubbly holiday. And so back to work and we'll spend most of this week forecasting the next year, but first look forward 100 years to 2111, as I promised to do that recently ...
The Banking Year Ahead. Sounds like some sort of swear word but no, it’s all to do with predictions time. What are the big events of 2011 going to be? In banking, the key developments will be ...
Six key technology developments for banks in 2011
Looking at technology specifically in financial services, there are many that are being cited as hot for 2011: the creation of new retail payments structures, as Apple and Google get into mobile payment wallets and PayPal and Facebook push credits to the extreme; the maturing usage of internet and mobile television, as ...
2010 in Review: Retail Banking
So this week I thought it worth posting a few reflections on 2010, the year that was, and begin with some thoughts on retail banking (tomorrow will be payments and Wednesday, capital markets). Surprisingly, the biggest change in retail banking is ...
2010 in Review: Payments and Transaction Banking
So, there are a lot of things we’re juggling around with in the payments arena, from real-time to TARGET2 to SEPA to SWIFT ISO20022 to mobile to contactless to biometrics and more.
Investment banking has had a rocky year all year. Pilloried by politics, public and the media, the investment banker is currently about as popular as a Vampire at a Blood Bank ... not a bad analogy as the refrain all year has been about that giant Vampire Squid that is known as Goldman Sachs.
Look back in wonder: 50 years of magic
So I’m having lunch with a mate and half way through the conversation am hit with an epiphany. It is clear that year by year technology is changing banking, but it is only when you look decade by decade that you realise by how much ...
Just as I post a nostalgic review of fifty years of tech developmetns, along comes a video that says it all about where we are today.
If you thought Lloyds Bank's ads were a bit weird and wacky, have a look at this one from Umpqua Bank ...
Inspiration for #Wikileaks DDoS hive
I was following the Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks on Visa, MasterCard and PayPal closely during the supporters campaign to target those financial firms who had cut any ties with Wikileaks. The group amalgamated under a twitter hashtag #operationpayback, and posted a variety of notes about who to target when and how ...
The major general news stories of the week include ...
Bankers claim London's advantages outweigh 50pc tax - The Telegraph
London has received a ringing endorsement as Europe's financial capital by two dozen former investment bankers behind Haymarket Financial, a €1bn (£830m) corporate lending start-up basing itself in the city.
Citibank boss cleared over 'scam' - BBC
Citigroup boss Vikram Pandit and other top executives cannot be held responsible for an alleged scam at an Indian branch of the bank, police say.
Lord Lawson baffled by bank auditors - Financial Times
In the wake of the banking crisis, regulators are looking to auditors to provide intelligence of problems that might arise. Lord Lawson is baffled why this did not happen before the meltdown
Facebook coup to hand Goldman float role - The Telegraph
Goldman Sachs is reported to have invested $450m (£290m) in Facebook, a deal that values the social networking site at $50bn and is likely to hand the bank a major role in its potential float.
Facebook move lucrative for Goldman - Financial Times
Goldman Sachs stands to earn money from multiple sources over the life of its $375m investment in Facebook thanks to an artfully structured deal likely to reignite controversy over the way banks invest their own funds.
Italian Banks Battle Cash as Consumers Spurn Plastic - Business Week
The Italian Banking Association has declared a "war on cash" in a country where credit-card usage is less than half the EU average
Mobile Payments in 2011 - Payments News
Looks like Mobile Payments will be a big theme in 2011: BusinessWeek: CEO Guide to Mobile Payments Mobile Commerce Daily: Mobile Wallet Will Take Huge Strides Forward in 2011 (featuring Zenius Solutions) Fortune: Google to power your mobile wallet? BusinessWeek: Wells Fargo to Employees: Leave Wallets Home, Pay by Phone
Banks plead for guidance on bonuses set to total £7bn - The Telegraph
Senior bankers have asked the Government for immediate guidance on how, and at what level, year-end bonuses can be paid amid growing confusion about increasing layers of regulation overlaying compensation in the financial services sector.
Estonia becomes latest euro state - BBC
Estonia becomes the 17th member of the eurozone - the first former Soviet republic to adopt the EU's single currency.
Euro stands just 20pc chance of survival in next decade - The Telegraph
The euro is unlikely to survive in current form for next decade, says a top economic think tank.
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.
Chris M Skinner
Chris Skinner is best known as an independent commentator on the financial markets through his blog, TheFinanser.com, as author of the bestselling book Digital Bank, and Chair of the European networking forum the Financial Services Club. He has been voted one of the most influential people in banking by The Financial Brand (as well as one of the best blogs), a FinTech Titan (Next Bank), one of the Fintech Leaders you need to follow (City AM, Deluxe and Jax Finance), as well as one of the Top 40 most influential people in financial technology by the Wall Street Journal's Financial News. To learn more click here...
