This week’s main blog headlines are …
Is Amazon About to Burst Banks?
I get press releases all the time and generally ignore them. In fact, I don’t know why they email me, as I never post them on the blog. Uh-oh. I just got one that I’m posting on the blog. Floodgates opening. What will happen …
FinTech hasn’t changed much … yet
For the second time in the last decade, I have been invited as a Contributing Subject Matter Expert to join in research by the World Economic Forum about how technology is changing banking. These are heavyweight projects involving years of research and hundreds of people. …
The Wicked Witch is Wall Street
I was surprised to make a chance discovery about The Wizard of Oz. The film with Judy Garland is firmly embedded in modern culture as a classic, but did you know that it was a rally call against the financial system when the book was …
Monopoly was invented to demonstrate the evils of capitalism
Following on from the discussions of The Wizard of Oz being a political allegory and rally cry against Wall Street and capitalism, did you realise that the boardgame Monopoly is the same, as in a game meant to illustrate the evils of capitalism? If not, then …
Why banks find it hard to change
I was in a conversation with a bank executive talking about innovation. We all know the Catch-22 in a bank: you want to be innovative, but only as long as there’s no risk but, with any innovation, there has to be risk. You can play …
The latest news headlines …
Tech titans such as Facebook 'bigger threat to banks than fintech' - The Telegraph
India’s financial sector grapples with effects of demonetisation - Financial Times
Private lenders step in as high-value note ban sucks more money into system
Identity theft at epidemic levels, warns Cifas - BBC
Cases total nearly 500 a day with victims most likely to be aged in their 30s, watchdog warns.
What happens if Angela Merkel loses the German elections? - The Telegraph
Peer-to-peer lending websites struggle to attract borrowers - Financial Times
Worries about scams and identity theft among the factors deterring investors
Debit and credit card use accelerates - BBC
Concerns have been raised about the level of personal debt, as consumers spend on plastic.
City brokers ramp up preparations for regulatory shake-up - Financial Times
UK groups seek to protect small and mid-cap services as Mifid II looms
Musk warns of 'killer robot' arms race - BBC
A letter to the UN warns the world is getting closer to a dangerous "third revolution in warfare".
'Hard' Brexit offers '£135bn annual boost' to economy - BBC
But opponents say the proposal to unilaterally ditch tariffs and barriers is "economic suicide".
Credit card providers count cost of customer freebies - Financial Times
With losses on the rise, the end of the ‘rewards war’ is on the horizon
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The Financial Services Club is sponsored by:
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...
