The main blog headlines are …
Ten chairs: how to change the bank
I was in the middle of a conversation about how to change the bank, when we started talking about the boardroom issue. As many of you will know, I often reference the fact that, according to research, over nine out of ten bank boardroom members …
What banks can learn from British Airways
Something happened to me this week that made me think of big bank friends. It’s a different industry and one that, last month, I said we could learn from:the airlines. So, here’s a sobering, learning lesson. I’m a gold member of most airline networks, having flown Star …Read More »
Are you really ‘doing digital’?
I’m regularly asked why I don’t think banks are doing digital yet, and my answer consists of a series of steps. First, does the banks’ leadership team talk about digital, digital banking, digital investment and digital transformation? Invariably, all bank people tell me yes. OK, …
Emmanuel Macron faced protesters across France during the weekend, in a country where he has been dubbed The President of the Rich. What interests me is that title. The President of the Rich. Are not all governments, the governments of the rich? Isn’t that why …
OMG!!! Did you see #Alibaba’s Singles Day numbers???
The 11th of November. 11 November. 11/11. Not 9/11 or 5/11. 11/11. For Europeans and Americans, 11/11 means the end of the First World War. The Allies sat down and signed the Armistice Agreement with the Germans at 11:00 (Paris time) on 11th November, 1918, …
This week’s top news headlines are …
Monzo and Starling are making banks take mental health seriously - Wired
Rethinking how we spend and save money isn’t just about whizzy mobile apps and open banking. Challenger banks are making it harder for you to spend money by changing financial systems to take the anxiety out of money and better protect us from falling into debt when our mental health fails.
Deutsche Bank shares hit record lows as German bank dragged into money laundering scandal - City AM
Danske whistleblower Howard Wilkinson had claimed on Monday that a major European lender was involved in processing up to $150bn (£117bn) in suspicious payments.
Goldman Sachs offers London staff emergency nannies - Guardian
Subsidised care is part of the bank’s attempt to cut its 55% gender pay gap Goldman Sachs is offering London staff emergency nannies to look after unwell children and elderly care in the bank’s latest incentive aimed at reducing its gender pay gap. An extension to the US investment bank’s
ABN seeks UK licences to ward off Brexit threat - Financial Times
Dutch bank to set up a London-based unit of its clearing business
Amazon hit with major data breach days before Black Friday - Guardian
Customers’ names and email addresses posted on website, tech giant confirms Amazon has suffered a major data breach that caused customer names and email addresses to be disclosed on its website, just two days ahead of Black Friday. The e-commerce giant said it has emailed affected customers but refused to
Westpac chief executive blames bank's 'culture' for ignoring Asic - The Guardian
Brian Hartzer appears before banking royal commission following revelations former CBA chairman ‘did not agree to return any of his fees’. This blog is now closed • Commonwealth Bank board asked former chairman to return fees, inquiry told 5.40am GMT And that’s going to do us for today. Thanks for
Stamp duty revenue in England down 10% on a year ago - Guardian
Third-quarter fall follows years of rising receipts, with thresholds and Brexit blamed Government revenue from stamp duty on property sales fell by a tenth in the third quarter of 2018 compared with the same period last year, with the Treasury’s coffers now likely to fall more than £1bn short of
Noel Edmonds’ jungle debut to coincide with Lloyds legal action - The Guardian
TV star to appear on I’m a Celebrity as he begins legal action against bank over high-profile fraud Lloyds Banking Group will be keeping tabs on ITV’s I’m a Celebrity … Get Me Out Of Here as Noel Edmonds brings his battle against the lender to the jungle camp. The
Swiss competition watchdog probes suspected payment systems boycott - Reuters
Switzerland's competition watchdog WEKO said it had searched offices of Swiss financial companies including Credit Suisse and UBS as it probes a suspected boycott of mobile payment solutions such as Apple Pay and Samsung Pay.
Business leaders welcome cabinet Brexit approval as markets remain wary - Guardian
‘A step back from cliff-edge’ says CBI, but business leaders warn that parliament should not derail deal • May takes draft Brexit deal to parliament – live updates Business leaders have welcomed cabinet approval for Theresa May’s draft Brexit agreement but warned that parliamentary divisions should not be allowed to
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...
