The main blog headlines are …
39 FinTech Unicorns Valued at $147.37 billion
I spotted an article by Linus Beliunas on LinkedIn this week, and liked it so much that wanted to share. Enjoy! 39 FinTech Unicorns Valued at $147.37 billion 2018 was a phenomenal year for FinTech. Over a course of 12 months, Venture Capital-backed FinTech deals …
I just picked up the London Business School’s quarterly journal, with lots of articles talking about Artificial Intelligence (AI). There are two in particular that stand out, with some interesting views. The first is by Julian Birkinshaw, Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship, who argues that …
The difference between machine learning and artificial intelligence
I often point to a banks’ executive leadership team and ask the question: who can tell me the difference between blockchain and distributed ledger? If anyone even goes there, I then ask them to tell me the difference between artificial intelligence and machine learning. Few …
AI, machine learning, data and Nordic banks
Last week we had our first meetings of Nordic Finance Innovation, the largest networking group in the Nordic region for people involved in finance and technology which I happen to chair. The meeting focused upon data: data usage, data analytics, data leverage and data privacy. …
Is the bank talking or walking digital?
I’ve been blogging about digital transformation and one commentator asked me to qualify what I actually meant by a bank ‘transforming’ versus the others. This is something I intended to blog about but Bill Streeter over at The Financial Brand beat me to it in his …
And the top news headlines this week are …
Bank of England's Carney spells out no-deal Brexit hit to UK - Reuters
Bank of England Governor Mark Carney warned on Tuesday of the potential shock to Britain’s economy from Brexit which could serve as an “acid test” for countries around the world trying to respond to the challenges of globalisation.
Lloyds rocked by new whistle blowing claim - This is Money
Explosive new claims that Lloyds wrecked small businesses for a profit during the financial crisis are being probed by regulators.
Metro Bank: the dog-friendly lender that has tongues wagging - The Telegraph
‘Meet the high street bank that everyone seems to be talking about!” reads an advert for a Metro Bank event taking place at a London university later this month. But while many people are certainly talking about the bank, it is for reasons the lender probably doesn’t want
The EU looks like the Soviet Union in 1991 – on the verge of collapse | George Soros - Guardian
In May’s European elections, anti-EU forces will be on the rise. Those who want to preserve the union’s values must wake up Europe is sleepwalking into oblivion and its people need to wake up before it is too late. If they don’t, the European Union will go the way of
Monzo to roll out business bank accounts in revenue shake-up - City AM
Digital bank Monzo will launch its first business accounts today, as the loss-making challenger attempts to find a more efficient way to generate revenue. The bank will open a waitlist, initially accepting only the first 100 applicants into beta testing.
There Is No Such Thing As 'Dormant Funds' In Banking - Forbes
One of the principal claims made by Ripple for XRP is that it would free up $5tn that is “sitting dormant” in bank nostro/vostro accounts around the world. In a blogpost, Ripple says that this “ties up capital that could be used in more productive ways.”
Wells Fargo data center up in smoke, bank website, app down - The Register
Wells Fargo customers have been unable to access their online bank accounts for more than seven hours today – after smoke knackered one of its data centers.
UBS overhauls pay policy for 10,000 employees: Financial Times - Reuters
UBS AG has overhauled its pay policy for 10,000 staff in an attempt to reduce uncertainty about bonuses and cut the amount of time managers spend on allocating them, the Financial Times reported on Sunday.
HSBC’s Mark Tucker to become chair of TheCityUK - Financial Times
Appointment comes as financial services sector worries over no-deal Brexit risk
Fight over pay and profile sank Orcel’s Santander move - Financial Times
Ana Botín disagreed with former UBS banker’s Davos plans and €50m pay demands
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...
