The main blog headlines are …
Will a global platform connect all of our money?
When I talk about FinTech, I often reflect on the first time I encountered what I would, today, call a truly FinTech firm. It was on March 30, 2005, and a newly formed firm presented at the Financial Services Club an idea. The idea was …
Why Chinese TechFin is the exception and not the rule
I picked up an interesting article from Reuters, about how Asian technology firms are moving into banking in a different way to Europe or America. The article says that Amazon and Alphabet / Google are far more interested in serving banks with cloud and advertising, …
Are these $1 billion start-ups Unicorns or Leprechauns?
Someone said to me recently that most tech Unicorns are more like Leprechauns. A Leprechaun is also mythical and magical but, rather than delivering riches, it just promises riches at the end of a rainbow you never reach. In other words, most Unicorns are offering …
And the top news headlines this week are …
Deutsche Bank faces action over $20bn Russian money-laundering scheme - The Guardian
Exclusive: in confidential internal report seen by the Guardian, bank says scandal has hurt global brand Germany’s troubled Deutsche Bank faces fines, legal action and the possible prosecution of “senior management” because of its role in a $20bn Russian money-laundering scheme, a confidential internal report seen by the Guardian says.
FCA must adapt to changing technology to regulate City, says chief - The Guardian
Andrew Bailey says more resources needed to upgrade regulations for AI and blockchain The main City regulator fears being left behind by a new wave of technological innovation that could increase the risk of financial firms making bad decisions and going bust, according to its latest business plan. The Financial
How will open banking change retail? - Business Cloud
Using open banking APIs to gain direct access to consumer bank accounts means faster credit, loans and mortgages but what can this new wealth of data mean for retailers?
The Fintech Files: Rising Amazon wants to break into banks - Financial News
With vast numbers of top-tier banks, asset managers and fintech firms operating on AWS, some have asked whether the company has become “too big to fail”.
Mastercard ruling: almost every UK adult could receive payout - Guardian
Lawsuit could benefit 46 million people even if they have never owned the credit card Almost every adult in the UK could receive a payout of up to £300 from Mastercard after a court ruling paved the way for a £14bn class action lawsuit. The legal action taken by former
Bank of England begins climate enforcement with a velvet glove | Larry Elliott - The Guardian
Given that it has the clout to force companies to comply, this looks like a promising start We can already hear the distant thunder of climate change and must not wait for the storm to hit. The Extinction Rebellion protesters that blocked London traffic? No, a senior Bank of England
Brexit: UK businesses at most gloomy since referendum – Deloitte - Guardian
Eight out of 10 finance leaders expect long-term environment to be worse British businesses are the most gloomy they have been about Brexit since the 2016 referendum , with eight out of 10 finance leaders expecting the long-term business environment to be worse as a result of the UK leaving
Halifax accused of copying rival banks Monzo and Starling with rebrand - Sky News
Halifax has been criticised for a rebrand concept that has more than a passing resemblance to its rivals. The bank hired agency Rufus Leonard
Bank IT failures ‘haunt customers on credit reports’ - AOL
Nearly two-thirds of people who checked their credit report after a bank IT failure said they uncovered errors that were not their fault, a survey suggests.
TSB to unveil refund guarantee for fraud victims - The Guardian
Bank will ensure customers are reimbursed as it tackles growing problem TSB is poised to unveil a “fraud refund guarantee” to ensure its 5.2 million customers are reimbursed in full if they are an innocent victim of a scam . The move – a first in the UK banking industry
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...