The Top 11 Blogs of 2020

These are the top 11 most read blogs of 2020 ... unsurprisingly, they are mainly about digital transformation and the biggest challengers out there: Monzo, Starling, Revolut, Ant and company; although this year’s #1 will surprise you as it’s nothing to do with finance and technology. Enjoy!

At #11

Forget about Monzo and Starling, what about Metro Bank, Tandem, Tide, OakNorth and all the other challengers?

http://www.finansernextjs.wpengine.com/2020/08/forget-about-monzo-and-starling-what-about-metro-bank-tandem-tide-oaknorth-and-all-the-other-challengers/

Someone asked me about the other challenger and neobanks after yesterday’s blog. I guess we focus upon Monzo, Starling and Revolut, because they are the front-runners. But there’s also Aldermore, Atom, Tide, Tandem, Lintel, Metro, Monese, OakNorth, Zopa and more.

At #10

What does ‘digital transformation’ really mean?

http://www.finansernextjs.wpengine.com/2020/03/what-does-digital-transformation-really-mean/

Buzzwords. We have a lot of them. Artificial, autonomous, augmented. Big data, blockchain, bilateral. Crypto, currency, consensus. Distributed, decentralised, democratised. I’m tempted to write the ABC of technology buzzwords, but know there cannot be any that start with X or Z.

#9

Revolut: over-hyped and immature? Yes and no …

http://www.finansernextjs.wpengine.com/2020/05/revolut-over-hyped-and-immature-yes-and-no/

Last October I wrote a piece on Revolut, questioning its valuation which, at that time, was estimated to be anything up to $10 billion:

#8

Stripe: the Amazon of finance?

http://www.finansernextjs.wpengine.com/2020/12/stripe-the-amazon-of-finance/

I hadn’t realised the significance of Stripe’s recent press release until I stumbled over the Stratechery write-up over the weekend. Stratechery points out that Stripe has gone from a simple merchant checkout API to a platform of platforms. The significance of that? Well, think of the Amazon of finance: that’s Stripe’s ambition.

#7

We need some Zoom etiquette

http://www.finansernextjs.wpengine.com/2020/12/we-need-some-zoom-etiquette/

Do you switch video on or not?

#6

https://finansernextjs.wpengine.com/2020/02/bank-wars-episode-xx-the-rise-of-fintech/

Over the years, a few people have likened me to the Yoda of banking. Yoda is one of the most likable characters in the Star Wars franchise, but I’m not sure if I like the comparison. Yoda is seriously old, speaks in riddles and is tiny and wrinkled.

#5

Should you invest in Ant Group’s IPO?

http://www.finansernextjs.wpengine.com/2020/08/should-you-invest-in-ant-financials-ipo/

As someone who’s followed Alibaba, Alipay and Ant Financial – now Ant Group, btw – for a long time, I cannot let their IPO appear without comment. If you haven’t spotted it, here’s coverage in The Wall Street Journal:

#4

Bye-bye FinTech

http://www.finansernextjs.wpengine.com/2020/01/bye-bye-fintech/

I just spent time with a bank talking about Doing Digital. The host had read a preview copy of my new book and was asking a few questions about it. What had surprised me the most in my talks with five banks? What lesson was the most important one I learned? How important is it to manage the business digitally? How do I define neo and challenger banks? Which firms do you think could survive a downturn when there is one?

#3

Wirecard … the biggest accounting fraud? Is the customers money safe? The end of Banking-as-a-Service?

http://www.finansernextjs.wpengine.com/2020/06/wirecard-the-biggest-accounting-fraud-is-the-customers-money-safe-the-end-of-banking-as-a-service/

Some of us are old enough to remember Arthur Anderson and Enron, a mixture of two companies that created an accounting mess bigger than any seen before in corporate history. That was until Ernst & Young (EY) and Wirecard.

#2

[Monzo + Starling + Revolut] – Pandemic = The End?

http://www.finansernextjs.wpengine.com/2020/08/monzo-starling-revolut-pandemic-the-end/

Over the past week or two, the neobank and challenger bank sector has been issuing financial reports. If you haven’t noticed: WHERE WERE YOU?

#1

Am I wrong about Hong Kong?

http://www.finansernextjs.wpengine.com/2020/07/am-i-wrong-about-hong-kong/

I got an amazing reply to my post yesterday. I cannot say from whom – that’s part of the thing – but it’s such a good reply, I’m sharing it here. For me, it shows how the internet has changed the world – I can write a blog from Poland, get a reply from Hong Kong and share it with readers in New York