Welcome to The Finanser by Chris Skinner. The Finanser discusses all things fintech, finance, banking, technology and, most importantly, the future. Chris Skinner has been voted the most influential technologist in Britain and received a lifetime achievement award for his visionary approach to the future of money from the Payments Association. He has advised the…
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I was talking with a friend the other day who asked me to explain some basic questions around cryptocurrencies, as he was confused. It started with why everyone is talking about layers of blockchain? I explained that there are four layers, starting with level 0 and then 1, 2 and 3, and it is all…
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I was reading a fascinating case study about Ikano Bank, which is the bank of IKEA. The bank is headquartered in Malmö, Sweden, serves customers across Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Norway, the UK, Poland, Germany and Austria, offering savings and loan products for consumers, sales support services for retailers, and leasing and factoring solutions for businesses….
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A couple of things hit my radar late last week. The first was a prediction by Bain & Co that challenger banks would own a third of the UK banking market by 2030. This coincided with the news of Revolut finally getting their UK banking licence. It’s only taken five years. Let’s dive in. The…
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This week’s main discussions include … What is x402 and why will it transform payments? The next era of payments: when money moves at internet speed I just found an interesting report by KPMG about a new payment standard called x402. Have you heard of it? If you haven’t, it’s built to ensure open, free, frictionless…
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A couple of things hit my radar late last week. The first was a prediction by Bain & Co that challenger banks would own a third of the UK banking market by 2030. This coincided with the news of Revolut finally getting their UK banking licence. It’s only taken five years. Let’s dive in. The…
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There are lots of AI tools out there today – Gemini, ChatGPT, Claude and more. The market is crowded. So, when I saw that Facebook had launched Manus, I wondered why and tried it. Simple question: what is the state of fintech? The AI engine ran away and analysed various reports from the likes of…
Read MoreThe next era of payments: when money moves at internet speed I just found an interesting report by KPMG about a new payment standard called x402. Have you heard of it? If you haven’t, it’s built to ensure open, free, frictionless payments, and could be revolutionary for embedded, invisible finance. Built by Coinbase, the x402 protocol…
Read MoreInnovation vs Illicit Finance: Why the Future of Crypto Compliance is Intelligent The US Treasury just produced an interesting document about digital assets, innovation and criminal activity. It’s well worht a read, so download the report here … but, if you can’t be bothered, here is my view. There is a familiar pattern whenever a new…
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I probably shouldn’t say this so, if I get arrested, please send money and help me but, over ten years ago, I told Russian and Iranian contacts to put all their money into bitcoin and cryptocurrencies to avoid sanctions. Yes, it’s my fault. I’m sure there are others out there, but the key thing about…
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I just did a webinar sponsored by Xpand IT. Here is a summary: From Physical to Digital to Intelligent: The Third Revolution of Finance Let me start with a simple question. How many of you think we’re living through a period of unprecedented change in finance? We’re not living through change. We’re living through a…
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I had a lovely deep-dive conversation with Martin Hargreaves, Chief Product Officer at Quant, during our webinar about how programmable money and liquidity are transforming corporate treasury and financial infrastructure. Martin gave me a great definition: “Programmable money is money that responds to external events and conditions while preserving its fundamental nature. The money itself…
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There’s been a lot of talk this week about JPMorgan spending $20 billion on technology in 2026. It sounds huge, and it is, and it’s slightly more than their peer group spend but, bear in mind, this is a bank worth over $800 billion and with revenues of $185 billion, so you need to…
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Two headlines really struck me this morning. The first is that Stripe is now valued at over $150 billion – I’ve been following Stripe’s valuations for over a decade (it was just over $9 billion in 2016) … … and the second is that they are thinking about buying PayPal, which would be immense imho….
Read MoreI was reading a fascinating case study about Ikano Bank, which is the bank of IKEA. The bank is headquartered in Malmö, Sweden, serves customers across Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Norway, the UK, Poland, Germany and Austria, offering savings and loan products for consumers, sales support services for retailers, and leasing and factoring solutions for businesses….
Read MoreA couple of things hit my radar late last week. The first was a prediction by Bain & Co that challenger banks would own a third of the UK banking market by 2030. This coincided with the news of Revolut finally getting their UK banking licence. It’s only taken five years. Let’s dive in. The…
Read MoreThe next era of payments: when money moves at internet speed I just found an interesting report by KPMG about a new payment standard called x402. Have you heard of it? If you haven’t, it’s built to ensure open, free, frictionless payments, and could be revolutionary for embedded, invisible finance. Built by Coinbase, the x402 protocol…
Read MoreI was just reading Amazon Web Services’ report about Banking on the Cloud. It’s biased – everything has to be in the cloud of course – but it’s interesting. It also struck me that I was talking about banking on the cloud in 2008. It has taken a long time, and is still developing. Here is…
Read MoreInnovation vs Illicit Finance: Why the Future of Crypto Compliance is Intelligent The US Treasury just produced an interesting document about digital assets, innovation and criminal activity. It’s well worht a read, so download the report here … but, if you can’t be bothered, here is my view. There is a familiar pattern whenever a new…
Read MoreThirty years ago, I wrote a strategy report for NCR, where I was working at the time, saying that the future of banking would be branchless and cashless, which was not great news for a company selling cash machines. Now, we live in a world that is nearing branchless and cashless. I’ve written quite a…
Read MoreI probably shouldn’t say this so, if I get arrested, please send money and help me but, over ten years ago, I told Russian and Iranian contacts to put all their money into bitcoin and cryptocurrencies to avoid sanctions. Yes, it’s my fault. I’m sure there are others out there, but the key thing about…
Read MoreI just did a webinar sponsored by Xpand IT. Here is a summary: From Physical to Digital to Intelligent: The Third Revolution of Finance Let me start with a simple question. How many of you think we’re living through a period of unprecedented change in finance? We’re not living through change. We’re living through a…
Read More
I just had my American Express Business Card suspended without warning or explanation. It turns out that they need to re-onboard me due to Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) regulations. Strange. I’ve been a customer for 25 years and they need to re-establish if I really am me. So much for trust. More than this, they…
Read MoreI was talking with a friend the other day who asked me to explain some basic questions around cryptocurrencies, as he was confused. It started with why everyone is talking about layers of blockchain? I explained that there are four layers, starting with level 0 and then 1, 2 and 3, and it is all…
Read MoreThe next era of payments: when money moves at internet speed I just found an interesting report by KPMG about a new payment standard called x402. Have you heard of it? If you haven’t, it’s built to ensure open, free, frictionless payments, and could be revolutionary for embedded, invisible finance. Built by Coinbase, the x402 protocol…
Read MoreInnovation vs Illicit Finance: Why the Future of Crypto Compliance is Intelligent The US Treasury just produced an interesting document about digital assets, innovation and criminal activity. It’s well worht a read, so download the report here … but, if you can’t be bothered, here is my view. There is a familiar pattern whenever a new…
Read MoreMost people think of crypto as solely part of the finance world. Buy a Bitcoin, see the price either rise or fall, and sell when it is high. Beneath it all, though, the crypto world has been compelled to solve some truly difficult technical challenges – and solutions are beginning to emerge in areas that…
Read MoreI had a lovely deep-dive conversation with Martin Hargreaves, Chief Product Officer at Quant, during our webinar about how programmable money and liquidity are transforming corporate treasury and financial infrastructure. Martin gave me a great definition: “Programmable money is money that responds to external events and conditions while preserving its fundamental nature. The money itself…
Read More
When the Genius Act was signed off last year by President Trump, I said that it was positioned to keep the dollar as the reserve currency of the world. Now, a new debate arises after Jamie Dimon (Chair of JPMorgan) and Brian Armstrong (CEO, Coinbase) had a spat at Davos. Did you hear about it? Probably…
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This is not a headline I am happy to share but, after being scammed, it is time to share it. After all, you would think that, working in finance, I would be savvy to all criminal scams. I’m not. Sure, the SMS that says a parcel couldn’t be delivered or the email saying that I’m…
Read MoreThings we’re reading today include … Bank of England admits inflation bungle European life insurers’ systemic risk ‘non-trivial’ European banks take a fresh crack at Wall Street Fintech Adviser Titan Hit With Second SEC Penalty Over “Misleading” 2,700% Crypto Return Claims Lloyds to train all 67,000 staff in AI as banks go digital Fintechs should…
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My friend Lory Kehoe spotted a white paper by the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) that was released in December discussing Project Leap, a deep technical experiment showing that core payment systems can migrate to post-quantum cryptography without breaking how money moves today. It’s a fascinating paper and an important one for us fintech nerds,…
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I wonder what my kids will feel in a financial future of 2050 and beyond. We will probably regale them with stories about using cheques and cash and paper to exchange value. They will probably be amazed that such systems worked, but it’s a bit like me being amazed about how tally sticks worked a…
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In the last day, I’ve been blown away by two developments coming out of China. One is an AI movie sequence that’s only 15 seconds long; the second was the Spring Festival celebration to welcome the New Year of the Fire Horse. If you haven’t seen them, you need to, because both show how technology…
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I liked this article by Sergiy Fitsak on Finextra: We Asked 300 Finance Leaders What’s Next in Fintech. Here’s What They Said. His company, Softjourn, asked 300 fintech experts, CEOs and more on what’s hot in the fintech space these days. You can read the whole thing, but I’ll pick up some key headlines. AI…
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Many movies, media and headlines portray AI as frightening. It’s going to take out jobs, bring robocop to the streets and take over our lives. It’s going to be Ex Machina, The Terminator or worse. Very few give context of the positive future with AI, but a headline caught my eye today: Meet the ‘AI…
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As you do, I just stumbled upon another report that’s interesting. This one is Accenture’s view on six big trends that will change banking in 2026. You can download the whole report (81 pages) here but, if you don’t have time, here’s a brief summary: Accenture: Top Banking Trends for 2026 — Key Insights &…
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I’ve recently joined the advisory board of a startup focused upon opening financial branches called banxlocal. Why the hell would anyone open branches? Well, it’s all about human needs for human services as that creates trust. I’m a big believer in banking and finance for consumers still providing High Street access in a store or branch….
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Many have argued for years that branches are dead. Many in the fintech world believe that people don’t need branches. Some think that the pandemic proved that customers can bank fine without them and that many now prefer digital. Wrong. A bit like cash, the pandemic forced a change of behaviour. Less cash was being…
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I just got a fascinating document sent over from the White House. Bearing in mind, the White House is the American civil service and not directly communicating Donald Trump’s opinions, thank goodness, their reports are often really insightful. This one really hooked me as it is all about AI and the Great Divergence. The Great…
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Many believe the big themes of Davos last week were around Donald Trump, his ambitions to take over Greenland and Canada, and Mark Carney’s speech. Stop “living within a lie”, Mark Carney #Davos They were the headline news but, underneath those headlines, the main theme of Davos was AI. AI featured in almost every session…
Read MoreThis week’s main discussions include … What is x402 and why will it transform payments? The next era of payments: when money moves at internet speed I just found an interesting report by KPMG about a new payment standard called x402. Have you heard of it? If you haven’t, it’s built to ensure open, free, frictionless…
Read MoreThings we’re reading today include … UK regulator examines IT glitch that enabled bank customers to see others’ accounts on app Bitcoin advocate group to fight Basel’s ‘toxic’ treatment of cryptocurrency Revolut’s Long Road to ‘Bank’ Status Santander: Would You Let AI Buy You Chocolate and Books? MTN Rwanda Subscriber Base Hits 8.2 Million as…
Read MoreThings we’re reading today include … British fintech Revolut gets full banking licence It’s official — Revolut is now a bank in the UK Circle, Binance and Ripple Join Mastercard’s New Crypto Partner Program Binance sues Wall Street Journal over reporting on Iranian sanctions How Singapore’s largest bank builds AI with confidence Why is Britain-hating…
Read MoreThings we’re reading today include … Lloyds vs Fintech: Can a 250-Year-Old Bank Become the biggest fintech Wallester named Europe’s #1 fastest-growing fintech Crypto is just finance with new plumbing New analysis reveals £43bn annual Open Banking opportunity for the UK economy Bank of England confirms Winston Churchill to be scrapped from banknotes as ‘overdue’…
Read MoreThings we’re reading today include … War, sanctions and crypto: Inside Iran’s $7.8bn digital economy Nigel Farage invests £215,000 in bitcoin firm chaired by Kwasi Kwarteng 2026: The Year Everyone Became a Bank Top US banks weigh suing federal regulator over crypto banking rules The U.S. Fintech Market Is Heating Up Again Clarity Act stokes…
Read MoreThings we’re reading today include … Private Banks Missing $100 trillion Opportunity As Women’s Wealth Rises – HSBC Report Which Fintech Trends Are Making Financial Services Work Better for Women? Lloyds to sell customer data, cut IT costs to become “the UK’s biggest fintech” New fraud squad to use AI to deal with ‘epidemic’ of…
Read MoreThis week’s main discussions include … The Intelligence Revolution I just did a webinar sponsored by Xpand IT. Here is a summary: From Physical to Digital to Intelligent: The Third Revolution of Finance Let me start with a simple question. How many of you think we’re living through a period of unprecedented change in finance?…
Read MoreThings we’re reading today include … Revolut applies for US national bank charter Trump issues warning to Wall Street after secret White House meeting with Coinbase CEO Huge lay-offs continue in tech and finance firms as major global investment bank cuts 2,500 jobs European fintech’s most active angel investors Top 10 Fintech Startups in the…
Read MoreThis week’s main discussions include … What is x402 and why will it transform payments? The next era of payments: when money moves at internet speed I just found an interesting report by KPMG about a new payment standard called x402. Have you heard of it? If you haven’t, it’s built to ensure open, free, frictionless…
Read More
This week’s main discussions include … The Intelligence Revolution I just did a webinar sponsored by Xpand IT. Here is a summary: From Physical to Digital to Intelligent: The Third Revolution of Finance Let me start with a simple question. How many of you think we’re living through a period of unprecedented change in finance?…
Read MoreThis week’s main discussions include … Stripe buying PayPal? Wow! Two headlines really struck me this morning. The first is that Stripe is now valued at over $150 billion – I’ve been following Stripe’s valuations for over a decade (it was just over $9 billion in 2016) … … and the second is that they…
Read MoreThis week’s main discussions include … The future is right here, right now In the last day, I’ve been blown away by two developments coming out of China. One is an AI movie sequence that’s only 15 seconds long; the second was the Spring Festival celebration to welcome the New Year of the Fire Horse….
Read MoreThis week’s main discussions include … The Fat Finger Syndrome I was intrigued to read that a major cryptocurrency exchange in South Korea, Bithumb, had an internal error where an employee sent customers a prize that should have been 620,000 Korean won (around $423) to 695 qualifying customers, but instead credited accounts with 620,000 bitcoins…
Read MoreThis week’s main discussions include … Cryptocurrencies are rife with scams and money laundering This is not a headline I am happy to share but, after being scammed, it is time to share it. After all, you would think that, working in finance, I would be savvy to all criminal scams. I’m not. Sure, the…
Read MoreThis week’s main discussions include … Why bank branches still matter Many have argued for years that branches are dead. Many in the fintech world believe that people don’t need branches. Wrong. A bit like cash, the pandemic forced a change of behaviour. Human needs for human service (why branches matter, part two) I’ve recently…
Read MoreThis week’s main discussions include … Stop “living within a lie”, Mark Carney #Davos Everyone has been hailing Mark Carney’s speech at Davos as one of the GOAT speeches of the 21st century. It forced me to take out 15 minutes to listen to it, and yes, it is a great speech. Well worth the…
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This week’s main blog discussions include … My next new book: “Intelligent Bank” I just got a summary of my new book from the publishers. It comes out in the summer but, for those interested, here are the key messages … The more wealth amongst the few, the more likely the revolution by the many…
Read MoreI just got a summary of my new book from the publishers. It comes out in the summer but, for those interested, here are the key messages: Core Thesis The book argues that banking is entering its third great technological revolution: Mainframe era → automation and scale Digital era → connectivity, mobile, fintech, experience Intelligence…
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