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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It was interesting that, last week, US regulators called an urgent meeting with the CEOs of the largest banks last Thursday, after the emergence of a new AI model from Anthropic called Claude Mythos. The reason wasn’t hype – it was capability. This model appears able to identify deep vulnerabilities in widely used software and…
Read More
I’ve been innundated with reports about stablecoins lately, and they all say the same thing … but in very different ways. So let me try and cut through the noise. Stablecoins are for wholesale commercial banking and trading today. They are not for the likes of you and me. But that will change. Let’s narrow…
Read More
This week’s main discussions include … Almost half of the world’s banks aren’t ready for ISO20022 Just got some interesting research from RedCompass Labs that states 44% of banks aren’t on track to meet ISO 20022’s structured address migration deadline in November 2026. It’s an important deadline as it marks a hard stop to the old SWIFT…
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Just got some interesting research from RedCompass Labs that states 44% of banks aren’t on track to meet ISO 20022’s structured address migration deadline in November 2026. It’s an important deadline as it marks a hard stop to the old SWIFT messaging standards. You could see this as ‘glass half full’, and calculate that it means more…
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We love to throw phrases around to try to ground the next generation of banking. I was lucky enough to coin the phrase “digital bank” and “banking-as-a-service” years ago, and have now moved on to “intelligent bank” (coming out soon). For those who read my blog regularly, you will know that I see this as…
Read MoreI read Jamie Dimon’s latest annual letter released yesterday. It has become, for many, one of the best benchmark letters to read about the state of banking each year and, as always, it’s less a report card on JPMorgan Chase and more a reflection on the state of the world. What struck me most is…
Read MoreI just found an interesting report on fintech in Germany, a place I’ve spent a lot of time with the likes of N26, Trade Republic, Mambu, Raisin and Solaris. That is just to name a few! The reality is that there are hundreds of fintechs in Germany – “more than 700” according to the German…
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There’s a fundamental truth about money that we often forget: money only works because we all agree to use the same system. Whether it’s Visa, SWIFT or central bank money, the power of finance has always come from shared networks. The bigger the network, the more useful the money. This is why the latest working…
Read More
I was talking to an insider friend in the Revolut empire yesterday and he implied that Revolut is in talks to acquire a major Asian bank in its expansion across the region. I asked him which bank? but he kept schtum. So, I was thinking about it and wondered if it could be DBS? DBS operates…
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Short summary: Tokenization is not new, but dates back 10,000 years when early societies used clay tokens to record ownership of goods. These were not money, but data tools to track value. Modern digital tokens and blockchain systems are simply the latest evolution, but can now do more than just record transactions. We can now…
Read More
I was recently watching Dragon’s Den (Shark Tank if you’re American), and spotted an interesting chap – Jinesh Vohra, founder of Sprive, a way of getting your mortgage paid down sooner through your spending. It’s an intriguing idea, so I reached out to him for a chat. Here’s what happened. Chris Skinner: Tell me a…
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I was just having a chat with an AI engine asking about the most common questions people ask about cryptocurrencies. Really interesting answer so, I thought I would share it here (with my edits), as I’d be really interested in your views and answers. Equally, I’m tempted to say that this should be a test…
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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…
Read MoreWe love to throw phrases around to try to ground the next generation of banking. I was lucky enough to coin the phrase “digital bank” and “banking-as-a-service” years ago, and have now moved on to “intelligent bank” (coming out soon). For those who read my blog regularly, you will know that I see this as…
Read MoreI read Jamie Dimon’s latest annual letter released yesterday. It has become, for many, one of the best benchmark letters to read about the state of banking each year and, as always, it’s less a report card on JPMorgan Chase and more a reflection on the state of the world. What struck me most is…
Read MoreI just found an interesting report on fintech in Germany, a place I’ve spent a lot of time with the likes of N26, Trade Republic, Mambu, Raisin and Solaris. That is just to name a few! The reality is that there are hundreds of fintechs in Germany – “more than 700” according to the German…
Read MoreI was talking to an insider friend in the Revolut empire yesterday and he implied that Revolut is in talks to acquire a major Asian bank in its expansion across the region. I asked him which bank? but he kept schtum. So, I was thinking about it and wondered if it could be DBS? DBS operates…
Read MoreShort summary: Tokenization is not new, but dates back 10,000 years when early societies used clay tokens to record ownership of goods. These were not money, but data tools to track value. Modern digital tokens and blockchain systems are simply the latest evolution, but can now do more than just record transactions. We can now…
Read More
I had a great chat the other day – the first in a series of three – with Quant’s Chief Product Officer Martin Hargreaves about programmable liquidity. What’s that? Read on … Programmable liquidity: five foundations reshaping modern treasury How is programmable money reshaping treasury operations and financial infrastructure? This conversation moved beyond theoretical frameworks…
Read MoreI was recently watching Dragon’s Den (Shark Tank if you’re American), and spotted an interesting chap – Jinesh Vohra, founder of Sprive, a way of getting your mortgage paid down sooner through your spending. It’s an intriguing idea, so I reached out to him for a chat. Here’s what happened. Chris Skinner: Tell me a…
Read MoreI was just having a chat with an AI engine asking about the most common questions people ask about cryptocurrencies. Really interesting answer so, I thought I would share it here (with my edits), as I’d be really interested in your views and answers. Equally, I’m tempted to say that this should be a test…
Read More
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….
Read MoreI’ve been innundated with reports about stablecoins lately, and they all say the same thing … but in very different ways. So let me try and cut through the noise. Stablecoins are for wholesale commercial banking and trading today. They are not for the likes of you and me. But that will change. Let’s narrow…
Read MoreThere’s a fundamental truth about money that we often forget: money only works because we all agree to use the same system. Whether it’s Visa, SWIFT or central bank money, the power of finance has always come from shared networks. The bigger the network, the more useful the money. This is why the latest working…
Read More
Google’s latest research delivers a clear warning: the cryptography securing today’s cryptocurrencies is not future-proof. Advances in quantum computing are accelerating, and the resources needed to break core encryption (elliptic curve cryptography) are far lower than previously thought. This isn’t a distant, theoretical risk anymore. It’s a strategic, time-bound challenge. What’s changed? 20x efficiency gain: Google…
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I recently tried to cash in a bitcoin. It’s a physical bitcoin that is active, and I have the bitcoin address. Then I realised I had lost the private keys to use it and, well, you can guess. It made me realise that, if I wasn’t around, what would happen to my crypto investments? How would…
Read MoreShort summary: Tokenization is not new, but dates back 10,000 years when early societies used clay tokens to record ownership of goods. These were not money, but data tools to track value. Modern digital tokens and blockchain systems are simply the latest evolution, but can now do more than just record transactions. We can now…
Read MoreI was just having a chat with an AI engine asking about the most common questions people ask about cryptocurrencies. Really interesting answer so, I thought I would share it here (with my edits), as I’d be really interested in your views and answers. Equally, I’m tempted to say that this should be a test…
Read More
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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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 payments, and could be revolutionary for embedded, invisible finance. Built by Coinbase, the x402 protocol…
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Innovation 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 MoreIt was interesting that, last week, US regulators called an urgent meeting with the CEOs of the largest banks last Thursday, after the emergence of a new AI model from Anthropic called Claude Mythos. The reason wasn’t hype – it was capability. This model appears able to identify deep vulnerabilities in widely used software and…
Read MoreI’ve been innundated with reports about stablecoins lately, and they all say the same thing … but in very different ways. So let me try and cut through the noise. Stablecoins are for wholesale commercial banking and trading today. They are not for the likes of you and me. But that will change. Let’s narrow…
Read MoreI was talking to an insider friend in the Revolut empire yesterday and he implied that Revolut is in talks to acquire a major Asian bank in its expansion across the region. I asked him which bank? but he kept schtum. So, I was thinking about it and wondered if it could be DBS? DBS operates…
Read More
I use a variety of sites like Coinbase and IG for investing but find them very cumbersome. Trying to find how to sell and get rid of assets is not easy, unless you do it often. Here’s my vision of the near-term future. Money, investing, saving, trading will be just like Siri and Alex. “Coinbase,…
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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 &…
Read MoreThings we’re reading today include … Nationwide named UK’s best bank Citi sees European bank stocks as cheap, recommends buying the dip Why the UK’s Fintech Sector is Bleeding Capital While the World Recovers UK fintech Ralio just raised $2.5M to make AI agentic payments safer. Check out the deck it used Goldman Sachs chief…
Read MoreThings we’re reading today include … Bank of England warns of 2008-style financial crash as Iran conflict decimates British economy Can investors still bank on the big banks? EU central bank backs plan for crypto supervision under EU markets watchdog UK fintech firm Wise’s quarterly cross-border volumes surge ahead of Nasdaq debut Love the Virus:…
Read MoreThis week’s main discussions include … Almost half of the world’s banks aren’t ready for ISO20022 Just got some interesting research from RedCompass Labs that states 44% of banks aren’t on track to meet ISO 20022’s structured address migration deadline in November 2026. It’s an important deadline as it marks a hard stop to the old SWIFT…
Read MoreThings we’re reading today include … Exclusive interview: Bitcoin’s inventor is British, but it’s not me Iran’s $7.8 Billion Crypto Economy Finds New Way to Grow After Cease-Fire UK’s best bank revealed – and it’s not a bank Scott Bessent called in US bank CEOs to discuss Anthropic model’s cyber risks When conflicts rewire banks…
Read MoreThings we’re reading today include … British fintech Revolut reports record annual profit as it gears up for US push Top 10: Fastest Growing Neobanks European Banks Expect AI Buildout to Add Headcount Why weak testing is becoming banks’ biggest risk The Perils of “One-Click” Ambition: Bolt’s AI Pivot and the $11bn Reality Check Morgan…
Read MoreThings we’re reading today include … The Case for Owning Just 1 Cryptocurrency — and Which One It Should Be Quantum Computing Cryptocurrency Threat: Survey Reveals Alarming 49% Probability Within Decade Crypto’s move to the mainstream Fintech Ctrl Alt gets FCA authorisation after tokenising $1.2bn The World Bank’s Self-Inflicted Crisis Flutterwave eyes aggressive loan growth…
Read MoreThings we’re reading today include … Exclusive: TikTok seeks Brazil fintech license to offer credit Jamie Dimon’s Letter To Shareholders: The Most Important Fintech Memo Of 2026 Lloyds Bank uses quantum computing to detect money mules Fintech giant Revolut’s India ambition needs a dose of reality Bolt Bloodbath: One-Third of Staff Fired As Company, Once…
Read MoreThis week’s main discussions include … Money only works in a trusted, shared system … which is why blockchains don’t work There’s a fundamental truth about money that we often forget: money only works because we all agree to use the same system. Whether it’s Visa, SWIFT or central bank money, the power of finance…
Read MoreThis week’s main discussions include … Almost half of the world’s banks aren’t ready for ISO20022 Just got some interesting research from RedCompass Labs that states 44% of banks aren’t on track to meet ISO 20022’s structured address migration deadline in November 2026. It’s an important deadline as it marks a hard stop to the old SWIFT…
Read More
This week’s main discussions include … Money only works in a trusted, shared system … which is why blockchains don’t work There’s a fundamental truth about money that we often forget: money only works because we all agree to use the same system. Whether it’s Visa, SWIFT or central bank money, the power of finance…
Read MoreThis week’s main discussions include … Programmable liquidity: five foundations reshaping modern treasury I had a great chat the other day – the first in a series of three – with Quant’s Chief Product Officer Martin Hargreaves about programmable liquidity. What’s that? Read on … Programmable liquidity: five foundations reshaping modern treasury How is programmable…
Read MoreThis week’s main discussions include … Is the future digital identity your heartbeat? I use a variety of sites like Coinbase and IG for investing but find them very cumbersome. Trying to find how to sell and get rid of assets is not easy, unless you do it often. Here’s my vision of the near-term…
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 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 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…
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