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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There are many fintechs I follow closely: Stripe, Adyen, Klarna, Nubank, Ant Group to name just a few. London and the UK in general has been at the centre of all of this, and is home to almost 30 fintech unicorns, with many more rising. The thing is that, as these firms mature, things change….
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I’ve been wondering a lot lately about the balance between privacy and permission in banking. The fact is that we don’t want people having our account details and yet, on certain occasions, it is necessary. So, what to do? In today’s rapidly evolving financial landscape, the dichotomy between privacy and permission access has emerged as…
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This week’s main blog discussions include … Is fintech young or old? I just received the latest World Economic Forum’s Future of Fintech report so, here’s a summary: The fintech industry is transitioning from rapid expansion into a phase of sustainable growth, increased collaboration and broader market reach. The fintech sector is experiencing a customer growth…
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I just received the latest World Economic Forum’s Future of Fintech report so, here’s a summary: The fintech industry is transitioning from rapid expansion into a phase of sustainable growth, increased collaboration and broader market reach. The fintech sector is experiencing a customer growth rate of 37% from 2022-2023, down from 55% in 2020-2021 reflecting a…
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There are many fintechs I follow closely: Stripe, Adyen, Klarna, Nubank, Ant Group to name just a few. London and the UK in general has been at the centre of all of this, and is home to almost 30 fintech unicorns, with many more rising. The thing is that, as these firms mature, things change….
Read MoreI’ve been wondering a lot lately about the balance between privacy and permission in banking. The fact is that we don’t want people having our account details and yet, on certain occasions, it is necessary. So, what to do? In today’s rapidly evolving financial landscape, the dichotomy between privacy and permission access has emerged as…
Read MoreI just received the latest World Economic Forum’s Future of Fintech report so, here’s a summary: The fintech industry is transitioning from rapid expansion into a phase of sustainable growth, increased collaboration and broader market reach. The fintech sector is experiencing a customer growth rate of 37% from 2022-2023, down from 55% in 2020-2021 reflecting a…
Read MoreTrust in the news services has dropped from 51% to 35% over the last decade, according to Oxford University’s Reuters Institute Digital News Report. The headline paragraph can be summarised as it’s 2025 and we live in a time of deep political and economic uncertainty, changing geo-political alliances, climate breakdown and many destructive conflicts around the…
Read MoreFor most of the last decades, I’ve been having arguments about control versus freedom; government versus the individual; the state versus the libertarian. It began in earnest with the launch of bitcoin, where my position is always that you cannot have money without government. Then, as most of you will know, the question is: which…
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I spend every day being more and more amazed at what AI can do, particularly with video. From my bedroom, I can create a whole marketing campaign with high-end advertising in just a few days. To illustrate this, I was amazed at this advert for Kalshi, a prediction markets FinTech: Aired during the NBA Finals…
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I would love to walk into a bank’s boardroom with my opening slide explaining: “Step confidently into the future of Web3 with Zond, a quantum-resistant Layer-1 blockchain* engineered to transcend today’s security limitations and safeguard your dApps, from DeFi protocols to NFT marketplaces, while powering the next generation of smart contracts in tomorrow’s digital economy.”…
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Everything I read talks about simplified customer experience in payments and yet, when I look at it, the process of payments is becoming far more complicated. You made a payment in the old world with a bank note or cheque, and it was a simple transaction over the counter. Cash involved two parties: the customer…
Read More
I’m discussing a lot about digital currencies these days, and the future of CBDCs, Stablecoins and Crypto. The conversation generally goes along the lines of central banks issuing digital currencies is really unnecessary. No one wants them and no one trusts them. The whole thing is just a scam for governments to track and trace…
Read MoreI’ve been wondering a lot lately about the balance between privacy and permission in banking. The fact is that we don’t want people having our account details and yet, on certain occasions, it is necessary. So, what to do? In today’s rapidly evolving financial landscape, the dichotomy between privacy and permission access has emerged as…
Read MoreTrust in the news services has dropped from 51% to 35% over the last decade, according to Oxford University’s Reuters Institute Digital News Report. The headline paragraph can be summarised as it’s 2025 and we live in a time of deep political and economic uncertainty, changing geo-political alliances, climate breakdown and many destructive conflicts around the…
Read MoreFor most of the last decades, I’ve been having arguments about control versus freedom; government versus the individual; the state versus the libertarian. It began in earnest with the launch of bitcoin, where my position is always that you cannot have money without government. Then, as most of you will know, the question is: which…
Read MoreYou may not have spotted it but Jamie Dimon, the CEO and Chair of JPMorgan, who was dressed down in t-shirt and jeans, made a recent appearance at a tech summit on AI organised by Databricks. The 40-minute interview is over here on YouTube, and took the form of a fireside chat with Ali Ghodsi,…
Read MoreI would love to walk into a bank’s boardroom with my opening slide explaining: “Step confidently into the future of Web3 with Zond, a quantum-resistant Layer-1 blockchain* engineered to transcend today’s security limitations and safeguard your dApps, from DeFi protocols to NFT marketplaces, while powering the next generation of smart contracts in tomorrow’s digital economy.”…
Read MoreEverything I read talks about simplified customer experience in payments and yet, when I look at it, the process of payments is becoming far more complicated. You made a payment in the old world with a bank note or cheque, and it was a simple transaction over the counter. Cash involved two parties: the customer…
Read MoreI’m discussing a lot about digital currencies these days, and the future of CBDCs, Stablecoins and Crypto. The conversation generally goes along the lines of central banks issuing digital currencies is really unnecessary. No one wants them and no one trusts them. The whole thing is just a scam for governments to track and trace…
Read More
Discover how fintech is transforming small business, from mobile payments and AI tools to why the next unicorn might be run from home. I’ve run a small, independent business for almost 25 years. It’s been fun and most of it has been rewarding, except for the accounting, banking and paperwork. No one enjoys that behind-the-scenes…
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I’ve recently blogged about bank IT outages … Bank IT outages … let’s talk about the bank systems Jenga … and it is getting more and more common. For example, in the UK, Barclays suffered 33 system failures between January 2023 and February 2025, according to data from the House of Commons Treasury select committee….
Read MoreI spend every day being more and more amazed at what AI can do, particularly with video. From my bedroom, I can create a whole marketing campaign with high-end advertising in just a few days. To illustrate this, I was amazed at this advert for Kalshi, a prediction markets FinTech: Aired during the NBA Finals…
Read MoreI would love to walk into a bank’s boardroom with my opening slide explaining: “Step confidently into the future of Web3 with Zond, a quantum-resistant Layer-1 blockchain* engineered to transcend today’s security limitations and safeguard your dApps, from DeFi protocols to NFT marketplaces, while powering the next generation of smart contracts in tomorrow’s digital economy.”…
Read MoreI’m discussing a lot about digital currencies these days, and the future of CBDCs, Stablecoins and Crypto. The conversation generally goes along the lines of central banks issuing digital currencies is really unnecessary. No one wants them and no one trusts them. The whole thing is just a scam for governments to track and trace…
Read More
There’s a very interesting analysis of the cyber attacks on Marks & Spencer, the Co-op and Harrods on the BBC this week. If you have access to their iPlayer, then it’s well worth a watch: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m002d2lh/inside-the-high-street-cyberattacks If you don’t, then here’s the summary as it illustrates our fragile digital world today. In April, Marks &…
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We talk a lot about AI these days or, as some call it, A1 or Al (yes, Betty, when you call me, you can call me Al) and we have now moved on to other terms including Generative AI, Agentic AI and AGI which stands for Artificial General Intelligence. The thing is that these terms…
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Whilst walking the dog, I’ve been entertained by a fascinating series of podcasts on BBC Sounds called Fool’s Gold. It tells the story of two detectorists – folks who search everywhere using metal detectors – who found gold dating back to the 8th century. Very rare gold. 300 or more coins plus some jewellery. It’s…
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Surfing as usual, I stumbled across a new report by Citi talking about Digital Dollars, and how banks and public sector would drive blockchain adoption. So, what does the digital dollar mean? Citi’s view is that “2025 has the potential to be blockchain’s ‘ChatGPT moment’ for adoption in the financial and public sectors. A supportive…
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There’s a brand new book on the block, which I wish I had written: who is Satoshi Nakamoto? It’s actually not called that. It’s called: The Mysterious Mr. Nakamoto: A Fifteen-Year Quest to Unmask the Secret Genius Behind Crypto by Benjamin Wallace, but you get the idea. Who is Satoshi Nakamoto, the creator of bitcoin…
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I just downloaded the Chainalysis annual cryptocrime report and, as usual, it is fascinating. Ask almost any politician or banker about cryptocurrencies and they’ll say they all encourage crime except Donald Trump, but that’s because he is supposedly a criminal. Here is a synopsis of the report taken from their introduction: According to our metrics…
Read MoreThere are many fintechs I follow closely: Stripe, Adyen, Klarna, Nubank, Ant Group to name just a few. London and the UK in general has been at the centre of all of this, and is home to almost 30 fintech unicorns, with many more rising. The thing is that, as these firms mature, things change….
Read MoreYou may not have spotted it but Jamie Dimon, the CEO and Chair of JPMorgan, who was dressed down in t-shirt and jeans, made a recent appearance at a tech summit on AI organised by Databricks. The 40-minute interview is over here on YouTube, and took the form of a fireside chat with Ali Ghodsi,…
Read MoreI would love to walk into a bank’s boardroom with my opening slide explaining: “Step confidently into the future of Web3 with Zond, a quantum-resistant Layer-1 blockchain* engineered to transcend today’s security limitations and safeguard your dApps, from DeFi protocols to NFT marketplaces, while powering the next generation of smart contracts in tomorrow’s digital economy.”…
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I often write about Trekonomics, and how our future world might play out based upon a Utopian or Dystopian future. In a Utopian future, Gene Rodenberry – the creator of Star Trek – envisaged humans exploring space to improve humanity. Star Trek is a Utopian future without money, where people trade on the basis of…
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Ten years ago, I was honoured to be invited to the Next Web conference in the Netherlands where I delivered a keynote about sentient banking. The idea is that the bank knows more about your lifestyle and living than you or your partner does. A decade later, thanks to Agentic AI and imminent AGI, we…
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There are hundreds of articles online about “the death of” something, maybe thousands. I’ve written several of them covering everything from the death of cards (debit and credit) and keyboards to the end of branches, cash, banks and more but they are all still here, so let’s not expect their expiration to be too fast….
Read MoreI’m discussing a lot about digital currencies these days, and the future of CBDCs, Stablecoins and Crypto. The conversation generally goes along the lines of central banks issuing digital currencies is really unnecessary. No one wants them and no one trusts them. The whole thing is just a scam for governments to track and trace…
Read MoreDiscover how fintech is transforming small business, from mobile payments and AI tools to why the next unicorn might be run from home. I’ve run a small, independent business for almost 25 years. It’s been fun and most of it has been rewarding, except for the accounting, banking and paperwork. No one enjoys that behind-the-scenes…
Read More
Following the Swiss meeting, I was then honoured to moderate an opening panel at EBAday with representatives of JPMorgan and Deutsche Bank. We had a wide ranging discussion but, similar to the details of CRD VI, a lot of regulations came up as top-of-mind. MCiA, EUID, CRDVI, PSD3, EUAI etc and it did intrigue me…
Read MoreThings we’re reading today include … Circle applies for US trust bank license after bumper IPO Robinhood Expands Cryptocurrency Suite in Europe, US Klarna accelerates shift to digital bank ahead of second IPO attempt French bank hit after insider helped SIM swap scammers Is Nigel Farage right about the Bank of England? BBVA launches a…
Read MoreThings we’re reading today include … Klarna accelerates shift to digital bank ahead of second IPO attempt Starling Bank’s first CMO on tapping into culture to be ‘people’s favourite bank’ ‘Central bank of central banks’ warns soaring government debt could trigger global crisis World economy faces ‘pivotal moment’, central bank body BIS says Revolut vs…
Read MoreThis week’s main blog discussions include … Is fintech young or old? I just received the latest World Economic Forum’s Future of Fintech report so, here’s a summary: The fintech industry is transitioning from rapid expansion into a phase of sustainable growth, increased collaboration and broader market reach. The fintech sector is experiencing a customer growth…
Read MoreThings we’re reading today include … Stablecoins ‘Perform Poorly’ as Money, Could Face Uphill Battle Stablecoins become preferred cryptocurrency of terrorists and criminals Starling Bank sets sights on US expansion Ex-Barclays CEO Staley loses appeal against UK ban over Epstein ties High flyer to pariah: the saga of Epstein-linked banker Jes Staley Fintech M&A: All…
Read MoreThings we’re reading today include … US Feds order mortgage providers to “count cryptocurrency as an asset for a mortgage” Fed advances plan to ease bank leverage requirements Can you trust Stablecoins? Stablecoins must face bank-style rules, says Standard Chartered Why UBS needs to beat Barclays to become a top investment bank Barclays to block cryptocurrency transactions due to…
Read MoreThings we’re reading today include: 3 Mega Trends Shaping the Future of Fintech Man Pleads Guilty To $245m Bitcoin Theft Brighton dad lost savings to cryptocurrency site that closed Coinbase lands MiCA licence in Luxembourg, launches regional crypto hub NAB hires Lloyds Bank’s Pete Steel as inaugural digital, data and AI chief Zopa Bank Launches…
Read MoreThings we’re reading today include … Warning: new AI theft technique drains 44% of crypto wallets in under 6 minutes Are Banks Obsolete? | Cato Institute Beware of bank mergers – they can go horribly wrong Chime versus SoFi: Which Is the Better Fintech Stock Right Now? Elon Musk’s X could launch a physical card…
Read MoreThis week’s main blog discussions include … Are you fit to lead your bank if you don’t understand tech? I would love to walk into a bank’s boardroom with my opening slide explaining: “Step confidently into the future of Web3 with Zond, a quantum-resistant Layer-1 blockchain* engineered to transcend today’s security limitations and safeguard your…
Read MoreThis week’s main blog discussions include … Is fintech young or old? I just received the latest World Economic Forum’s Future of Fintech report so, here’s a summary: The fintech industry is transitioning from rapid expansion into a phase of sustainable growth, increased collaboration and broader market reach. The fintech sector is experiencing a customer growth…
Read MoreThis week’s main blog discussions include … Are you fit to lead your bank if you don’t understand tech? I would love to walk into a bank’s boardroom with my opening slide explaining: “Step confidently into the future of Web3 with Zond, a quantum-resistant Layer-1 blockchain* engineered to transcend today’s security limitations and safeguard your…
Read More
This week’s main blog discussions include … Is fintech complicating the process of payments? Everything I read talks about simplified customer experience in payments and yet, when I look at it, the process of payments is becoming far more complicated. You made a payment in the old world with a bank note or cheque, and…
Read MoreThis week’s main blog discussions include … How regulations are forcing banks to open branches I wandered back into the old world of EU regulations the other day in Switzerland, debating CRD VI and the demand that banks must have branches in every EU country when they offer full service banking, including deposits and lending….
Read MoreThis week’s main blog discussions include … The rise and rise of ransomware There’s a very interesting analysis of the cyber attacks on Marks & Spencer, the Co-op and Harrods on the BBC this week. If you have access to their iPlayer, then it’s well worth a watch. If you don’t, then here’s the summary as…
Read MoreThis week’s main blog discussions include … What economy would machines create? We talk a lot about AI these days or, as some call it, A1 or Al (yes, Betty, when you call me, you can call me Al) and we have now moved on to other terms including Generative AI, Agentic AI and AGI…
Read MoreThis week’s main blog discussions include … The regulation versus innovation debate continues I just attended two events – one fintech and one regulatory. The contrast could not have been more different. The fintech event was buzzing with activity and youth; the regulatory event was very serious and full of suits. It reminded me of…
Read MoreThis week’s main blog discussions include … How China’s banks and fintechs are using AI to leapfrog the world For quite a while, I have been amazed by China’s innovations in fintech from Ant to WeBank. My first visit to a Chinese bank in the 1990s, they were using Abacuses to calculate transactions; now they…
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This week’s main blog discussions include … What would you do if you lost a billion dollars? Whilst walking the dog, I’ve been entertained by a fascinating series of podcasts on BBC Sounds called Fool’s Gold. It tells the story of two detectorists – folks who search everywhere using metal detectors – who found gold…
Read MoreThis week’s main blog discussions include … How bad is deep fake fraud? I’m listening to a fascinating podcast from the BBC about Whisky Bandits. The scam is that you buy a cask of whisky for thousands of dollars, but the cask you bought does not exist. In other words, you just got a piece…
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