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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Twenty years ago, four critical things happened: cloud computing became mainstream; the smartphone was launched; Satoshi Nakamoto released the bitcoin whitepaper; and the global financial crisis killed all trust in traditional financial institutions. All of these things pretty much happened at the same time. Twenty years later, a multi-trillion dollar world has appeared on the…
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In a trip to London last week, I was lucky enough to be given a deep dive into the status of Revolut, Europe’s stand-out fintech unicorn valued at $45 billion last year and $75 billion today. This is a company that, ten years ago, was just two guys sitting in a Canary Wharf office…
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I’m such a futurist nerd in banking that, thirty years ago, I forecast banks would open telco services and vice versa, and can prove it if you want. The reason? Both have frequent customer contact, high transaction volumes and similar capabilities. Just seven years ago, I was still banging on the same drum. It is…
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I guess the key thing about becoming an AI-native bank is to start with a clean sheet of paper. Most banks are adding AI services to old systems and dysfunctional processes; what we should be doing is starting from scratch, creating an AI core that looks at how to deliver the best customer experience. For…
Read More
Twenty years ago, four critical things happened: cloud computing became mainstream; the smartphone was launched; Satoshi Nakamoto released the bitcoin whitepaper; and the global financial crisis killed all trust in traditional financial institutions. All of these things pretty much happened at the same time. Twenty years later, a multi-trillion dollar world has appeared on the…
Read MoreIn a trip to London last week, I was lucky enough to be given a deep dive into the status of Revolut, Europe’s stand-out fintech unicorn valued at $45 billion last year and $75 billion today. This is a company that, ten years ago, was just two guys sitting in a Canary Wharf office…
Read MoreI’m such a futurist nerd in banking that, thirty years ago, I forecast banks would open telco services and vice versa, and can prove it if you want. The reason? Both have frequent customer contact, high transaction volumes and similar capabilities. Just seven years ago, I was still banging on the same drum. It is…
Read More
Sam Altman, the founder of OpenAI and creator of ChatGPT and more – along with the PayPal Mafia https://www.ceotodaymagazine.com/2025/04/who-owns-chatgpt/ – was speaking about bank capital rules this week and made an interesting comment that: “There are some FIs that will accept a voice print to move a lot of money. That is a crazy thing…
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We are really good at creating bingo buzz words in business to get everyone feeling they are missing the buzz. Terms such as Big Data, Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS, invented by me!), embedded finance, invisible banking and more turn up every day. Some get traction and some don’t, but the whole idea is to make you feel…
Read More
I recently got an invite to present a TEDx talk at Haberdashers School in Elstree, England. Shortly afterwards, a second TEDx talk invite came through from the American School of Warsaw, Poland. Of course, I accepted both, but then the challenge became how to do two TEDx talks with some clear differentiation. The result is…
Read More
There’s a huge debate about banks and data. Should banks share data or sell data? This has been going on for over a decade. For example, Barclays tried to share and sell customer data back in 2013 and it hit the headlines; ING did the same in 2014 and got into similar issues. Both banks…
Read More
In recent days, I’ve discovered a lot of theorems and ideas in digital areas where, when you integrate finance and technology, you realise that you are living in a world of rocket science thinking. For example, I am spending a lot of time talking with experts about digital identity and trust, as that’s the theme…
Read More
An awful lot of what I read these days is about stablecoins. By way of example, my things worth reading daily update is filled with news about them. Just this morning: Some big US banks plan to launch stablecoins, expecting crypto-friendly regulations Central banks face dilemma over rise of dollar-backed stablecoins Could Britain be about…
Read MoreTwenty years ago, four critical things happened: cloud computing became mainstream; the smartphone was launched; Satoshi Nakamoto released the bitcoin whitepaper; and the global financial crisis killed all trust in traditional financial institutions. All of these things pretty much happened at the same time. Twenty years later, a multi-trillion dollar world has appeared on the…
Read MoreI’m such a futurist nerd in banking that, thirty years ago, I forecast banks would open telco services and vice versa, and can prove it if you want. The reason? Both have frequent customer contact, high transaction volumes and similar capabilities. Just seven years ago, I was still banging on the same drum. It is…
Read MoreI guess the key thing about becoming an AI-native bank is to start with a clean sheet of paper. Most banks are adding AI services to old systems and dysfunctional processes; what we should be doing is starting from scratch, creating an AI core that looks at how to deliver the best customer experience. For…
Read MoreFor longer than most fintech founders have been alive, I’ve been advocating digital transformation. Digital transformation is where digital is at the heart of the business. You convert from physical to digital by reinventing the business and the business model. You start with digital at the core, and add physical on top when and where…
Read MoreSam Altman, the founder of OpenAI and creator of ChatGPT and more – along with the PayPal Mafia https://www.ceotodaymagazine.com/2025/04/who-owns-chatgpt/ – was speaking about bank capital rules this week and made an interesting comment that: “There are some FIs that will accept a voice print to move a lot of money. That is a crazy thing…
Read MoreWe are really good at creating bingo buzz words in business to get everyone feeling they are missing the buzz. Terms such as Big Data, Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS, invented by me!), embedded finance, invisible banking and more turn up every day. Some get traction and some don’t, but the whole idea is to make you feel…
Read MoreI recently got an invite to present a TEDx talk at Haberdashers School in Elstree, England. Shortly afterwards, a second TEDx talk invite came through from the American School of Warsaw, Poland. Of course, I accepted both, but then the challenge became how to do two TEDx talks with some clear differentiation. The result is…
Read MoreThere’s a huge debate about banks and data. Should banks share data or sell data? This has been going on for over a decade. For example, Barclays tried to share and sell customer data back in 2013 and it hit the headlines; ING did the same in 2014 and got into similar issues. Both banks…
Read MoreIn recent days, I’ve discovered a lot of theorems and ideas in digital areas where, when you integrate finance and technology, you realise that you are living in a world of rocket science thinking. For example, I am spending a lot of time talking with experts about digital identity and trust, as that’s the theme…
Read MoreIn recent days, I’ve discovered a lot of theorems and ideas in digital areas where, when you integrate finance and technology, you realise that you are living in a world of rocket science thinking. For example, I am spending a lot of time talking with experts about digital identity and trust, as that’s the theme…
Read MoreAn awful lot of what I read these days is about stablecoins. By way of example, my things worth reading daily update is filled with news about them. Just this morning: Some big US banks plan to launch stablecoins, expecting crypto-friendly regulations Central banks face dilemma over rise of dollar-backed stablecoins Could Britain be about…
Read More
I went to a conference the other day where the organiser left a load of beer mats with questions about fintech. I picked them up and decided to write my thoughts. Trust you enjoy this … What was your ‘aha’ moment that led you into fintech? I never really had a moment, as I’ve been…
Read More
Building on yesterday’s blog about onboarding me as a client based in Buckingham Palace – or was that 10 Downing Street? – there is some interesting reporting about Revolut. Why haven’t they got their UK credit license sorted? After several years of discussion with the regulators, they finally got the green light to launch a…
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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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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…
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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…
Read MoreTwenty years ago, four critical things happened: cloud computing became mainstream; the smartphone was launched; Satoshi Nakamoto released the bitcoin whitepaper; and the global financial crisis killed all trust in traditional financial institutions. All of these things pretty much happened at the same time. Twenty years later, a multi-trillion dollar world has appeared on the…
Read MoreWe are really good at creating bingo buzz words in business to get everyone feeling they are missing the buzz. Terms such as Big Data, Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS, invented by me!), embedded finance, invisible banking and more turn up every day. Some get traction and some don’t, but the whole idea is to make you feel…
Read MoreI recently got an invite to present a TEDx talk at Haberdashers School in Elstree, England. Shortly afterwards, a second TEDx talk invite came through from the American School of Warsaw, Poland. Of course, I accepted both, but then the challenge became how to do two TEDx talks with some clear differentiation. The result is…
Read MoreIn recent days, I’ve discovered a lot of theorems and ideas in digital areas where, when you integrate finance and technology, you realise that you are living in a world of rocket science thinking. For example, I am spending a lot of time talking with experts about digital identity and trust, as that’s the theme…
Read MoreAn awful lot of what I read these days is about stablecoins. By way of example, my things worth reading daily update is filled with news about them. Just this morning: Some big US banks plan to launch stablecoins, expecting crypto-friendly regulations Central banks face dilemma over rise of dollar-backed stablecoins Could Britain be about…
Read MoreI went to a conference the other day where the organiser left a load of beer mats with questions about fintech. I picked them up and decided to write my thoughts. Trust you enjoy this … What was your ‘aha’ moment that led you into fintech? I never really had a moment, as I’ve been…
Read More
WARNING: THIS BLOG IS POLITICAL I often talk about the tech billionaires who control our lives. Why blog about this today? Well, a few disturbing developments. One is Elon Musk – you probably already know about his issues – thinking of launching a new American political party; but the other, and more intriguing, is an…
Read MoreThis week’s main blog discussions include … Designing our next banknotes: Notey McNoteFace? The Bank of England launched a platform yesterday for anyone to suggest who should be on Britain’s next generation of banknotes. Here’s the verbatim: As we begin to design the next series of banknotes, we invite you to share your views on potential…
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The Bank of England launched a platform yesterday for anyone to suggest who should be on Britain’s next generation of banknotes. Here’s the verbatim: As we begin to design the next series of banknotes, we invite you to share your views on potential themes. Our banknotes have celebrated notable historical figures since 1970, when William Shakespeare…
Read MoreThings we’re reading today include … “The US investment bank I work for has become completely dysfunctional” Klarna lands €1.4bn financing facility with Santander MetaMask Launches Stablecoin With Stripe’s Bridge UK banks have closed more than one in three branches over past five years Should we worry about falling US bank reserves? Moneybox’s 2024 profits…
Read MoreThings we’re reading today include … Commonwealth Bank has admitted it was wrong to axe 45 jobs and replace them with artificial intelligence The CEO of a $65bn fintech is paying someone $200k+ to make him a LinkedIn influencer HSBC shakes up leadership of fintech venture less than a year after launch UK slashes fintech…
Read MoreThings we’re reading today include … ‘On another level’: crypto industry hosts rival gathering in Jackson Hole As fintechs build proprietary blockchains, what happens to crypto’s openness? Fed Official Says Staff Should Be Allowed To Hold Crypto How the banking net zero fantasy ran out of gas Starling Bank snaps up UK fintech firm in…
Read MoreThings we’re reading today include … KPMG: Why Global Fintech Investment Fell 18% in H1 2025 UK fintech investment down 5% YOY to $7.2bn | Accountancy Today Indonesia’s Digital Banking Scene is Getting Crowded Monzo plans to launch UK mobile phone service Starling Bank Buys Accounting Startup to Offer Tax Tools to SMEs How to…
Read MoreThings we’re reading today include … The global divide on ‘de-banking’: How the US, UK and EU approach risk The small east German bank that cannot drop its far-right customer How does your bank rank? CMA releases satisfaction survey ratings How the Single Resolution Fund safeguards Europe’s banking system Why Circle, Stripe Are Launching Their…
Read MoreThis week’s main blog discussions include … What is an acceptable level of fraud? Sam Altman, the founder of OpenAI and creator of ChatGPT and more – along with the PayPal Mafia – was speaking about bank capital rules this week and made an interesting comment that: “There are some FIs that will accept a…
Read MoreThings we’re reading today include: Sacked Merrill Lynch banker blames dismissal on ‘post-MeToo’ culture UK student jailed for selling phishing kits linked to £100m of fraud ‘We lend where banks can’t’ Juice boss on how AI allows lender to say ‘yes’ to more small businesses Major UK bank makes big change to accounts leaving customers…
Read MoreThings we’re reading today include … As customer growth slows, FinTech bets on deeper impact, study shows Top 10: UK Fintechs Deutsche Bank beats profit expectations despite deal slump, strong euro NatWest ‘wages war on cash’ after raising charges for businesses Deregulation drive risks repeat of financial crisis, Bank of England The Bank of England’s…
Read MoreThis week’s main blog discussions include … What is an acceptable level of fraud? Sam Altman, the founder of OpenAI and creator of ChatGPT and more – along with the PayPal Mafia – was speaking about bank capital rules this week and made an interesting comment that: “There are some FIs that will accept a…
Read MoreThis week’s main blog discussions include … How to find the launderers … or not Someone asked me this week: why isn’t digital identity working? After all, there have been numerous attempts at tackling the issue. Specifically, in finance, we have onboarding, compliance, AML, KYC, PEP and more … and yet none of it is…
Read MoreThis week’s main blog discussions include … Fintech and the Rule of 40 A colleague posted a view about Fintech and the Rule of 40 the other day. What is the Rule of 40? The Rule of 40 is a financial metric, primarily used in the Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) industry, which suggests a healthy company’s combined…
Read MoreThis week’s main blog discussions include … Designing our next banknotes: Notey McNoteFace? The Bank of England launched a platform yesterday for anyone to suggest who should be on Britain’s next generation of banknotes. Here’s the verbatim: As we begin to design the next series of banknotes, we invite you to share your views on potential…
Read More
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…
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…
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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 More
