I just received a report from Deloitte about credit and debit cards. It says the future is not so bright: “more payment choices, along with changing consumer preferences, are threatening the long-term viability of the credit card business model.” Damn. I said that fifteen years ago. It made me think …

Things we’re reading today include … Goldman Sachs builds up 8.5 per cent voting rights in Metro Bank Deutsche Bank under pressure from UK regulator over compliance failings Thought Machine raises $83m in series B funding Top central banks appear primed to act to combat coronavirus risk Winners and losers …

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*. However, I’m writing this one today because the word …

Things we’re reading today include … Nationwide leads race for £1.9bn Sainsbury’s Bank deal Lloyds Bank faces fresh police inquiry over fraud claims Bank of England passed ‘misuse’ firm for due diligence three times ‘Swindled with bitcoin’: Australian victims count cost of online finance scam The rise and dramatic fall …

The main blog headlines are … “I was the first knowledge worker whose job was threatened by a machine” Really interesting interview with Garry Kasparov in Wired magazine about the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) in the future. Garry Kasparov is perhaps the greatest chess player in history. For almost …

Really interesting interview with Garry Kasparov in Wired magazine about the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) in the future. Garry Kasparov is perhaps the greatest chess player in history. For almost two decades after becoming world champion in 1985, he dominated the game. Then, in 1997, at the height of …

Things we’re reading today include … Too white, too male: Fed takes on diversity one bank board member at a time JPMorgan restricts global travel to protect against virus: Bloomberg News SEC orders Wells Fargo pay $35 million for recommendations of high-risk products Bank bosses in America stick around longer …

There’s a growing lament amongst the few, who are worried our analogue world is crumbling around them. They see the loss of bank branches, high street shops, use of cash and such like as the end of their world. They hate the idea of electric self-driving cars and mourn the …

Things we’re reading today include … B-Social raises £7.8m to become a fully licensed bank Swedish fintech Klarna posts first ever annual loss StanChart posts strong results but coronavirus, economic headwinds to hamper profit growth BCR’s £120m handout to Metro bank has turned out to be a colossal waste Lloyds, …

I know a few of you have spotted that I have a regular theme these days about sustainable finance, purpose-driven banking, the climate emergency and more. It’s a reflection of the world at large and how people like Greta Thunberg and Sir David Attenborough are making our views of the …

Things we’re reading today include … Dimon says ‘door is open’ for more US bank deals FTSE loses another £35bn as coronavirus rattles global markets Wall Street plunges on fears of coronavirus pandemic Barclays attacked by activist investor over CEO’s Epstein links JP Morgan to withdraw support for some fossil …

I guess my discussions of purpose-driven banking are growing. Maybe I just picked up the vibe or created it, but more and more I’m seeing bank CEO’s talking about purpose. Tom Blomfield, CEO and co-founder of Monzo, in Wired magazine: “Why do companies even exist? What are we here for? …

Things we’re reading today include … UBS releases diversity figures for Americas staff US hedge fund calls for Prudential breakup as it takes near-$2bn stake Barclays/Jes Staley: Europe’s last investment banker British fintech Revolut hits $5.5 billion valuation after funding round Mastercard says coronavirus to hit first-quarter revenue JPMorgan Chase …

I was quite relaxed about the coronavirus thinking it would blow over (no pun intended). Yet, as the days and weeks went by, it’s obviously a lot more serious than first thought. I first thought, Oh, it’s Wuhan. It’s not over here. It will sort itself out. Then we had …

Things we’re reading today include … Barclays set to kick off hunt for next chief executive Cruel lottery as banks play blame game over push-payment fraud No global digital tax by end-2020 would mean chaos: France JPMorgan lines up ex-regulator to lead UK digital bank UniCredit CEO Mustier ruled out …