Blog Index

The main blog headlines are … Dealing with a crisis: FinTech versus Bank The chasm between start-ups and incumbents is massively exposed by coronavirus. I realised this early on, when I saw that FinTech firms who were born on the internet were far more ready for working from home than …

The main blog headlines are … Where was the digital backup to our physical structure? The coronavirus crisis has hit everyone sudden and hard. We originally thought it was a Chinese crisis and now it’s a global one. It’s shut down economies worldwide and the banking system has been asked …

The main blog headlines are … What will the world be like when #coronavirus ends? (Part One) Most of the people around the world have savings that can last them less than a month. In the USA, 29% of households have less than $1,000 in savings; in the UK, 15% …

The main blog headlines are … The failure of government (#coronavirus) I’m really frustrated between what the government is saying, the media is reporting, the behaviour of banks, the thrust of business and the reality of life. Governments worldwide are locking down and, at the same time, saying they’re going …

The main blog headlines are … Will you avoid companies that put profit before people? I’ve been writing a lot about purpose-driven banking, a theme that resonates around the idea that business focus should be more than just making money. It should also focus upon doing good for society and …

The main blog headlines are … How JPMorgan Chase, BBVA, ING, DBS and CMB are doing digital Today is the day that Doing Digital, my newest book, is finally live on Amazon and all good book stores. It’s the result of two years primary and secondary research and, to pay …

The main blog headlines are … Are the big banks failing the people? I wouldn’t usually blog on a Saturday, but these are exceptional times and these are exceptional ideas. I’ve already seen some incredible innovation from start-ups looking to help those in need. For example, I listened to the …

The main blog headlines are … WFH? WTF? NSFW and other essentials for the home office I saw a few people talking about the challenges of working from home over the last few days, particularly if you work for a bank. As a tech guy, I’ve been used to working …

The main blog headlines are … #Coronavirus, cash and the breakup of the Eurozone I’m sitting staring at the wall. It’s been a long time now since being in a face-to-face meeting, conference or catching a flight. I’m staring at the wall. Thinking. Thinking. Thinking … what’s the meaning of …

The main blog headlines are … “Are you willing to take the risk of investing in bullshit?” “Are you willing to take the risk of investing in bullshit?” Interesting headline. It’s not mine btw. It’s a question from a leading banker. The question, in this case, related to investing in data …

The main blog headlines are … What does ‘digital transformation’ really mean? 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 …

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 …

The main blog headlines are … Bank Wars, Episode XX: The Rise of FinTech Over the years, a few people have likened me to the Yoda of banking. Yoda is one of the most likable characters in the Star Wars franchise, but I’m not sure if I like the comparison. …

The main blog headlines are … Banking is what we do and technology is how we do it A decade ago, we talked about the financial crisis, technology, regulations and compliance. A decade later, we still talk about regulations and compliance, but the discussion has changed thanks to the explosion …

The main blog headlines are … RegTech versus TechReg I often talk about how banks have five times more regulation than technology firms. That stat comes from Bank of America Merrill Lynch who published this chart a while ago: This is confirmed by similar charts, such as this one from …