Chris Skinner's blog

Shaping the future of finance

Crypto

Spacecoin: a currency for astronauts?

I just got an invite to invest in Spacecoin. What is that? SPACECOIN is a visionary cryptocurrency built for the space economy and designed to offer a decentralized, efficient, and secure platform for interplanetary trade investors and exploration. WTH? My initial reaction was the idea that this is launching a cryptocurrency for those who want…

Will Sophia replace me?

I asked AI to tell me about the future of banking the other day. It responded with a great set of answers: The future of banking is being reshaped by technology, shifting customer expectations, and new regulatory and economic realities. Here are the key trends that will define the next 5–10 years: 💡 1. Banking…

CBDC? Computer says no …

I find it so interesting the debate about CBDCs (Central Bank Digital Currencies), stablecoins (a digital currency backed by real world assets) and cryptocurrencies (a digital currency backed by the decentralised network of everyone). This is the biggest battleground for the future of how we trade and are paid, and the losers appear to be…

Is crypto the solution or the problem?

Paying with crypto is traceable but favoured by fraudsters. Is it the solution or the problem? Fraudsters never know how their action impacts their victim, until confronted by the person they’ve defrauded. Is crypto the solution? After all, unlike fiat currencies, all blockchain-based transactions can be traced for history. So, is crypto the solution to…

Key take-away from #SIBOS 2025: it’s no longer banking and payments

Watching Sibos from afar – I haven’t been invited for a while due to being too provocative – I was not surprised to see that Quantum computing, AI, CBDCs, stablecoins, tokenization and blockchain are all making the headlines, as these are all the themes I spend my time presenting about around the world. Cybersecurity, AI…

How much is Harry Kane’s toe worth?

I’ve just created a platform to tokenize idols. Any idol and even bits and pieces related to them. You can tokenize Taylor Swift’s underwear; tokenize Rory McIlroy’s golfing glove; tokenize Ryan Reynolds Wrexham shirt; or even tokenize Harry Kane’s big toe. After all, any part of an idol is worth something to a fan, so…

Money and currency is all about power and politics

It’s been really interesting watching the moves of Donald Trump to Make America Great Again by doubling down on the dollar being the reserve currency of the world forever more through the GENIUS Act. Well, that’s my take anyway. Add on to this that the Trump family made billions by launching World Liberty Financial, their very…

Is #Tether a #SWIFT challenger?

As blogged yesterday, the GENIUS Act can open the doors for closed-loop networks using stablecoins that circumvent the traditional four-pillar model of issuer, acquirer, merchant and processor. Yes, it could save billions in interchange fees, but there’s another movement in stablecoins trying to change the world. This one is trying to get rid of SWIFT,…

Is the GENIUS Act genius?

Short answer: possibly. Long answer: the GENIUS Act (the Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for U.S. Stablecoins Act) gives a massive stamp on cryptocurrency tokens, stablecoins and protecting the US dollar as the reserve currency of the world. Oh, and it also creates a major opportunity for non-banks to become players in payment processing. For…

When you realise that finance is science

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…