Chris Skinner's blog

Shaping the future of finance

Digital Bank

Selling customer data – good or bad idea?

Be careful with data Many years ago a few banks debated the idea of selling customer data to get a payback. It was the wrong decision – if you sell customer data, it should the customer who gets the payback, not the bank – and they failed. The two specific examples I remember are Barclays…

A digital pivot: LVMH and Blackstone

I often say in speeches that you now have the ability to pay anytime, anywhere from your pocket or purse. Now I realise that the mention of pocket or purse is no longer relevant. It’s pay anytime, anywhere from your device, and soon it will be pay anytime, anywhere, with your body as a token….

Some big questions about the future answered

In discussion with a client the other day, we got into a debate about how to structure the next workshop with management. The result is that there were five critical questions proposed: How far can we automate everything? How can we use technology differently? Can regulators keep up with these changes? Could the network run…

Is your chatbot compliant?

Fifteen years ago, social media was becoming popular. Facebook was growing fast, and Twitter had just launched. Ten years ago, banks were cautious about such media as it might compromise customer information. Five years ago, many were starting to get the idea, but were still trying to work out how to be social and compliant….

It’s us and them

It’s interesting how people interpret things. Many think it’s old banks versus new banks; branch versus app; physical versus digital; government currencies versus cryptocurrencies; and more. For me, it’s not versus though. It’s and. We live in a world of transition where new and old banks work together well. My old bank does my boring…

What if I am the token?

Just been having a few meetings about the future of payments. Funnily enough, that sounds like the theme of my new book Intelligent Money. The message? Money is embedded, invisible and intelligent. It is ubiquitous, everywhere, anywhere. It is just part of the fabric of the world we live in. But then I thought further, talking…

Has the G20 agreed to launch a global CBDC?

The G20’s central banks announce a global alliance for digital currencies It’s been bubbling away for a while but, as central banks are launching CBDCs (Central Bank Digital Currency) all over the world, there is now a G20 agreement to create a global digital currency. Initiated by Christine Lagarde at the European Central Bank (ECB),…

Caught between the devil and the deep blue sea

I’ve just had several incidents with traditional banks digitally that made me realise they really are faced with big issues. You may have noticed this in my recent blogging, but here are three specific insights that illustrated the point. The first is the fact that I keep having to open the bank’s app to find…