Future

I grew up with lots of things, but one that struck me in the heart was a song Seven Minutes to Midnight that came out in the late 1970s (showing my age). What did the song mean? I discovered it related to the Doomsday Clock, the clock that measured the threats to our planet and…

Everyone got very excited last week about the SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission, USA) approved the use of bitcoin on ETFs (Exchange Traded Funds). Fantastic … but what does it all mean? Does it mean the SEC approves of bitcoin trading? Does it mean the Federal Reserve and USGov endorse cryptocurrencies? Some would say yes,…

Having covered so many articles on 2024 predictions this week, I am struck by how nearly all of them are AI-focused. That was 2023 folks. 2024 will be far more about geopolitics, which is one of five megaforces identified by BlackRock in a major recent research report, as summarised by Satori News: The world is…

According to most pundits, 2024 looks like a great year for cryptocurrency. Analytics Insight predicts a resurgence, with the crypto market expected to surpass the US$3 trillion mark. Why? The main driver seems to be another bitcoin halving, but also Ethereum and altcoins seem to be big movers, alongside rising crypto adoption amongst mainstream institutions. Gemini,…

I was looking for the top trends in technology in 2024 and started with this Gartner report. As usual, it’s full of Gartner trying to create acronyms like AI TRiSM and CTEM. Lot of confusion there, but this chart did stand out: Each area is explained in more depth in their presentation deck, but here’s…

Welcome to 2024! For this first week of 2024, I’m going to summarise the stuff I’ve seen around the PEST landscape. PEST? Politically, Economically, Socially and Technologically. In the good old days, I’d make my own predictions but, over the years, there have been so  many people predicting things that it makes more sense to…

2023 has been the year of artificial intelligence (AI) thanks to the launch of OpenAI’s ChatGPT, acquisition by Microsoft, integration with Bing and mad scrabble by Google, Baidu and more to keep up. This will continue in 2024 and, if anything, become even more of a war between big tech firms and their delivery of…

I just had an interview with a journalist via email. It was quite interesting, and wanted to share it with you. The key point being made is that everything we have today – apps, online, cards and more – are going to disappear. Are they? Mobile payments, BNPL, open banking, artificial intelligence – these are…

At another recent conference McKinsey presented. Now it is easy to take a pop at McKinsey but they have produced some useful reports recently, specifically: McKinsey’s Global Banking Annual Review 2023 Fintechs: A new paradigm of growth So, I was interested in their presentation. One slide in particular stood out, titled: the four key drivers…

In a guest column six years ago James Vaccaro, then Director of Corporate Strategy at Triodos Bank, introduced the United Nations’ Principles of Responsible Banking to my community. Six years later, are they working? Apparently not. In a new guest column, James argues the industry efforts may be authentic, but they need better management to…