Future

Many of us thought it a bit weird that Gordon Brown suggested bringing back the Tobin Tax last weekend during the G20 summit.  The idea is to tax every financial transaction, just a little bit, one or two cents on each … this way you can build up a fund for any future financial shocks….

Many of us thought it a bit weird that Gordon Brown suggested bringing back the Tobin Tax last weekend during the G20 summit.  The idea is to tax every financial transaction, just a little bit, one or two cents on each … this way you can build up a fund for any future financial shocks….

My good friend Conny Dorrestijn shared this article she wrote on teenager's views on money and banking.  I thought it so good that it's worth sharing here: Sitting in the hotel bar of a conference I recently attended on payments, I pondered with my colleagues “Are we sure we are really building the payments infrastructure…

My good friend Conny Dorrestijn shared this article she wrote on teenager's views on money and banking.  I thought it so good that it's worth sharing here: Sitting in the hotel bar of a conference I recently attended on payments, I pondered with my colleagues “Are we sure we are really building the payments infrastructure…

I'm in the middle of writing a long speech for Gresham College which I shall present on Wednesday evening.  The title of the speech is: "Are Bankers Good or Bad for Society?" which we agreed way back in February. However, in light of Lord Turner's comments last month, this title is more prescient than ever….

I'm in the middle of writing a long speech for Gresham College which I shall present on Wednesday evening.  The title of the speech is: "Are Bankers Good or Bad for Society?" which we agreed way back in February. However, in light of Lord Turner's comments last month, this title is more prescient than ever….

I’ve attended quite a few conferences in the past month and was reflecting on the different themes they explored. The four that stand out most clearly are: risk management, regulatory reform, operational efficiency and innovation. Contemplating what each of these mean in practice makes you realise how difficult a job banks have on their hands…

In the securities settlement markets, we’ve spent years trying to break down barriers to clearing and settlement … and most of those barriers are still there. We wonder what to do about it? And regulation seems the only answer. Or is it? As we look at innovations in payments (retail, commercial covered in last two…

In the securities settlement markets, we’ve spent years trying to break down barriers to clearing and settlement … and most of those barriers are still there. We wonder what to do about it? And regulation seems the only answer. Or is it? As we look at innovations in payments (retail, commercial covered in last two…

A few folks seem to disagree with my assertion that branch-based banking is dead, but they may have misinterpreted my assertion as being branches are dead. They’re not. Branches are very much alive and kicking … just not as transaction centres. Branches are sales centres. And it is for this reason that the current branch…