Chris Skinner's blog

Shaping the future of finance

A chat with Wio Bank, a fully digital, platform-based bank

I recently had a nudge to talk to Wio Bank, who claim to be the Middle East’s first fully digital, platform-based bank launched in Abu Dhabi in 2022 (not sure about this as there are over 20 neobanks operating in the Middle East). Backed by major shareholders like ADQ and FAB, it provides digital banking…

Tokenization is nothing new

Short summary: Tokenization is not new, but dates back 10,000 years when early societies used clay tokens to record ownership of goods. These were not money, but data tools to track value. Modern digital tokens and blockchain systems are simply the latest evolution, but can now do more than just record transactions. We can now…

The Finanser’s Week: 23rd March – 29th March 2026

This week’s main discussions include … Programmable liquidity: five foundations reshaping modern treasury I had a great chat the other day – the first in a series of three – with Quant’s Chief Product Officer Martin Hargreaves about programmable liquidity. What’s that? Read on … Programmable liquidity: five foundations reshaping modern treasury How is programmable…

Where did money come from?

It’s quite strange when you think about money as a lot of money has disappeared or been recreated over the years. 250 years ago, there was no US dollar as such; the Chinese currency called the renminbi (RMB) was introduced on December 1, 1948, by the newly founded People’s Bank of China; and the euro…

Gresham vs Thier’s laws: what is good money?

Five hundred years ago, merchants in England had silver coins to trade with but, as Byron Gilliam notes, the system was open to abuse. There were several tricks to try. One was “sweating” the coins: putting them in a bag and shaking them until friction caused silver dust to fall to the bottom of the…

Programmable liquidity: five foundations reshaping modern treasury

I had a great chat the other day – the first in a series of three – with Quant’s Chief Product Officer Martin Hargreaves about programmable liquidity. What’s that? Read on … Programmable liquidity: five foundations reshaping modern treasury How is programmable money reshaping treasury operations and financial infrastructure? This conversation moved beyond theoretical frameworks…

Into the Dragon’s Den: Jinesh Vohra, founder of Sprive

I was recently watching Dragon’s Den (Shark Tank if you’re American), and spotted an interesting chap – Jinesh Vohra, founder of Sprive, a way of getting your mortgage paid down sooner through your spending. It’s an intriguing idea, so I reached out to him for a chat. Here’s what happened. Chris Skinner: Tell me a…

A great list of questions for a bank’s leadership

I was just having a chat with an AI engine asking about the most common questions people ask about cryptocurrencies. Really interesting answer so, I thought I would share it here (with my edits), as I’d be really interested in your views and answers. Equally, I’m tempted to say that this should be a test…

The Finanser’s Week: 16th March – 22nd March 2026

This week’s main discussions include … Is the future digital identity your heartbeat? I use a variety of sites like Coinbase and IG for investing but find them very cumbersome. Trying to find how to sell and get rid of assets is not easy, unless you do it often. Here’s my vision of the near-term…

Is the future digital identity your heartbeat?

I use a variety of sites like Coinbase and IG for investing but find them very cumbersome. Trying to find how to sell and get rid of assets is not easy, unless you do it often. Here’s my vision of the near-term future. Money, investing, saving, trading will be just like Siri and Alex. “Coinbase,…