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Thanks to David Birch, I just watched this one hour episode about the history and development of bank cards, hosted by Professor Hannah Fry on the BBC.   I’m well aware of how cards started which dates back to when Frank McNamara forgot his cash and check book and created Diners Club back in the…

It’s interesting how often I see the word disruption, or things like incumbent and old. And yet, after almost twenty years of such discussion, has the old incumbent been disrupted? It doesn’t seem that way, as borne out by two articles I picked up on this week: JP Morgan remains world’s biggest systemically important bank;…

I tried to make a payment … but it doesn’t work. Oh no ☹ So I called the bank. I waited … I waited … I waited … I waited … I waited … I waited … I waited … I waited … I waited … I waited … I waited … I waited ……

I’ve recently been dealing with a company that has historically been a good provider of service. I’ve used them for years. Suddenly, things broke down. The main issue is that they only provide a digital service now. There is no call centre – there used to be one; there’s now just an online service –…

This fortnight’s blogging musings include … Arguments for and against CeFi [Part One] Russell Brand had a big rant against Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs) the other day, claiming that digital, programmable money combined with a digital identity is a fantastic way for governments to place you in a digital straitjacket. Are fiat currencies dead?…

Most of us dream of being millionaires or, these days, billionaires. Unlimited wealth = unlimited fun! However, the reality is that this is not the case. Seven our of ten lottery winners end up broke and a third go on to declare bankruptcy, according to the National Endowment for Financial Education. Runaway spending, toxic investments…

The year is 2122. The world has changed. The world is still here, just, but the frozen North and South is no longer frozen. The Earth is boiling. In terms of economics, China rules; India has surpassed America; Africa is still rising; whilst Europe is a mess. The Royal Family has disappeared and over a…

Written in 1922 Walter Lionel George, an English writer, wrote a piece for The New York Herald predicting the world a century ahead. Here is his piece – with a little bit lost in translation – and, tomorrow, I will post my view of the world in 2122. There is a good old rule which bids…

FedNow is a new faster payments service for America. It’s been developing for years, and will go live in 2023 and yet, in conversation with an American friend, only 1 in 10 banks are ready for this. Why? Well, the issue lies in change. Fast change or slow change? In fact, a friend recently resigned…