Grid

I had quite a lot of response to Gail Bradbrook’s post on February 1. It would be too much to share all, but this particular email from a friend (former CxO at a Big Bank) was the most detailed and illuminating, so I’m sharing it here. I’m sure Gail will respond to such critique in…

I’ve talked a little bit about a K-shaped economy. The upside of the K is digital; the downside is physical. This really struck home with me when I saw the latest retail sales developments in the UK. According to the Office of National Statistics (ONS), Brits now order a third of their shopping on apps…

The Federal Reserve issued a paper about stablecoins at the end of January. There’s lots of good content there, but I particularly liked the way in which they opened the discussion which I have copied here (for full report click here). The basics of stablecoins Stablecoins are digital currencies recorded on distributed ledger technologies (DLTs),…

During the lockdown, banks moved rapidly to sign cloud contracts. Thing is they were signing with the likes of Amazon, Google and Microsoft, but these are all American firms. Where are the European ones? I raised this issue two years ago, but it is now coming to a head as new rules require banks to…

This week’s main blog discussions include … FinTech’s growing pains and toxic cultures I find it interesting reading the articles about toxic cultures at Revolut. If you Google “Revolut Culture”, the second search item is this one: “You’re nothing but a number to them with dollar signs attached.” That’s how Revolut, one of the fastest…

Thing is once you become The Boss, how do you stay The Boss and not become The Old Boss? Writing yesterday about the growing pains of FinTech firms, there are also menopausal strains at incumbents. Once you become The Boss, how do you stay The Boss? That is a key question. When you become a…

I find it interesting reading the articles about toxic cultures at Revolut. If you Google “Revolut Culture”, the second search item is this one: “You’re nothing but a number to them with dollar signs attached.” That’s how Revolut, one of the fastest growing fintech startups in the UK, described traditional banks when advertising for business…

Banks are loners. They do it all internally. They don’t want outsiders stepping in. Too much risk. Leave us alone. Thing is, that doesn’t work anymore. Today, banks are just a component on the network of finance. They are just part of an ecosystem on a platform. Do they understand this? I don’t think so…

I’ve recently engaged with Dr Gail Bradbrook, Co-Founder of Extinction Rebellion and asked if she would write a monthly column for The Finanser. Thankfully she agreed and so at the start of each month I will offer Gail a voice on The Finanser. Here is the first one:   Are we paid to be stupid and dishonest,…

When you mention Africa, some people think it is a country full of famine and war. First, it is not a country but a continent and yes, there is some famine and war, but that’s not Africa. Before the pandemic, I travelled to many countries in the region and had amazing experiences in Kenya, Rwanda,…