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I got caught up in a conversation about building a new digital bank the other day, and being asked how I would organise the project.  I’m a simple guy and go back to basics, and the basics are people, process and product. People – customers and employees – are where it all starts.  Happy staff…

I get all sorts of crappy press releases from public relations managers who are eager to see me prostitute my blog for them. Rarely would I post their stuff here unless it was seriously interesting or I feel very lazy or both. You can decide which category this fits into: first direct identifies the factors…

Whilst almost 500 banks failed in the USA between 2008 and 2012, only three new banks opened. Only three new banks have opened in the United States since 2010.  Before the financial crisis, over 100 banks set up shop each year, on average, according to data from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the agency that approves…

Not sure how many of you spotted the announcement last month that Goldman Sachs is launching a retail bank, but it’s been interesting to monitor such developments. First there was a raft of press reviews of the announcement: Goldman Sachs gets into retail banking Goldman Sachs Enters Retail Banking Market with GS Bank Here’s How Goldman Sachs Plans to Go After the…

Friday’s blog was all about bank innovation labs and structures. A serious and committed undertaking this time around, with many experimentations and proofs of concept taking place, especially around blockchain. Great. The thing is that as I walk into these hallowed places of bank sponsored creation, it feels like a very formal version of a FinTech…

Our main stories of this week includes … Regulations, Innovations, Sandboxes and #RegTech So I just attended a really interesting two day meeting that covered all things blockchain, regulations, innovation and more. I’ll blog about the bits I can in the next few days, and thought I’d start with an overview of the Financial Conduct Authority’s…

During one part of my recent conference activity, I asked the banks in the audience how they organised their innovation strategies.  All of them have one, is the good news.  All of them have different nuances of how they structure for innovation however.  The most common structure appears to be to have innovation under the…

So I just attended a really interesting two day meeting that covered all things blockchain, regulations, innovation and more. I’ll blog about the bits I can in the next few days, and thought I’d start with an overview of the Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) Regulatory Sandbox and Project Innovate. The Regulatory Sandbox was announced at…

I’m being lazy this week and just posting other people’s reports, but only because they’re really interesting.  This is Boston Consulting Group’s latest analysis of what’s happening in retail banking.  The Financial Brand did a good summary of their report, and BCG summarize their findings as follows: Despite a tentative financial recovery, the retail-banking industry faces…

I caught sight of a report by Deloitte over the weekend that says the marketplace lenders like Zopa and Lending Club are no serious threat to banks.  This follows the report by Goldman Sachs a year ago, that said 20% of bank lending will move to these platforms over the next decade.  Who’s right and…