HSBC has just launched a rival to Revolut and Wise for consumer foreign exchange transfers. Calling it Zing*, and currently available only in the UK, the idea is to offer a “worry-free international money app”, even though they exist already. Why would HSBC’s be any different? You can find out the nuts and bolts of Zing…
Everyone got very excited last week about the SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission, USA) approved the use of bitcoin on ETFs (Exchange Traded Funds). Fantastic … but what does it all mean? Does it mean the SEC approves of bitcoin trading? Does it mean the Federal Reserve and USGov endorse cryptocurrencies? Some would say yes,…
The main blog discussions this week include … What’s in store for 2024: The Economy Welcome to 2024! For this first week of 2024, I’m going to summarise the stuff I’ve seen around the PEST landscape. PEST? Politically, Economically, Socially and Technologically. What’s in store for 2024: The Technology I was looking for the top…
Having covered so many articles on 2024 predictions this week, I am struck by how nearly all of them are AI-focused. That was 2023 folks. 2024 will be far more about geopolitics, which is one of five megaforces identified by BlackRock in a major recent research report, as summarised by Satori News: The world is…
According to most pundits, 2024 looks like a great year for cryptocurrency. Analytics Insight predicts a resurgence, with the crypto market expected to surpass the US$3 trillion mark. Why? The main driver seems to be another bitcoin halving, but also Ethereum and altcoins seem to be big movers, alongside rising crypto adoption amongst mainstream institutions. Gemini,…
During December, I was bombarded with fintech predictions for 2024. Rather than doing my own, here’s a summary of some of the biggies. A Statista report projects global market growth from $127.65 billion in 2022 to a staggering $332.3 billion by 2027. Factors fuelling this surge include increased online payment adoption, the rise of embedded finance, and…
I was looking for the top trends in technology in 2024 and started with this Gartner report. As usual, it’s full of Gartner trying to create acronyms like AI TRiSM and CTEM. Lot of confusion there, but this chart did stand out: Each area is explained in more depth in their presentation deck, but here’s…
Welcome to 2024! For this first week of 2024, I’m going to summarise the stuff I’ve seen around the PEST landscape. PEST? Politically, Economically, Socially and Technologically. In the good old days, I’d make my own predictions but, over the years, there have been so many people predicting things that it makes more sense to…
This week’s main blog discussions include … Are banks and fintechs partners, competitors or suppliers? Over the past decade+ we have seen thousands of fintechs arise. Many are challenging and disrupting, whilst many more are providing and supplying. What is the role of a fintech? My advice is that fintechs are there to fix the…
