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I received a bunch of interesting pings this week, but a few stood out. The main one was about the climate impact of crypto: Ethereum has managed to massively decrease its annual CO2 emissions as it has moved to a proof-of-stake blockchain. In 2021, it was creating a huge 21.95 million tons of CO2, which…

This week we welcomed Ghela Boskovich as guest judge. Enjoy! Links to stuff we spoke about:- The wise guy might have been wrong about Apple buying Stripe but if they don’t IPO then someone might be able to soon as they explore future options Bank of America, Wells Fargo, JP Morgan and 4 other banks working together???…

Anyone who has attended a Sibos conference or similar payments meeting will have heard the buzz about ISO 20022 for years. The idea is that this will unite the global banking industry with a new standard for all payments messages. What is ISO 20022? ISO 20022 is best described as the future of financial messaging,…

I’m talking about KYC and client onboarding again in a February 1st webinar, hosted by American Banker. The onboarding of clients is the worst part of financial services, because it has an overly onerous requirement to gain proofs. Proof of address, proof of identity, proof of existence, proof of life. You name it. It gets worse…

As I watch various series about office politics, it makes me wonder who really thinks this way. Who really thinks about destroying a competitor or a company or a colleague? I guess many of us do. But, do you do it in a collegial way? For example, if Jane is likely to be the next…

I noted to a friend the other day that, when I was young, I was quite left wing. Back then, my belief was everyone should be included; everyone was equal; no-one should be treated as lesser than me; society should ensure everyone had a minimum wage and support them. Then I grew up. I became…

I just got pinged by a bunch of reports about 2023 looking forward and felt it worthwhile to share those that hit top of my desk. I guess the first one I’ll pick is from Deloitte, who cover all aspects of the main financial markets: Retail banking: Envisioning new ways to serve and engage with…

This week’s main blog discussions include … Just when you think that crypto has failed … Just when you think that cryptocurrencies are unregulated and ridiculous, the industry spends four years to work out a set of standards to ensure trust. Who would have thought it Has crypto failed? I’ve enjoyed the rise and rise…

Just when you thought Fintech Uncut (FU for short) was quiet, we are back and louder than ever. Here’s to a 2023 of FU! There was a lot of angst this week, due to toxic cultures, relationships and losses – sadly just another week in Fintech and Financial Services … Here are the links to…

I watch the Ukraine-Russia conflict with anguish. The loss of life and property is appalling, and the bombing seems relentless. But I wonder why we fight wars with bombs today, when we could just as easily fight with computers. If you bring the network down, you win. Suffice to say that in the Ukraine-Russia war,…