Chris Skinner's blog

Shaping the future of finance

You cannot have money without government … the question is: what government?

It amazes me how many people misread, half-read or assume things based on what you say. There were two instances in the last week. The first: There is an error in @Chris_Skinner’sreasoning. High quality crypto assets absolutely do have fundamental value (all currencies don’t have intrinsic value.) https://t.co/vCWqi00VQV — Gene Hoffman hoffmang.xch 🌱 (@hoffmang) November…

The Crypto House of Cards

Building on Friday’s blog, everyone is asking whether the house of crypto is falling apart like a house of cards. People are saying that Sam Bankman-Fried, the founder and faller at FTX, was running a Ponzi scheme. What is the definition of a Ponzi scheme? According to the Oxford Dictionary, it is “a form of…

The Finanser’s Week: 21st November – 27th November 2022

This week’s main blog discussions include: This week’s FU! Before you watch this week’s show on the biggest, most controversial and WTF stories of #fintechuncut, candid commentary on the biggest #Fintech and #FinancialServices stories of the week that was, how about a little quiz for yourself? Who is in desperate need of money as a result…

This week’s FU!

Before you watch this week’s show on the biggest, most controversial and WTF stories of #fintechuncut, candid commentary on the biggest #Fintech and #FinancialServices stories of the week that was, how about a little quiz for yourself? Who is in desperate need of money as a result of the collapse of #FTX? #crypto Stephanie Ferris, FIS’s new…

FTX? Short for FinTech eXplosion …

This year is proving a testing year for everyone, but particularly for those in the cryptocurrency space. We’ve seen the collapse of Celsius,  Terra-Luna, and now FTX and possibly Genesis. It just reinforces the Wild West of Crypto, which I’ve referred to often. The Financial Times commented on the collapse of FTX – surely you’ve heard…

Visa: It’s a war between their AI and our AI

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…

Is FinTech really disruptive?

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 got a new credit card. Woo-hoo! Uh-oh …

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 ……

If I cannot call you, I won’t deal with you

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 –…

The Finanser’s Week: 6th November – 20th November 2022

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?…