Chris Skinner's blog

Shaping the future of finance

FinTech is not dying … it’s fighting

After this year’s Money 2020 in Las Vegas, there’s lots of doom and gloom. FinTechs struggling for investment, rats leaving sinking ships, companies desperate for bank buyouts and bank support, and so on. Specifically, this commentary on Medium stood out for me: Fintech is Slowly Dying and That’s Good News Fintech was going to eat…

How often do you read the Ts and Cs?

Most of us don’t care. We just click. Even in the good old days of paper-printed documentation, did you read the terms and conditions? You’re sitting with the salesperson and there’s 5,000 words on a page that look like standard conditions. Do you read them? Nah, most of us don’t. I always remember a gaming…

We know about Zombie Banks … but what about Zombie Businesses?

It’s Halloween. It’s time for a fright! And so Swiss Re decided to do just that. Some headlines catch my attention, and when Swiss Re launched a report about Zombie Businesses the other day, well … I had to read it. The report, after the headline, is less explosive, and is all about corporate debt: “The…

The Finanser’s Week: 24th October – 30th October 2022

The main blog discussions this week include … Are you real or fake? I watched the recent series Capture on the BBC where real-time images can be distorted and changed. This moves from CCTV images to live television. It’s all about deep fake technology where a person can appear to be ‘live’, when it’s just a fiction….

Do we need CBDCs?

I was called out by Nick Kerigan, Head of Innovation at SWIFT, when I accused SWIFT of becoming a sloth a year ago. So, I was interested in the latest announcement that shows the aim of SWIFT to be the arbitrator of CBDCs (Central Bank Digital Currencies): SWIFT has successfully shown that Central Bank Digital Currencies…

Paying with a token is card 2.0

I’m watching things every day, and am immersed in DeFi, CeFi, WiFi and HyFi (not forgetting ReFi), but I read something the other day and thought: WTF? Let’s share it. Just bought an airplane ticket without having to add my name to it, and then I listed it to sell it back. This was through the TravelX protocol…

Reputation as a currency

I got into a debate about currencies the other day. A colleague said that the future of money was power. Well, all power is based upon money, and his point was that money would be based upon power. The energy industries. Oil, gas, electricity. These are the key industries providing energy to the world. True,…

Privacy versus Identity?

For years, we have debated privacy versus identity. I am all for privacy, but governments are all for identification. If we can identify you, we can tax you. If you are private, you’re off the grid. It’s a balance. The most private way to deal with money is with cash. Cash can be transacted off the…

Are you real or fake?

I watched the recent series Capture on the BBC where real-time images can be distorted and changed. This moves from CCTV images to live television. It’s all about deep fake technology where a person can appear to be ‘live’, when it’s just a fiction. Capture is like an extended episode of Black Mirror. It’s also…

The Finanser’s Week: 16th October – 23rd October 2022

This week’s main blog discussions included … The FinTech Bloodbath Back in January, I called 2022 the Big Regression for FinTech. Ten months later, sure enough, it is. Daily headlines about losses and layoffs are gathering non-stop, and storm clouds are gathering fast to demand market change through consolidation and merger. FinTech London’s double bloodbath…

Chris Skinner Keynote, April 2025, Europe

Intelligent Money: Our Future Is Where We Do Not Think About Money, As Our Money Thinks For Us

What is the future?

Learn more

Learn more about Chris

About Chris Skinner

The Past, Present And Future Of Banking, Finance And Technology

Fintech expert Chris Skinner: countries need digital transformation to remain competitive

Join me on Linkedin

Follow Me on X!

Hire Chris Skinner for dinners, workshops and more

Learn directly from from one of the most influential people in technology, gain insights from the world's most innovative companies, and build a global network.

Chris’s latest book

Order now

Chris Skinner’s ‘Intelligent Money’ Book Launch Event

Top 30 Regtech Blogs

Top 40 UK Fintech Blogs

Lifetime Achievement Award

Kids creating the future bank | TEDxAthens

Alex at the Financial Services

Gaping Void's Hugh MacLeod worked with the Finanser