Chris Skinner's blog

Shaping the future of finance

History

Were Skinner’s 2012 predictions correct?

At the start of the year, I always make a few predictions about what will happen in the following year.  Watch this blog in January for 2013’s predictions.  But what were the predictions for 2012? Well Economically, I made the following forecasts: Asia’s light continues to shine, but not quite as bright American equities is the place…

Were Skinner’s 2012 predictions correct?

At the start of the year, I always make a few predictions about what will happen in the following year.  Watch this blog in January for 2013’s predictions.  But what were the predictions for 2012? Well Economically, I made the following forecasts: Asia’s light continues to shine, but not quite as bright American equities is the place…

Risk is a many splendored thing

I was asked to give a pre-dinner speech by SAS for a group of Chief Risk Officers (CRO’s) in Amsterdam recently. Here’s the speech. Good evening ladies and gentlemen.  I wasn’t sure how to start this evening, and decided to begin with the collective noun for a group of CRO’s.  You are collectively known as a…

Too fast to innovate, too slow to change

As mentioned yesterday, the regulator tries to keep up with the banks who try to keep up with customer, and I said that banks often innovate too slowly. There are many examples of this, but the one that I come back to regularly is Chip & PIN. Chip & PIN has been an enormous success,…

Chip &Pin

Why should we innovate?

I was talking at a conference and a regulator was on the panel.   The panel chair asked him: “should we think about innovation first or regulation?” and he responded by saying: “It is not a question of regulation or innovation.  I would rather ask the question: why do we need innovation at all?  Who is it…

Archive- mag disc

The last typewriter … what next?

I just saw a note today that the Science Museum has acquired the very last typewriter produced by the Brother factory: “The factory’s 200 employees witnessed the final model of the Brother CM-1000 being packed into its box to a soundtrack of emotional sighs and cheers. This object is the 5,855,533rd of its type to be…

1935firstad

A hundred years of cash

A hundred years ago, things were different but the same. We needed to eat, but what we ate was very much a national rather than international cuisine. We had to travel, but we would walk, bicycle of take the train. We enjoyed entertainment, with a visit to the cinema once a month as a treat….

IMG_1689

Britain celebrates euro failure

This week sees Britain celebrating. No, not the end of a phenomenal summer of sport. No, not the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee again. And no, not the 200 year anniversary of the start of the end of Napoleon after his fatal march to Moscow, although how we missed celebrating that one I don’t know. No, it’s none…

The Future of Hacktivism: the Collective Party

During the week, I’ve been discussing various aspects of risk and riot in the system, from the potential for an uprising to how anonymous works. One of the key areas to consider is also where all this goes in the future. That’s what I thought would be good to talk about today. I should be…

We are Legion: the History of Hacktivism

I went to see a screening of a new film about Anonymous last night called We Are Legion: the Story of the Hacktivists. The film tells the story about the rise of Anonymous and the hacktivism movement, portrayed through interviews with many of the key players. The film includes some of my favourite discussion areas,…

Hactivism