Chris Skinner's blog

Shaping the future of finance

History

Jamie Dimon is scared sh*tless of FinTech

It’s a big moment when one of the most respected bankers in the world Jamie Dimon, Chairman and Chief Executive of JPMorgan Chase which is one of the most highly valued banks in the world, says that he is “scared shitless” of FinTech. This is a $3.4 trillion banking goliath but, when asked his views…

Finding the missing links

When Digital Human was released in 2018, the opening chapter is all about the history of humankind. I don’t claim to be an expert on history, but I do know a lot of history, having visited museums in over 100 countries around the world. So, I was fairly offended by the only one-star review the…

What would Winston Churchill say about #Brexit?

No one knows. He died in 1965 and, fifty-five years later, no one can say what his view on Brexit would be. But the question is being raised in The Independent this week (first of a five part series). They quote a few speeches by Churchill post-war and his views on Europe which, if anything,…

Smile to pay … and cry for credit

There were two headlines recently that arrived side-by-side: Will telephone bank passwords become obsolete? Does my new biometric bank card really mean the death of the Pin? Neither headline is particularly news – voice recognition for telephone banking and biometric bank cards have been floating around for a decade (or two!) – but it is…

Today marks ten years since Lehmans collapsed and the GFC started

It’s September 14. It’s exactly ten years since Lehman Brothers collapsed. It’s ten years since the touchpaper was lit that sparked the Global Financial Crisis (GFC). It’s exactly ten years since I landed in Vienna for Sibos 2008 on Sunday, September 14 2008, to find voicemail after voicemail asking for commentary about the crisis. Lloyds took…

How the world has changed with technology

I was introduced to a lunch meeting by the Chairman of the Bank. As he made the introduction, he gave a personal account of how technology had changed the world during his lifetime. This is not his speech, but my version of his speech. I trust you like it. So, I grew up in a…

Digital isn’t built in a day

For those who know me they know that I travel a lot and, in those travels, it is fairly obvious that the world is not homogenous. Whilst the Chinese leapfrog the West and move to mobile banking, Europeans are seeing a surge of new banks trying to challenge the old, whilst the USA has megabanks…

Cash should be in a museum

I have many bad habits. The main bad habit is collecting. I collect lots of things. Old comics, old books, old people. Well, maybe not the last one, but one of my really bad habits is collecting money. I have this thing that I call the money museum at home, and in the museum are…

To understand banking’s future, it is important to think about its past

I was super impressed by an article written by FinTech friend Bradley Leimer for International Banker the other day, and asked if I could share on the blog. Bradley kindly said yes, so here you are. Enjoy the read! The Invisible Hand of Financial Services by Bradley Leimer, Managing Director and Head of Fintech Strategy, Explorer Advisory…

Millennials: are you cool or history?

Another musing whilst on holiday is that it is difficult to get into the head of a twenty- or thirty- something millennial when you’re a Gen X or Baby Boomer. In my head, I still think I’m 20 but, when I look in the mirror, I know I’m not. This thought struck me as I…