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Are banks too full of testosterone?

There’s no logical reason for this, but I’ve decided the second week of June is women’s week. It’s a week to celebrate diversity, or the lack of diversity, in finance and technology. So, this week’s blogs are all about women and finance and technology. To start with, let’s look at banking. Banks are traditionally run…

I’m not a futurist

The other day, I said that I was confused about the future. Some folks said that seems strange for ‘a futurist’, but I’m not a futurist. I’m just a guy who looks to the future and tries to understand and predict what I can. We often get predictions wrong. The future isn’t what it used…

The end of main street

Wondering about the future. Always wondering about the future. Thinking about where things are going. It’s the only thing we don’t know. We know the past; we live in the present; we wonder about the future. What’s my future? What’s your future? What’s the future for our children and our children’s children? What’s the future?…

Goldman Sachs compare bitcoins to tulips, and cryptofolks aren’t happy

Goldman Sachs just became the bad boy on the block in the bitcoin brethren by saying bitcoin has nothing behind it. Remember last week when we were all bullish for the Goldman Sachs Bitcoin call? L pic.twitter.com/W5lRyx1L5Y — Zack Voell (@zackvoell) May 27, 2020 However, when you look at their presentation … … they don’t…

When a FinTech CEO steps down (#Monzo)

In any business, there are different movers and shakers. Some can create momentum; some can maintain momentum; some create ideas; some kill ideas; some run the business; some change the business; and so on and so on and so on. I’m an ideas guy. I could never run a business. I mean, I do run…

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Financial Inclusion

I spent some time recently chatting with Joanne Dewar, Chief Executive Officer, Global Processing Services (GPS). I spotted GPS a while ago, and blogged about how they worked with Monzo, Starling, Revolut and more last October. Anywho, Joanne wrote a brilliant piece on the Nasdaq website the other day, which she kindly has given me…

Is Facebook’s Libra the next Paypal?

What if we make money truly global, stable and secure? That’s Libra’s ambition and I’ve got to hand it to the guys at Libra. Having announced their idea to create a global currency last summer, and then see it ripped to pieces by regulators, they’re back. Yes, it’s Libra 2.0. What’s the difference between 1.0 and…

Does #coronavirus mean being rude to people?

I grew up in a time that was not politically correct. We used to have names for people who did not fit with our thinking, that were often derogatory and rude. Then, as I grew up, the world globalised and inclusion became more the norm. We became connected by easy travel and low-cost airlines, and…

Banking is not about relationships. It’s about secrets

Britain’s Got Talent is running right now in the UK and I really enjoyed this comedic sketch by Baptist Minister Allan Finnegan. You may not be able to watch it in your country, so here’s the script: I’ve been married for thirty years, which means my love life is a bit like my bank card…

The politics of pandemics (#coronavirus)

Looking back, the world should have locked down when China did in January. The reason we didn’t? Economics, business, commerce and the financial metrics. If we had? Well, we wouldn’t be suffering nearly as much now. But hey, hindsight is a great thing, isn’t it? One of the things that struck me during all of…

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