Opinion

Apr 8, 2014

Bankers and regulators: do you want a Red or a Blue Pill (Matrix)?

I had a Red Pill moment last week. Not an Aha moment but a Red Pill moment because I realised the false reality of our world. You see, I present all the time and talk about the forces of change for the future: Political, Economic, Social and Technological (PEST). I usually skip over the Political…

Mar 14, 2014

Digital wallets will process all the money on earth by 2025

Another presentation that surprised me in Oslo came from Tor Jacobsen, CEO of TSM Nordic. It surprised me as I had no idea about TSM, a mobile wallet provider owned by Telenor and DNB – Norway’s biggest mobile network operator (MNO) and biggest bank – and will launch in the Norwegian market later this year…

Feb 10, 2014

It’s a wonderful digital life … if you’re a digital disruptor

I recently had an epiphany. It was not painful, but it was enlightening. The realisation occurred to me as I looked at this chart from Zopa: It’s an interesting chart, especially the hockey stick rise in funds transferred as the financial crisis hit, and relates to a recent headline in the Financial Times: “P2P group…

Feb 10, 2014

It’s a wonderful digital life … if you’re a digital disruptor

Sep 25, 2013

Big Data is all about knowing what questions to ask

Like everyone, I was shocked by the news of the Westgate Shopping Mall shootings in Nairobi, Kenya. The real shock is how they determined who to shoot, singling out individuals and asking whether they could name the Prophet Muhammad’s mother: Reports from separate floors of the building in the first hours of the assault told…

Sep 25, 2013

Big Data is all about knowing what questions to ask

Sep 5, 2013

Some banks are run by nutters

There’s a new book out about Fred Goodwin, the former Knight of the Realm. It shows what a control freak he was. How come no-one spoke up at the time? Because he was some form of sociopath apparently. I’ve mentioned this before – is your boss a demented maniac? – but Fred shows all the traits…

Aug 27, 2013

Bank systems are not safe (anymore)

I used to think that we were good at designing systems. We would phase test them, user test them, stress test them and more, and eventually we would roll out the system and it would work. And life was good. Then we started getting into a new world of developments where systems relied on networks,…

Aug 27, 2013

Bank systems are not safe (anymore)

May 3, 2013

Bank customers: vulnerable victims or gullible gimps?

I must admit, having listened to Jeremy Roe regarding banks mis-selling swaps contracts along with Which? and the leader of bank employee union Unite talking about how general staff and customers feel about mis-selling, I’m a little bit cynical. Have banks behaved badly or are customers a little bit stupid? This occurred to me after writing up Jeremy’s…