Opinion

No decision is the worst kind

I’ve attended quite a few conferences in the past month and was reflecting on the different themes they explored. The four that stand out most clearly are: risk management, regulatory reform, operational efficiency and innovation. Contemplating what each of these mean in practice makes you realise how difficult a job banks have on their hands…

Cisco

The schizophrenic bank

There are really conflicting needs in banking today, which are hard to break.  The result is that many banks are suffering from a form of schizophrenia where they want to be two organisations in one. The first organisation is nice and cuddly, customer loving and smiley. The second is a bad tempered, suspicious, customer hating…

The schizophrenic bank

There are really conflicting needs in banking today, which are hard to break.  The result is that many banks are suffering from a form of schizophrenia where they want to be two organisations in one. The first organisation is nice and cuddly, customer loving and smiley. The second is a bad tempered, suspicious, customer hating…

Branch-based banking is dead, Part Two

A few folks seem to disagree with my assertion that branch-based banking is dead, but they may have misinterpreted my assertion as being branches are dead. They’re not. Branches are very much alive and kicking … just not as transaction centres. Branches are sales centres. And it is for this reason that the current branch…

ING cafe

Branch-based banking is dead, Part Two

A few folks seem to disagree with my assertion that branch-based banking is dead, but they may have misinterpreted my assertion as being branches are dead. They’re not. Branches are very much alive and kicking … just not as transaction centres. Branches are sales centres. And it is for this reason that the current branch…

ING cafe

The branch-based banking model is dead (UPDATE)

Here’s a summary of the presentation I gave at the conference this week. The headline is that the traditional model of banking is dead, long live the new bank model. The dead model is the one where 80% of costs of retailing are in stores (branches). Branch based banking is dead. Branches are not dead…

The branch-based banking model is dead (UPDATE)

Here’s a summary of the presentation I gave at the conference this week. The headline is that the traditional model of banking is dead, long live the new bank model. The dead model is the one where 80% of costs of retailing are in stores (branches). Branch based banking is dead. Branches are not dead…

Forget money, let’s use sand

For years, I’ve played poker with matches and chips rather than coins and notes. We accept that a match can be ten cents or a chip is a dollar or more. We don’t need real money to know our exchange rates. Now, this basic idea is being replicated in social networks. Facebook, as many of…

Has the G20 solved the financial crisis?

NO I was going to leave it at that but ok, I guess I better explain. The G20 is here. No more G7 or G8. Twenty of them now. Count them. The big EU players, America, the BRIC economies, Japan. You’ve got Argentina, Oz, Canada in there. Indonesia gets a nod, as does Saudi Arabia…

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What is innovation in payments?

I was asked to write about innovation in payments last week, and so here’s the first of three parts. The first part will focus upon retail payments innovation; the second, corporate payments; and the third, trade settlement. A weekly non-exhaustive update so to speak. First, what is innovation? Let’s define it again (yes, I’ve blogged…