Opinion

In the fourth of a series about innovation in banking, it’s worth looking at the business models of the new entrants who are trying to disrupt this space and pose the question: are they sustainable? Zopa, Prosper, SmartyPig, Wonga, Mint, Wesabe and the many other new entrants into finance hoping to leverage the promise of…

In the fourth of a series about innovation in banking, it’s worth looking at the business models of the new entrants who are trying to disrupt this space and pose the question: are they sustainable? Zopa, Prosper, SmartyPig, Wonga, Mint, Wesabe and the many other new entrants into finance hoping to leverage the promise of…

It's been a while since I wrote about MiFID and so, when I was asked to provide an update recently, here's what my take on the world of European trading is like two years on. Two years after the Market in Financial Instruments Directive (MiFID) came into force in Europe and not a great deal…

It's been a while since I wrote about MiFID and so, when I was asked to provide an update recently, here's what my take on the world of European trading is like two years on. Two years after the Market in Financial Instruments Directive (MiFID) came into force in Europe and not a great deal…

It's been a while since I wrote about MiFID and so, when I was asked to provide an update recently, here's what my take on the world of European trading is like two years on. Two years after the Market in Financial Instruments Directive (MiFID) came into force in Europe and not a great deal…

Over the past few weeks, I've been posting a blog each week about social networking themes in the build up to the big bank tradeshow, SIBOS. First, I argued that banks don't innovate, and then I put forward the reasons why social networks are relevant to banks. Nevertheless, although I regularly blog about social networks…

The UK banks announce their half year results this week (results are provided at the end of this entry, as they are released).  And the results look good. Not great, but good. This follows on the US banks second quarter results, with Goldman Sachs reporting record profits that were twice as good as expected, and…

The UK banks announce their half year results this week (results are provided at the end of this entry, as they are released).  And the results look good. Not great, but good. This follows on the US banks second quarter results, with Goldman Sachs reporting record profits that were twice as good as expected, and…

I had a few calls yesterday to talk about what’s going on between the Chancellor, Alistair Darling, and the banks. Oh yes, and Peter Mandelson was in there somewhere. It was all to do with their bigwig government meeting yesterday, where the government was giving banks a grilling about why they're not lending enough to…