Chris Skinner's blog

Shaping the future of finance

Payments

Why cryptocurrencies are more trusted than banks

I spotted a chart the other day showing the millions of dollars lost on cryptocurrency platforms … Source: The Wall Street Journal Since 2011, there have been 56 cyberattacks directed at cryptocurrency exchanges, initial coin offerings and other digital-currency platforms around the world, according to Autonomous Research, bringing the total of hacking-related losses to $1.63…

Crypto? It’s only illegal if we say it is

I haven’t blogged about cryptocurrencies and blockchain for a while, as it’s been a bit too much for a while. There’s massive coverage everywhere, but what’s the reality? The reality is that a lot of this is nascent change. There are young tycoons making millions, whilst naïve bandwagoners are losing millions. From a $20,000 end…

The battles for the future of fintech

Whilst in New Zealand, I had an interview with the country’s most respected business paper: National Business Review. The subsequent article is behind a paywall but, as they sent it across to me, I feel it’s worth sharing here. The battles for the future of fintech The future of financial services will be decided in…

Open Banking – a complete failure?

I found an interesting article about Open Banking the other day (via FinTech Insider News). Its title is: Open Banking in the UK; a disaster in the making? no wonder it intrigued me. However, I clicked the article open and the first paragraph read: When the CMA Order went live on 13/1/18, aside from the…

10 big FinTech trends in New Zealand

I present a lot around the world, and I am always delighted and honoured when a conference asks me back for a second visit. It reaffirms that you were ok the first time around and so a second bite is delightful. One such moment occurred last week at The Point, the conference for PaymentsNZ, the…

Is the weak link in alternative banking cross-border payments? 

I have several friends in the FinTech world whose views I respect, and one of those is Steve Lemon, a co-founder of Currencycloud. He recently sent me this viewpoint, which I think is worth sharing. Enjoy!   Is the weak link in alternative banking cross-border payments? by Steve Lemon, VP, Corporate Development and Co-Founder of Currencycloud…

Banking isn’t really about money

I’ve been tempted for some time to write a book about how sex is at the heart of commerce, innovation and money. I’ve alluded to it a few times, and particularly noted that the right honourable Jeremy Clarkson sometimes says something intelligent. “Money and rumpy-pumpy (sex) are the twin engines powering everything we do”. He’s…

Cryptocurrencies are not currencies

I’ve been watching the rollercoaster ride of cryptocurrencies very carefully for the last year, and it only struck me today that these are not currencies … yet. Apart from a few novelty vendors and merchants who put bitcoin on their websites, I don’t see many others accepting ether or XRP, and when I have tried…

The future of money (research report)

I just got a report from J Walter Thompson on the future of money and there’s some interesting facts and stats. Here are my headlines: 76% of millennials are looking for new forms of banking 40% of people in their twenties have downloaded a money management app 80% of millennials don’t invest in the stock…