Chris Skinner's blog

Shaping the future of finance

Payments

PayPal’s tenth birthday party

Last night was the first meeting of the FSClub for 2009. I wanted to make it a party, and rather than making it a party for the sake of a party, we made it a party for something else. The question is, what could we make it a party for? Motown? Possibly.  Motown celebrated fifty…

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Microsoft moves into the mobile payments world

Payments News dropped me a note last week about Microsoft tags.  The basic idea is that you snap a picture of a tag using your mobile camera, and it then automatically links to the URL that the tag represents.  If you want to try it, snap a picture of the tag below which should link…

Tag

Microsoft moves into the mobile payments world

Payments News dropped me a note last week about Microsoft tags.  The basic idea is that you snap a picture of a tag using your mobile camera, and it then automatically links to the URL that the tag represents.  If you want to try it, snap a picture of the tag below which should link…

Tag

Microsoft moves into the mobile payments world

Payments News dropped me a note last week about Microsoft tags.  The basic idea is that you snap a picture of a tag using your mobile camera, and it then automatically links to the URL that the tag represents.  If you want to try it, snap a picture of the tag below which should link…

Tag

Microsoft moves into the mobile payments world

Payments News dropped me a note last week about Microsoft tags.  The basic idea is that you snap a picture of a tag using your mobile camera, and it then automatically links to the URL that the tag represents.  If you want to try it, snap a picture of the tag below which should link…

Tag

2009: the Year of the Euro

I cannot start 2009 without a nod to the euro, which celebrates its tenth birthday this year and provides so much work for us banking folks, especially those of us in the payments world. The euro has had an interesting period of formulation from its origins in 1992: February 1992 Maastricht Treaty signed by European…

Euro10years

2009: the Year of the Euro

I cannot start 2009 without a nod to the euro, which celebrates its tenth birthday this year and provides so much work for us banking folks, especially those of us in the payments world. The euro has had an interesting period of formulation from its origins in 1992: February 1992 Maastricht Treaty signed by European…

Euro10years

Technology is a key for banking in 2009

I found a whole range of technology predictions for 2009.  One of the best general forecasts comes from Gartner, who say that the top ten technology areas to focus upon during an economic crisis are: 1. Reduce headcount or freeze hiring2. Renegotiate with technology and service providers3. Curtail data center expansion, virtualize assets and lease…

Technology is a key for banking in 2009

I found a whole range of technology predictions for 2009.  One of the best general forecasts comes from Gartner, who say that the top ten technology areas to focus upon during an economic crisis are: 1. Reduce headcount or freeze hiring2. Renegotiate with technology and service providers3. Curtail data center expansion, virtualize assets and lease…

Barclaycard’s business avoidance marketing campaign

I just had a great offer from Barclaycard for balance transfers. It was the usual thing, a marketing letter in the post with a big headline: "0% on Balance Transfers until October 2009" At the end of the letter, there's a bunch of cheques to send off to pay for things at 0% for 10…