Reading

Things we’re reading today include … Banker drowns himself in private swimming pool after becoming convinced he was going to prison Gold rises to $1,500 an ounce for first time in six years Can $5bn Klarna avoid the fate of other Swedish unicorns? Dollar will be cut down to size …

Things we’re reading today include … Mastercard buys Nets Group’s unit for $3.2bn Sweden’s Klarna becomes biggest fintech firm in Europe JPMorgan confirms winning bid to take majority stake in China fund JV No-deal Brexit: How might it affect the EU? Some Wall Street workers face pay slump in 2019: …

Things we’re reading today include … PIN the blame on us, says Monzo in mondo security blunder: Bank card codes stored in log files as plain text The new IMF chief should not be chosen by Europe alone | Amanda Khozi Mukwashi HSBC CEO Flint leaves abruptly after only 18 …

Things we’re reading today include … Pound sinks to 28-month low on Brexit fears Capital One says information of over 100 million individuals in U.S., Canada hacked Bank of America ends joint venture with Fiserv’s First Data Dark web criminal bought ‘quadrillions of Zimbabwe bank notes’ Barclays, RBS and other …

The main blog headlines are … How to make a small island a big centre for FinTech One of the discussions at the UN meetings was around SIDS, the Small Island Developing States. I didn’t know much about SIDS but, when investigating further, discovered I did. They range from islands …

Things we’re reading today include … Metro Bank to replace founder Vernon Hill as chairman Betterment wants your bank account as well as your investments Exclusive: Deutsche Bank’s problem derivatives cloud recovery – sources Free cash machines so rare people are now prepared to drive five miles to avoid paying, …

Things we’re reading today include … Of course, Jeff Epstein moved his dirty money through Deutsche Bank … where else? Australian regulator proposes tougher rules on bankers’ pay China’s credit push to small firms falters in factory heartland Expand credit unions as alternative to payday lenders, FCA urges Equifax consumers …

Things we’re reading today include …. UBS posts surprise second quarter profit boost What’s the best way to stay awake in meetings? Neil Woodford’s listed fund invests £10m in Atom Bank Equifax to pay up to $700m to settle data breach Will America go from hunter to hunted in cross-border …

The main blog headlines are … The UN’s SDG’s, FinTech and Banking Due to various connections, I was asked to deliver the opening keynote speech at the United Nations High Level Political Forum last week (some coverage here). It was one of those rare occasions where I got nervous, looking …

Things we’re reading today include … Bank of America CEO on the importance of digital banking Australia’s NAB turns to RBS turnaround man Ross McEwan as CEO The pound’s slide is about more than Brexit Goldman Sachs’ equities-backed earnings results may face pressure Revolut’s growing pains rumble on  The future …

Things we’re reading today include … German online bank N26 valued at $3.5bn after investment Bitcoin tumbles as U.S. senators grill Facebook on crypto plans City watchdog admits investment rules too complex for staff Pound could fall to parity with dollar on hard Brexit concerns Bank of America trims net …

Things we’re reading today include … Visa invests in Indonesian ride-hailing firm Go-Jek Facebook vows Libra currency will wait for approval as U.S. airs worries ‘Breathtaking arrogance’: senators grill Facebook in combative hearing over Libra currency Christine Lagarde resigns as head of IMF Apra to be given new powers after …

Things we’re reading today include … Christine Lagarde will have to confront Berlin if she’s to save the euro | Yanis Varoufakis Facebook’s Libra could be misused, says treasury chief Mnuchin New £50 note design sees Alan Turing become first LGBT person on a UK banknote Digital upstarts need to …

Things we’re reading today include … French financial regulator wants more flexible market rules U.S. proposes barring big tech companies from offering financial services, digital currencies City regulator fines balloon to £320m in six months Will Mark Carney and George Osborne vie for the top IMF job? Partial ECM exit …

The main blog headlines are … Two weeks to pay someone? Luxury! Being raised on Monty Python, an old sketch popped into my head (The Four Yorkshire Men) and led to a thought. A grandfather and grandson are at the dinner table … Grandfather: Ah, when I was a lad, life …