Regulation

Sep 12, 2011

Bickers over Vickers: the right stuff?

So the Vickers Report has finally crept out into the wilderness. All 358 pages of it. Half of it talks about how to increase the competitiveness of banking and the other half about what to do if a bank fails in another crisis. The latter has garnered all the news headlines, whist the former has…

Sep 9, 2011

Release: 2011 Survey on the Health of European Payments

Survey reveals that SEPA and the PSD are progressing but liquidity risk needs addressing Research finds liquidity risk is a major potential exposure for the future and calls for more automation The Financial Services Club and Logica revealed the results of their annual research into the state of play in European Payments and the progress of…

Sep 9, 2011

Release: 2011 Survey on the Health of European Payments

Aug 25, 2011

Bribery, corruption and banking

I’m sitting in a restaurant the other day, and hear the following conversation … Banker One: “So what’s this Bribery Act thingamajig?” Banker Two: “New Law. Came into force July 1st.” mnum, yum, mnum. Banker One: “Yea, I know that”, mnum yum. “I meant what does it mean?” Banker Two: glug, glug. “Can’t take a bung…

Aug 8, 2011

The real rip-off culture … is not Wonga? Part Two

One of the more outspoken reactions to my post on payday firms came from Wonga. Not surprising as my original headline was that “Wonga will wrestle with regulators”, and they will as the markets are pretty unregulated today. A point I made last Friday. I also mentioned last Friday that the original reason I wrote…

Aug 8, 2011

The real rip-off culture … is not Wonga? Part Two

Aug 5, 2011

The real rip-off culture? Part One

Further to my write-up about Wonga the other day, I have been contacted by author and campaigner Steve Perry, who has been on the wrong side of the payday loans industry. Now don’t get me wrong. I am NOT against payday loans firms or their operations (I actually admire Wonga's technology ops). I AM against the…

Aug 5, 2011

The real rip-off culture? Part One

Jul 18, 2011

Shocker: Skinner thinks EBA stress tests not worthwhile

In my usual quiet way, I was interviewed by Bloomberg last Thursday in anticipation of the European Banking Authority (EBA), previously the Committee of European Bank Supervisors (CEBS), about the forthcoming stress tests released on Friday. Last year, these tests were quite laughable and this year I expected more of the same. Here's the whole…

Jul 15, 2011

Volcker versus Vickers, Round One

Paul Volcker’s in town and he’s been everywhere! He popped up on Bloomberg, and “said the pace of financial-regulatory reform has slowed ‘to the point of ineffectiveness’ because of the complex work needed and resistance of lobby groups.” He made a few comments on Reuters, and said “there are limits as to how much more (the Federal Reserve)…