Things we’re reading today include … Monzo, a UK digital-only challenger bank, granted full banking license China’s Army of Bank Tellers Retreats China curbs ‘Wild West’ P2P loan sector London and Brussels urged to agree Brexit transition deal to protect banks Banks and building societies snub Lifetime Isa launch U.S. regulator fines Credit Suisse unit,…
For as long as I can remember, I’ve been hearing about a War on Cash. The war, as illustrated by India’s recent demonetization, is not on cash itself but on the illegal use of cash and, by association, the fraudulent creation of cash. Both fraudulent notes and coins along with large cash denominated amounts transferring…
I took part in a webinar the other day, focused upon the developments in digital banking in the Middle East. Having visited Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Dubai and Qatar recently, I can claim to know a little. Equally, having been to the region regularly since 2002, I’ve seen how it is developing and changing. This is…
Britain has a new £1 coin. It comes into circulation today and replaces the old coin, which was originally launched in 1983, making it one of the oldest coins still in circulation. The old coin gets phased out in October (and will no longer be legal tender) which means that, during the next six months, all…
Today Z/Yen, a London-based research and consultancy firm, publishes the twenty-first Global Financial Centres Index (GFCI 21) in collaboration with the China Development Institute (CDI). The GFCI rates 88 financial centres and finds the top ten are: London New York Singapore Hong Kong Tokyo San Francisco Chicago Sydney Boston Toronto Updated every six months, the main…
I wrote a piece recently about the challenges of being a challenger bank. It coincided with the news that my friends at solarisBank had just achieved a Series A funding round of €26 million. Neatly, co-founder of solarisBank Marko Wenthin spotted my post and decided to send a reply. Here is his thoughts on being a…
Things we’re reading today include … Brexit: Single market benefit ‘largely imaginary’ Deutsche Bank commits to London by securing new HQ Secure Trust shuns bid for troubled Co-op Bank Kenya starts selling bonds via mobile phones The investigation into the Bangladesh Bank heist continues An earthquake in European banking RBS and NatWest to shed 158…
Things we’re reading today include … Hopes fade for Co-op Bank turnaround plan City watchdog wins legal battle with ‘London Whale’ executive UBS charges customers to deposit euros Cheques will clear in just 24 hours thanks to smartphone imaging tech Brexit vote: Single market benefit ‘largely imaginary’ MPs warn system for preventing cyber attacks against…
