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Mar 30, 2012

Half a billion dollars jackpot in my sights

It’s my last day in the States and off to the New York Stock Exchange to join TEDx Wall Street – the first one ever! Staying in downtown New York is as mad as ever, but fun. What’s really fun is the lottery fervour fever. Everyone’s talking about the lottery called Mega Millions. Not surprising…

Mar 29, 2012

If you are cashless, can you survive?

I recently blogged about less cash and less branches, rather than cashless and branchless, and thought I’d follow it up with two quick stories. First, is my experience in New York this week. Went to the ATM and, as usual, my bank blocked me using my card as it was in the USA and not…

Mar 28, 2012

A Wall Street Crash through a cyberattack … could it ever happen?

I see more and more these days about cybercrime. The latest thing was a survey that landed in my inbox from PwC, which finds that cybercrime is the second most common economic crime affecting companies in the financial services sector after traditional fraud. Key findings include: In financial services, cybercrime accounts for 38% of all…

Mar 22, 2012

When It Pays to Pay Your Investment Banker

Just stumbled across a fascinating paper about bulge bracket brokers, and whether they are worth their salt or not. Andrey Golubov, Dimitris Petmezas and Nickolaos Travlos of the Cass Business School, the University of Surrey and the ALBA Graduate Business School examined almost 5,000 deals conducted between 1996 and 2009 to find out. They found…

Mar 20, 2012

First-Ever TEDx Wall Street

As mentioned the other day, we are a media partner with the first ever TEDx Wall Street, taking place on 30th March in New York. I'll be there, as will many other leaders and entrepreneurs from various industries who will convene at the New York Stock Exchange to share innovative and compelling ideas. Here's the…

Mar 20, 2012

First-Ever TEDx Wall Street

Mar 19, 2012

Virgin Rock’s plans

I've been having a bit of a Richard Branson overload this week. Everywhere I go and look, he's there. He's on TV, in the papers, in my specialist magazines and even at the tradeshows I go to. What's going on? He's got trains, planes, intergalactic flights and more. And yes, he's got a bank. Virgin…

Mar 14, 2012

That Goldman Sachs resignation letter in full

Greg Smith, executive director and head of Goldman Sach’s United States equity derivatives business in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, resigned today. He sent his resignation letter to the New York Times. It’s too good to ignore and so is reproduced here in full. Most notable paragraph for me? What are three quick ways to become…

Mar 14, 2012

That Goldman Sachs resignation letter in full

Mar 12, 2012

Research survey: the future of the Eurozone

For the last three years, we have performed a major survey focused upon the progress of the euro and the Eurozone from a payments infrastructure view. This year's survey is now live and we would like to have your opinion. Click here to take the survey The 2012 survey reviews how the Eurozone might deal…