HSBC have just hit the headlines as they’ve launched an additional layer of internet security, in th form of a calculator terminal called ‘secure key’. The calculator is small enough to attach to a key fob, and generates a random pass code each time you want to go onto online banking. This is small, but…
It’s funny and amazing how many ways we communicate these days as, being in the USofA, I’m in a meeting where we are all twittering, emailing, text messaging, Skyping … you name it. This makes it interesting from a regulatory and communications perspective with banks, as tracking who’s saying what to whom through what medium…
I was trying to work out what would be a luxury or aspirational brand in banking. There are plenty of banks out there, and plenty of bank brands, but are any of those brands truly aspirational? For cars, it’s easy: Ferrari and Aston Martin, or BMW and Mercedes dependent upon your aspiration. For watches, it’s…
Frank Partnoy wrote a fascinating opinion piece in yesterday’s FT about the coming world of smaller banks. If you’re not familiar with Mr. Partnoy, he is a Professor at the University of San Diego but, more importantly, the author of many books analysing the whys and wherefores of the financial markets with “Infectious Greed” and…
For the past week you could be forgiven for thinking the world was going up the spout. Not only do we have our own insular riots in Britain – for which Iranian leader President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad calls on the UN to intervene over the UK’s “violent suppression” of opposition forces or be accused of being hypocritical…
In the final part of a three-part review (parts one and two) of money lending and the accusation made by Vince Cable, the Business Secretary, of a “rip-off culture” in parts of the financial system, I decided to pick on the story of Arran Coghlan. Arran has recently been acquitted of assaulting two police officers. He…
In the final part of a three-part review (parts one and two) of money lending and the accusation made by Vince Cable, the Business Secretary, of a “rip-off culture” in parts of the financial system, I decided to pick on the story of Arran Coghlan. Arran has recently been acquitted of assaulting two police officers. He…
I don't like using acronyms like GFC, the Global Financial Crisis, but it makes sense having just found a really interesting paper by Andy Haldane, who will speak at the Financial Services Club next April. Andy is the Executive Director for Financial Stability at the Bank of England, and the paper is co-written with Sujit…
