Welcome to The Finanser by Chris Skinner. The Finanser discusses all things fintech, finance, banking, technology and, most importantly, the future. Chris Skinner has been voted the most influential technologist in Britain and received a lifetime achievement award for his visionary approach to the future of money from the Payments Association. He has advised the…
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Is it just me or has the whole digital currency space become hot, hot, hot? Every five minutes, I see stuff about CBDCs – who needs them?; cryptocurrencies – who’s using them?; and stablecoins – what’s that all about? The last one is intriguing me the most at the moment, as I’ve said for years:…
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I’ve been made redundant twice in life: once unfortunately and the other time voluntarily. The unfortunate event was an interesting moment. We knew the company were going to make lay-offs, and HR gathered everyone on a Wednesday to have meetings. We knew the meetings would be redundancies, but just did not know who would be…
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A friend turned to me the other day and said: Chris, you always talk about the future and what’s going to change … why don’t you talk about what is not going to change? The question stopped me in my tracks, but it cuts to the core of strategic choices. Start with the things that…
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This week’s main discussions include … Last century processes in the digital age I’ve just had two requests for notarised ID documents: one from my accountant and another from a bank. So, I went to the notary to get notarised and they said no. It reminds me of an Amy Winehouse song: I tried to…
Read More
Is it just me or has the whole digital currency space become hot, hot, hot? Every five minutes, I see stuff about CBDCs – who needs them?; cryptocurrencies – who’s using them?; and stablecoins – what’s that all about? The last one is intriguing me the most at the moment, as I’ve said for years:…
Read MoreI just wrote something that was pretty ambiguous when a friend asked what my latest speech is all about. The answer? “Becoming an AI-native bank – digital is so last century – and digital trust in a deep fake world (digital ID)”. The answer is accurate, but I just wrote off digital and then talked…
Read MoreI was going to change this, but am reposting a LinkedIn update from Leonid Bashlykov, who heads up Crypto at Revolut because it further clarifies the blog I posted last week. The post was titled: Launch a bank from your bedroom which, unsurprisingly, gained a lot of criticism from good luck with that to wait till…
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As everyone who reads me regularly will know, I’m a big sci-fi fan and have blogged regularly about Star Trek versus Star Wars and their view of money. A dystopian or utopian future? Money is the core – Chris Skinner’s blog Today, I’m going off on another trip as I’ve just got hooked on Alien:…
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Twenty years ago, four critical things happened: cloud computing became mainstream; the smartphone was launched; Satoshi Nakamoto released the bitcoin whitepaper; and the global financial crisis killed all trust in traditional financial institutions. All of these things pretty much happened at the same time. Twenty years later, a multi-trillion dollar world has appeared on the…
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In a trip to London last week, I was lucky enough to be given a deep dive into the status of Revolut, Europe’s stand-out fintech unicorn valued at $45 billion last year and $75 billion today. This is a company that, ten years ago, was just two guys sitting in a Canary Wharf office…
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I’m such a futurist nerd in banking that, thirty years ago, I forecast banks would open telco services and vice versa, and can prove it if you want. The reason? Both have frequent customer contact, high transaction volumes and similar capabilities. Just seven years ago, I was still banging on the same drum. It is…
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Sam Altman, the founder of OpenAI and creator of ChatGPT and more – along with the PayPal Mafia https://www.ceotodaymagazine.com/2025/04/who-owns-chatgpt/ – was speaking about bank capital rules this week and made an interesting comment that: “There are some FIs that will accept a voice print to move a lot of money. That is a crazy thing…
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We are really good at creating bingo buzz words in business to get everyone feeling they are missing the buzz. Terms such as Big Data, Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS, invented by me!), embedded finance, invisible banking and more turn up every day. Some get traction and some don’t, but the whole idea is to make you feel…
Read MoreIs it just me or has the whole digital currency space become hot, hot, hot? Every five minutes, I see stuff about CBDCs – who needs them?; cryptocurrencies – who’s using them?; and stablecoins – what’s that all about? The last one is intriguing me the most at the moment, as I’ve said for years:…
Read MoreA friend turned to me the other day and said: Chris, you always talk about the future and what’s going to change … why don’t you talk about what is not going to change? The question stopped me in my tracks, but it cuts to the core of strategic choices. Start with the things that…
Read MoreI’ve just had two requests for notarised ID documents: one from my accountant and another from a bank. So, I went to the notary to get notarised and they said no. It reminds me of an Amy Winehouse song: I tried to get me a notary and they said no, no, no. The problem arose…
Read MoreBuilding on my recent blogs about AI, the AI you, your digital twin and the way the digital world is becoming its own world, I was reminded of the film Transcendence. You probably know this film but, just in case you don’t, the idea is that an AI scientist uploads their mind to the network…
Read MoreI just wrote something that was pretty ambiguous when a friend asked what my latest speech is all about. The answer? “Becoming an AI-native bank – digital is so last century – and digital trust in a deep fake world (digital ID)”. The answer is accurate, but I just wrote off digital and then talked…
Read MoreI was going to change this, but am reposting a LinkedIn update from Leonid Bashlykov, who heads up Crypto at Revolut because it further clarifies the blog I posted last week. The post was titled: Launch a bank from your bedroom which, unsurprisingly, gained a lot of criticism from good luck with that to wait till…
Read MoreAs everyone who reads me regularly will know, I’m a big sci-fi fan and have blogged regularly about Star Trek versus Star Wars and their view of money. A dystopian or utopian future? Money is the core – Chris Skinner’s blog Today, I’m going off on another trip as I’ve just got hooked on Alien:…
Read MoreTwenty years ago, four critical things happened: cloud computing became mainstream; the smartphone was launched; Satoshi Nakamoto released the bitcoin whitepaper; and the global financial crisis killed all trust in traditional financial institutions. All of these things pretty much happened at the same time. Twenty years later, a multi-trillion dollar world has appeared on the…
Read MoreI’m such a futurist nerd in banking that, thirty years ago, I forecast banks would open telco services and vice versa, and can prove it if you want. The reason? Both have frequent customer contact, high transaction volumes and similar capabilities. Just seven years ago, I was still banging on the same drum. It is…
Read More
In recent days, I’ve discovered a lot of theorems and ideas in digital areas where, when you integrate finance and technology, you realise that you are living in a world of rocket science thinking. For example, I am spending a lot of time talking with experts about digital identity and trust, as that’s the theme…
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An awful lot of what I read these days is about stablecoins. By way of example, my things worth reading daily update is filled with news about them. Just this morning: Some big US banks plan to launch stablecoins, expecting crypto-friendly regulations Central banks face dilemma over rise of dollar-backed stablecoins Could Britain be about…
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I went to a conference the other day where the organiser left a load of beer mats with questions about fintech. I picked them up and decided to write my thoughts. Trust you enjoy this … What was your ‘aha’ moment that led you into fintech? I never really had a moment, as I’ve been…
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Building on yesterday’s blog about onboarding me as a client based in Buckingham Palace – or was that 10 Downing Street? – there is some interesting reporting about Revolut. Why haven’t they got their UK credit license sorted? After several years of discussion with the regulators, they finally got the green light to launch a…
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I spend every day being more and more amazed at what AI can do, particularly with video. From my bedroom, I can create a whole marketing campaign with high-end advertising in just a few days. To illustrate this, I was amazed at this advert for Kalshi, a prediction markets FinTech: Aired during the NBA Finals…
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I would love to walk into a bank’s boardroom with my opening slide explaining: “Step confidently into the future of Web3 with Zond, a quantum-resistant Layer-1 blockchain* engineered to transcend today’s security limitations and safeguard your dApps, from DeFi protocols to NFT marketplaces, while powering the next generation of smart contracts in tomorrow’s digital economy.”…
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I’m discussing a lot about digital currencies these days, and the future of CBDCs, Stablecoins and Crypto. The conversation generally goes along the lines of central banks issuing digital currencies is really unnecessary. No one wants them and no one trusts them. The whole thing is just a scam for governments to track and trace…
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There’s a very interesting analysis of the cyber attacks on Marks & Spencer, the Co-op and Harrods on the BBC this week. If you have access to their iPlayer, then it’s well worth a watch: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m002d2lh/inside-the-high-street-cyberattacks If you don’t, then here’s the summary as it illustrates our fragile digital world today. In April, Marks &…
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We talk a lot about AI these days or, as some call it, A1 or Al (yes, Betty, when you call me, you can call me Al) and we have now moved on to other terms including Generative AI, Agentic AI and AGI which stands for Artificial General Intelligence. The thing is that these terms…
Read MoreIs it just me or has the whole digital currency space become hot, hot, hot? Every five minutes, I see stuff about CBDCs – who needs them?; cryptocurrencies – who’s using them?; and stablecoins – what’s that all about? The last one is intriguing me the most at the moment, as I’ve said for years:…
Read MoreA friend turned to me the other day and said: Chris, you always talk about the future and what’s going to change … why don’t you talk about what is not going to change? The question stopped me in my tracks, but it cuts to the core of strategic choices. Start with the things that…
Read MoreBuilding on my recent blogs about AI, the AI you, your digital twin and the way the digital world is becoming its own world, I was reminded of the film Transcendence. You probably know this film but, just in case you don’t, the idea is that an AI scientist uploads their mind to the network…
Read MoreI just wrote something that was pretty ambiguous when a friend asked what my latest speech is all about. The answer? “Becoming an AI-native bank – digital is so last century – and digital trust in a deep fake world (digital ID)”. The answer is accurate, but I just wrote off digital and then talked…
Read MoreI was going to change this, but am reposting a LinkedIn update from Leonid Bashlykov, who heads up Crypto at Revolut because it further clarifies the blog I posted last week. The post was titled: Launch a bank from your bedroom which, unsurprisingly, gained a lot of criticism from good luck with that to wait till…
Read MoreAs everyone who reads me regularly will know, I’m a big sci-fi fan and have blogged regularly about Star Trek versus Star Wars and their view of money. A dystopian or utopian future? Money is the core – Chris Skinner’s blog Today, I’m going off on another trip as I’ve just got hooked on Alien:…
Read MoreTwenty years ago, four critical things happened: cloud computing became mainstream; the smartphone was launched; Satoshi Nakamoto released the bitcoin whitepaper; and the global financial crisis killed all trust in traditional financial institutions. All of these things pretty much happened at the same time. Twenty years later, a multi-trillion dollar world has appeared on the…
Read MoreWe are really good at creating bingo buzz words in business to get everyone feeling they are missing the buzz. Terms such as Big Data, Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS, invented by me!), embedded finance, invisible banking and more turn up every day. Some get traction and some don’t, but the whole idea is to make you feel…
Read More
I recently got an invite to present a TEDx talk at Haberdashers School in Elstree, England. Shortly afterwards, a second TEDx talk invite came through from the American School of Warsaw, Poland. Of course, I accepted both, but then the challenge became how to do two TEDx talks with some clear differentiation. The result is…
Read MoreThings we’re reading today include … Klarna IPO is back with an IPO on NYSE Fintech pivot to digital assets and AI Barclays becomes second UK bank to quit industry’s net zero group Revolut founder to become one of Britain’s top ten richest businessmen as share sale gives huge valuation ‘Greedy’ brothers smile and hug…
Read MoreThings we’re reading today include … Trump family made upward of $6 billion in a day thanks to its crypto-coin launch UK fintechs explore buying US banks to speed up push for licences Fintech’s pivot from growth to profitability Revolut valuation jumps to $75bn with staff set for payout opportunity Zopa Bank expands payments grip…
Read MoreThings we’re reading today include … Monzo guru plans challenger private bank. Farage welcome Ant Group Profit Falls 60% in March Quarter on AI and Expansion Costs Remittances Will Continue To Define The Future Of Fintech Payments business Wise investigates becoming a UK bank Liz Truss backs Trump attacks on Fed and says ‘reckoning’ on…
Read MoreThis week’s main discussions include … Last century processes in the digital age I’ve just had two requests for notarised ID documents: one from my accountant and another from a bank. So, I went to the notary to get notarised and they said no. It reminds me of an Amy Winehouse song: I tried to…
Read MoreThings we’re reading today include: Ant International, Standard Chartered and Swift Collaborate to Pioneer Bank-to-Wallet Payment Solution Backed by ISO 20022 Mastercard Expands Circle Partnership to Enable EEMEA Stablecoin Settlements Fintech Klarna Eyeing Possible $14B Valuation In September IPO UK Banks to Invest £1.8 Billion in GenAI by 2030 as Zopa Bank Unveils Plans to…
Read MoreThings we’re reading today include: Is XRP a Millionaire-Maker Cryptocurrency? Bitcoin has surrendered the rally. Why it didn’t bounce after a whale unloaded the cryptocurrency US banks lobby to block stablecoin interest over fears of deposit flight EU finance cop ‘frustrated’ at lack of European mega-bank mergers Five fintech trends being leveraged by African firms…
Read MoreThings we’re reading today include … Littering leads to arrest of cryptocurrency scam fugitive Lagarde Says Central-Bank Independence Is Critically Important EU finance cop ‘frustrated’ at lack of European mega-bank mergers FCA’s New Rules: Balancing Consumer Protection and Fintech Innovation Fintech fraudster faces 20 years for fabricated financial statements Klarna lands €1.4bn financing facility with…
Read MoreThis week’s / month’s main discussions include … AI is bigger than the smartphone Twenty years ago, four critical things happened: cloud computing became mainstream; the smartphone was launched; Satoshi Nakamoto released the bitcoin whitepaper; and the global financial crisis killed all trust in traditional financial institutions. All of these things pretty much happened at…
Read MoreThis week’s main discussions include … Last century processes in the digital age I’ve just had two requests for notarised ID documents: one from my accountant and another from a bank. So, I went to the notary to get notarised and they said no. It reminds me of an Amy Winehouse song: I tried to…
Read MoreThis week’s / month’s main discussions include … AI is bigger than the smartphone Twenty years ago, four critical things happened: cloud computing became mainstream; the smartphone was launched; Satoshi Nakamoto released the bitcoin whitepaper; and the global financial crisis killed all trust in traditional financial institutions. All of these things pretty much happened at…
Read More
This week’s main blog discussions include … What is an acceptable level of fraud? Sam Altman, the founder of OpenAI and creator of ChatGPT and more – along with the PayPal Mafia – was speaking about bank capital rules this week and made an interesting comment that: “There are some FIs that will accept a…
Read MoreThis week’s main blog discussions include … How to find the launderers … or not Someone asked me this week: why isn’t digital identity working? After all, there have been numerous attempts at tackling the issue. Specifically, in finance, we have onboarding, compliance, AML, KYC, PEP and more … and yet none of it is…
Read MoreThis week’s main blog discussions include … Fintech and the Rule of 40 A colleague posted a view about Fintech and the Rule of 40 the other day. What is the Rule of 40? The Rule of 40 is a financial metric, primarily used in the Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) industry, which suggests a healthy company’s combined…
Read MoreThis week’s main blog discussions include … Designing our next banknotes: Notey McNoteFace? The Bank of England launched a platform yesterday for anyone to suggest who should be on Britain’s next generation of banknotes. Here’s the verbatim: As we begin to design the next series of banknotes, we invite you to share your views on potential…
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This week’s main blog discussions include … Is fintech young or old? I just received the latest World Economic Forum’s Future of Fintech report so, here’s a summary: The fintech industry is transitioning from rapid expansion into a phase of sustainable growth, increased collaboration and broader market reach. The fintech sector is experiencing a customer growth…
Read MoreThis week’s main blog discussions include … Are you fit to lead your bank if you don’t understand tech? I would love to walk into a bank’s boardroom with my opening slide explaining: “Step confidently into the future of Web3 with Zond, a quantum-resistant Layer-1 blockchain* engineered to transcend today’s security limitations and safeguard your…
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This week’s main blog discussions include … Is fintech complicating the process of payments? Everything I read talks about simplified customer experience in payments and yet, when I look at it, the process of payments is becoming far more complicated. You made a payment in the old world with a bank note or cheque, and…
Read MoreThis week’s main blog discussions include … How regulations are forcing banks to open branches I wandered back into the old world of EU regulations the other day in Switzerland, debating CRD VI and the demand that banks must have branches in every EU country when they offer full service banking, including deposits and lending….
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