Chris Skinner's blog Shaping the future of finance

The other day I spotted that Time Magazine had published various Top 10 lists, including several funny ones about banking. Today, I spotted a few other lists about banking that were funny in a different way. First, the FT printed the Top 10 TARP funded …

Each year, the Evening Standard auctions off a load of prizes on eBay, several with a City flavour.  Last year, the winning item was a ping-pong game with John Varley, CEO of Barclays Bank.  That cost £10,500 ($15,000).  This year, it's even more mind-boggling as …

Each year, the Evening Standard auctions off a load of prizes on eBay, several with a City flavour.  Last year, the winning item was a ping-pong game with John Varley, CEO of Barclays Bank.  That cost £10,500 ($15,000).  This year, it's even more mind-boggling as …

Each year, the Evening Standard auctions off a load of prizes on eBay, several with a City flavour.  Last year, the winning item was a ping-pong game with John Varley, CEO of Barclays Bank.  That cost £10,500 ($15,000).  This year, it's even more mind-boggling as …

Each year, the Evening Standard auctions off a load of prizes on eBay, several with a City flavour.  Last year, the winning item was a ping-pong game with John Varley, CEO of Barclays Bank.  That cost £10,500 ($15,000).  This year, it's even more mind-boggling as …

Question:  How do you solve the banking crisis? Answer: No-one knows. It’s interesting to ask this question because I was asked this very question on Thursday of last week.  The question was poised in the context of the UK Parliament debating the Banking Bill today …

Question:  How do you solve the banking crisis? Answer: No-one knows. It’s interesting to ask this question because I was asked this very question on Thursday of last week.  The question was poised in the context of the UK Parliament debating the Banking Bill today …

With 2009 starting on a bit of a downbeat note, after the crisis of 2008, the Financial Services Club thought: what should we do to cheer everyone up? You guessed it, we decided to throw a party. But what's the point of starting the New …

With 2009 starting on a bit of a downbeat note, after the crisis of 2008, the Financial Services Club thought: what should we do to cheer everyone up? You guessed it, we decided to throw a party. But what's the point of starting the New …

With 2009 starting on a bit of a downbeat note, after the crisis of 2008, the Financial Services Club thought: what should we do to cheer everyone up? You guessed it, we decided to throw a party. But what's the point of starting the New …

In a classic story of police being caught out, they recently rushed to a branch of PNC Bank in Montgomery, New Jersey, USA, to respond to an alarm that had been tripped at the bank branch. On arrival, they looked through the branch window and …

In a classic story of police being caught out, they recently rushed to a branch of PNC Bank in Montgomery, New Jersey, USA, to respond to an alarm that had been tripped at the bank branch. On arrival, they looked through the branch window and …

TIME Magazine has published a long range of Top 10 lists for 2008. This includes the Top 10 Financial Moves: 1. Postpone your losses. 2. Accelerate income. 3. Identify hidden income.4. Defer expenses.5. Get invested for the times.6. Look for bargains.7. Think green.8. Claim your …

TIME Magazine has published a long range of Top 10 lists for 2008. This includes the Top 10 Financial Moves: 1. Postpone your losses. 2. Accelerate income. 3. Identify hidden income.4. Defer expenses.5. Get invested for the times.6. Look for bargains.7. Think green.8. Claim your …

TIME Magazine has published a long range of Top 10 lists for 2008. This includes the Top 10 Financial Moves: 1. Postpone your losses. 2. Accelerate income. 3. Identify hidden income.4. Defer expenses.5. Get invested for the times.6. Look for bargains.7. Think green.8. Claim your …

Breaking news today of the arrest of Bernard Madoff in the USA for defrauding investors of $50 billion … $50,000,000,000 … in a ponzi scheme.  Ponzi schemes are like pyramid sales, where you pay the top of the pyramid loads from the investments of people …

Breaking news today of the arrest of Bernard Madoff in the USA for defrauding investors of $50 billion … $50,000,000,000 … in a ponzi scheme.  Ponzi schemes are like pyramid sales, where you pay the top of the pyramid loads from the investments of people …

It must be the silly season now, as there are so many silly stories around. For example, the one and only Paris Hilton has come up with a cure for the credit crunch.  "Wear happy colours", she said.  That wasn't the quote that was widely …

Barack Obama decimated John McCain in part thanks to the wonders of the internet age and social networking. Barack’s team included the co-founders and CEOs of Google and Facebook. Could the same sort of understanding delineate the winners in payments in the future? Could the …

In an elaborate hoax, pranksters have launched a spoof version of The New York Times .  There was a print version and this fascinating website, which is a mockup of the newspaper for July 4th 2009. In the business section is this future advert for …

Couple of interesting notes on Lloyds TSB's merger with HBOS, which gained legal clearance from the courts yesterday when the last protests by the Merger Action Group (MAG) were rejected. In City A.M., there was a one page interview with Sir Victor Blank, Chairman of …

Couple of interesting notes on Lloyds TSB's merger with HBOS, which gained legal clearance from the courts yesterday when the last protests by the Merger Action Group (MAG) were rejected. In City A.M., there was a one page interview with Sir Victor Blank, Chairman of …

Couple of interesting notes on Lloyds TSB's merger with HBOS, which gained legal clearance from the courts yesterday when the last protests by the Merger Action Group (MAG) were rejected. In City A.M., there was a one page interview with Sir Victor Blank, Chairman of …

I’m at a conference focused upon the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA), the Payment Services Directive (PSD) and e-invoicing all of this week, and what a strained affair it has proven to be so far. All day yesterday we had discussions about whether we need …

I spotted this story in tonight's newspapers about the exclusive 'posh' builders to the stars, Robin Ellis Construction Services, who went bankrupt today.  Yep, it's another of those cheerful credit crunch stories.  This firm worked with the likes of David Bowie, Mick Jagger and Vanessa …

Yesterday was one of my ‘futurism’ days, where I spend time with bankers envisioning what the future of banking might look like. We talked about all sorts of stuff, including chips inside people for payments and video banking … some of my favourite themes. Then …

Yesterday was one of my ‘futurism’ days, where I spend time with bankers envisioning what the future of banking might look like. We talked about all sorts of stuff, including chips inside people for payments and video banking … some of my favourite themes. Then …

Yesterday was one of my ‘futurism’ days, where I spend time with bankers envisioning what the future of banking might look like. We talked about all sorts of stuff, including chips inside people for payments and video banking … some of my favourite themes. Then …