Chris Skinner's blog Shaping the future of finance

I’ve said for a while now that Robots would eventually look after all my banking needs, and with the Semantic Web and Artificial Agents, we’re almost there.  But then I see these developments coming out of Japan: and I realise that the future is real …

Another excellent collection of folks at the annual Gateway conference, a meeting of British American Business leaders. Sir Wim Bischoff, Chairman of Citigroup, gave the keynote speech all about the impact of Sovereign Wealth Funds (SWF). Although they have been around for decades, it has …

The papers have been filled with fascinating stories about banking over the past 24 hours, including a call for balance sheets and core capital ratios to be a minimum 6%; the Eurozone asking for a single seat at the IMF, rather than the current 10; better …

The papers have been filled with fascinating stories about banking over the past 24 hours, including a call for balance sheets and core capital ratios to be a minimum 6%; the Eurozone asking for a single seat at the IMF, rather than the current 10; better …

The papers have been filled with fascinating stories about banking over the past 24 hours, including a call for balance sheets and core capital ratios to be a minimum 6%; the Eurozone asking for a single seat at the IMF, rather than the current 10; better …

Whether it be watches or Windows, Louis Vuitton or Lagerfeld, Bangkok’s street markets have them all. In the alleys and markets you can find every brand for a fraction of its price. The sheer audacity of the stores in the flea markets, selling any branded …

Whether it be watches or Windows, Louis Vuitton or Lagerfeld, Bangkok’s street markets have them all. In the alleys and markets you can find every brand for a fraction of its price. The sheer audacity of the stores in the flea markets, selling any branded …

We had a great conversation today about bank brands at the Asian Banker’s Retail Excellence Program (I’m an advisor to the program and sit on the judging panel for their Awards). It started with Nielsen sharing some data about a branding analysis project they ran …

We had a great conversation today about bank brands at the Asian Banker’s Retail Excellence Program (I’m an advisor to the program and sit on the judging panel for their Awards). It started with Nielsen sharing some data about a branding analysis project they ran …

We had a great conversation today about bank brands at the Asian Banker’s Retail Excellence Program (I’m an advisor to the program and sit on the judging panel for their Awards). It started with Nielsen sharing some data about a branding analysis project they ran …

It’s a question that came up yesterday in discussion with a group of bankers and I often find myself challenged to discuss ‘world class technology’ with folks. This is because they want to be leading edge, innovative, seeking new ways of doing business and driving …

It’s a question that came up yesterday in discussion with a group of bankers and I often find myself challenged to discuss ‘world class technology’ with folks. This is because they want to be leading edge, innovative, seeking new ways of doing business and driving …

The Financial Times has been writing about the end of the credit crisis this week, saying that BlackRock’s $15 billion deal to buy a portfolio of distressed subprime mortgage debt from UBS, for 75 cents on the dollar, shows things are picking up. Also, Deutsche …

The SWIFT Annual Report came out last Friday (download it here, 3.4 Megabytes) and makes for some interesting reading, especially as I like numbers.  Yes, it does include lots of numbers: there are 8,332 institutions connected to SWIFT (note: institutions, not banks) across 208 countries …

The SWIFT Annual Report came out last Friday (download it here, 3.4 Megabytes) and makes for some interesting reading, especially as I like numbers.  Yes, it does include lots of numbers: there are 8,332 institutions connected to SWIFT (note: institutions, not banks) across 208 countries …

Rather than Facebook, China’s Facebank makes far more interesting viewing:

The banking world makes radical changes slowly. Major changes are big risks and we don’t like to jump into taking big risks too fast … unless it’s a structured investment risk of course. But risks related to our technical infrastructures take place far more slowly. …

The EU has an anthem.  It is Beethoven’s Ode to Joy, with the lyrics removed. The original German chorus has been removed to respect the fact that we don’t have a common language in Europe, yet. Strange that, as I thought that most us speak …

The EU has an anthem.  It is Beethoven’s Ode to Joy, with the lyrics removed. The original German chorus has been removed to respect the fact that we don’t have a common language in Europe, yet. Strange that, as I thought that most us speak …

The EU has an anthem.  It is Beethoven’s Ode to Joy, with the lyrics removed. The original German chorus has been removed to respect the fact that we don’t have a common language in Europe, yet. Strange that, as I thought that most us speak …

The EU has an anthem.  It is Beethoven’s Ode to Joy, with the lyrics removed. The original German chorus has been removed to respect the fact that we don’t have a common language in Europe, yet. Strange that, as I thought that most us speak …

The EU has an anthem.  It is Beethoven’s Ode to Joy, with the lyrics removed. The original German chorus has been removed to respect the fact that we don’t have a common language in Europe, yet. Strange that, as I thought that most us speak …

You may not have realised it, but today is Europe Day. In the UK, we took especial notice of Europe Day by not mentioning it in the news, not talking about it on TV, not referring to it on the radio and avoiding any reference …

You may not have realised it, but today is Europe Day. In the UK, we took especial notice of Europe Day by not mentioning it in the news, not talking about it on TV, not referring to it on the radio and avoiding any reference …

You may not have realised it, but today is Europe Day. In the UK, we took especial notice of Europe Day by not mentioning it in the news, not talking about it on TV, not referring to it on the radio and avoiding any reference …

After picking holes in banking infrastructures, and the lack of integration the institutions have with today’s connected world, there is one part of the market that really gets technology. They do not just get technology, but they lead in it. Where? Investment markets. The investment …

After picking holes in banking infrastructures, and the lack of integration the institutions have with today’s connected world, there is one part of the market that really gets technology. They do not just get technology, but they lead in it. Where? Investment markets. The investment …

If payments is just transferring a file electronically between a sender and a recipient these days, why is it so darned complicated? Bearing in mind, the internet connects everyone and everything electronically, how come we have so many disparate payments infrastructures? From retail to wholesale …