Chris Skinner's blog Shaping the future of finance

After my write-up of Alan Greenspan’s speech at the end of last year, where he says the subprime crisis was unavoidable, I was reminded of one of my old presentations with a quote from Alan Greenspan, when he was head of the Fed back in …

It is interesting to think about cash and where cash is going.  Can we really be cashless? The history of cash, as those who know my presentations, is that it was invented for sex.  I know a lot of people don’t believe this, but the …

It is interesting to think about cash and where cash is going.  Can we really be cashless? The history of cash, as those who know my presentations, is that it was invented for sex.  I know a lot of people don’t believe this, but the …

It is interesting to think about cash and where cash is going.  Can we really be cashless? The history of cash, as those who know my presentations, is that it was invented for sex.  I know a lot of people don’t believe this, but the …

There’s a new service called Yuwie. It’s aim is to compete with Facebook and MySpace. You may say that space is full, but it’s not.  The reason is that Yuwie pays the social networkers to network.  Unlike Facebook and MySpace therefore, who make around $8 …

There’s a new service called Yuwie. It’s aim is to compete with Facebook and MySpace. You may say that space is full, but it’s not.  The reason is that Yuwie pays the social networkers to network.  Unlike Facebook and MySpace therefore, who make around $8 …

A whole raft of headlines over the weekend to cheer up the weary investment banker. First, there’s the news that BNP and Credit Agricole are going to fight over ownership of SocGen, after the French bank declared almost $10 billion in losses from rogue traders …

After writing my piece on Microsoft, they announced their $44.6 billion bid for Yahoo! Right or wrong choice? As I said in December, they should buy into the future and hence Facebook or something less over-valued in the Web 2.0+ world.  Nearly $45 billion seems …

After writing my piece on Microsoft, they announced their $44.6 billion bid for Yahoo! Right or wrong choice? As I said in December, they should buy into the future and hence Facebook or something less over-valued in the Web 2.0+ world.  Nearly $45 billion seems …

After writing my piece on Microsoft, they announced their $44.6 billion bid for Yahoo! Right or wrong choice? As I said in December, they should buy into the future and hence Facebook or something less over-valued in the Web 2.0+ world.  Nearly $45 billion seems …

No, I haven’t thrown out the PC and bought a new one, although I’ve been seriously tempted.  But I like a challenge.  So, back from Asia and, after months of whinging about Vista, I’ve finally solved the biggest issue I’ve had on my shiny, new …

No, I haven’t thrown out the PC and bought a new one, although I’ve been seriously tempted.  But I like a challenge.  So, back from Asia and, after months of whinging about Vista, I’ve finally solved the biggest issue I’ve had on my shiny, new …

No, I haven’t thrown out the PC and bought a new one, although I’ve been seriously tempted.  But I like a challenge.  So, back from Asia and, after months of whinging about Vista, I’ve finally solved the biggest issue I’ve had on my shiny, new …

No, I haven’t thrown out the PC and bought a new one, although I’ve been seriously tempted.  But I like a challenge.  So, back from Asia and, after months of whinging about Vista, I’ve finally solved the biggest issue I’ve had on my shiny, new …

I rang my bank call centre today and, as usual, it was diverted to their Indian call centre.  Unusually, I then got this message: "We apologise for disruption to our service, but we cannot receive your call at the moment.  Please try again later". I …

Interesting to be in Asia at the moment, which is where I flew out to in case you were wondering yesterday.  I’m here at a major payments conference and was sorry to miss the minor "hurrah" as SEPA went live on Monday.  Whoopee-doo!  Did you …

Interesting to be in Asia at the moment, which is where I flew out to in case you were wondering yesterday.  I’m here at a major payments conference and was sorry to miss the minor "hurrah" as SEPA went live on Monday.  Whoopee-doo!  Did you …

Interesting to be in Asia at the moment, which is where I flew out to in case you were wondering yesterday.  I’m here at a major payments conference and was sorry to miss the minor "hurrah" as SEPA went live on Monday.  Whoopee-doo!  Did you …

Interesting to be in Asia at the moment, which is where I flew out to in case you were wondering yesterday.  I’m here at a major payments conference and was sorry to miss the minor "hurrah" as SEPA went live on Monday.  Whoopee-doo!  Did you …

I often hear the cry that "all banks are the same".  It is true that many banks appear to have little differentiation.  They are all as good or bad as each other, they all appear to compete on rates and rate churn, and they all …

Over the weekend, I received this strange letter in French.  Now my French is not very good, so I have done my best to translate it, but I apologise if it does not read very well.  Even though I am sure it is rubbish, I …

TED is a conference that takes place once a year in the USA and is like a Davos for business.  If you don’t know what TED is, then check it out here. The show is also where many of the future technologies are revealed, and …

TED is a conference that takes place once a year in the USA and is like a Davos for business.  If you don’t know what TED is, then check it out here. The show is also where many of the future technologies are revealed, and …

There are various forecasts of the future that may be right or wrong.  For example, this one’s a goodie.  Called EPIC 2014, and nicknamed Googlezon, it forecasts that by 2014 the current media and news organisations are dead and gone, and Google and Amazon merge.  …

There are various forecasts of the future that may be right or wrong.  For example, this one’s a goodie.  Called EPIC 2014, and nicknamed Googlezon, it forecasts that by 2014 the current media and news organisations are dead and gone, and Google and Amazon merge.  …

Read the announcement from Societe Generale here (six page pdf). The rogue trader lost €4.9 billion through a series of fictional transactions.  Societe Generale aren’t naming him, but apparently the trader dealt in plain vanilla European stock market index futures and concealed his losses through …

Read the announcement from Societe Generale here (six page pdf). The rogue trader lost €4.9 billion through a series of fictional transactions.  Societe Generale aren’t naming him, but apparently the trader dealt in plain vanilla European stock market index futures and concealed his losses through …

In this worldwide web of global wonders, I’m getting fairly cheesed off with the number of social networks I’m now getting involved with. From Facebook to LinkedIn to Plaxo to Bebo, they’re all starting to mindmeld into one.  Add in Habbo Hotel, Second Life, Entropia …