Welcome to The Finanser, the portal to the knowledge base of the Financial Services, chaired by Chris Skinner. To make an enquiry about a speaking engagement, just contact us and, if you are interested in Chris Skinner as a speaker, here’s an illustration of his keynote presentations …
Read More »Why I hate the term ’embedded’
OK, I’m a Victor Meldrew and have several pet hates. In particular, people who use corporate-s…
The insurance industry is broken, can InsurTech fix it?
I just rang my pension fund. I realised that I’ve paid £1000’s into the fund, but hadn’t had a state…
Smaller banks have the happiest customers
Following on from why startups will fail if they compete head-to-head with a bank, I got this headli…
A billion excluded women is a disgrace
WARNING: THIS IS WOKE (whatever that is) We talk a lot about diversity and LBTG+ and equality, but i…
The Finanser’s Week: 5th April 2021- 11th April 2021
This week’s main blogs include … Another view: any start-up that challenges a bank will fail We talk…
bitcoin is dead, long live bitcoin!
I’ve not talked much about bitcoin on the blog lately*, but I have tweeted a lot about it. The key t…
The world according to Jamie Dimon
I read Jamie Dimon’s shareholder letter with interest this week. His message does not read lik…
Another view: any start-up that challenges a bank will fail
We talk a lot these days about neobanks, challenger banks, bank disrupters, bank disintermediation, …
What, why and how do you value something … and where do you keep it?
Welcome to the World of Next A few years ago, a friend of mine had an idea. It was to create a digit…
The Roaring 2020s
I blogged the other day about a $3 trillion spending spree, that I just didn’t see happening. The po…
The future of payments: free research by Deutsche Bank (includes crypto, bitcoin and more)
Last year, I blogged about the view of Deutsche Bank regarding the future of payments. They produced…
The Finanser’s Week: 29th March 2021- 4th April 2021
This week’s main blogs include … Venezuela replaces national currency with bitcoin In a fascinating …
Teach children things machines cannot learn
I am involved in a number of activities, one of which is a not-for-profit called The Portrait Founda…
Venezuela replaces national currency with bitcoin
In a fascinating move Venezuela, which has been a basket-case economy ever since Hugo Chavez died in…
The view from 2050
After discussing 2030 and beyond yesterday, I got into an interesting discussion about 2050 and beyo…
The view from 2030
I was recently asked to deliver a presentation set in the year 2030. It was challenging, but interes…
Digital is not “a generational thing”
I was told that living purely digitally was a “generational thing” and this was followed more recent…
The Finanser’s Week: 22nd March 2021- 28th March 2021
This week’s main blogs include … How China’s FinTech is changing everything I joined a C…
What’s blocking blockchain?
Three years ago, I blogged about Ant Group’s strategy for AI, Blockchain, Cybersecurity and more. At…
China’s breaking the superapp
I’ve been amazed at the rise of superapps in China. Alibaba and WeChat allow you to socialise, ship …
What is normal?
I’m watching the news. We’re all locked down. Britain just introduced £5,000 fines for unnecessary t…
How China’s FinTech is changing everything
I joined a Clubhouse discussion the other day – Clubhouse? What? – and discussed Chinese FinTech and…
To branch or not to branch: that is the question
The two perennial debates we have in banking are a future that is cashless and branchless. Cash is g…
The Finanser’s Week: 15th March 2021- 21st March 2021
The main blog headlines this week include … If you think the future is purely digital, are you nuts?…
Why living purely digital is nuts
Building on this discussion, I got into an online argument with someone who accused my views of bein…
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Want to see tomorrow’s technologies today?
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 …
Read More »Want to see tomorrow’s technologies today?
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 …
Read More »eBay becomes an Exchange? Not likely
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 More »eBay becomes an Exchange? Not likely
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 More »SocGen trader loses 5 billion in fictional trading
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 More »SocGen trader loses 5 billion in fictional trading
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 More »Global, Blogal, Social, Glocial
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 …
Read More »Global, Blogal, Social, Glocial
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 …
Read More »Global, Blogal, Social, Glocial
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 …
Read More »Citi … bank … rupt?
There have been rumours this week of Citi being bankrupt in Banknet360 and Yahoo’s message boards (see earlier blogs on Yahoo message boards and Citi) "Citi filing for Chapter 11 in the next few days" … oh no! what a headline. However, according to Here …
Read More »Citi … bank … rupt?
There have been rumours this week of Citi being bankrupt in Banknet360 and Yahoo’s message boards (see earlier blogs on Yahoo message boards and Citi) "Citi filing for Chapter 11 in the next few days" … oh no! what a headline. However, according to Here …
Read More »London versus New York, Hedge Funds and PE
Interesting stats and facts coming out of the hedge fund and private equity worlds this week. First, Hedge Fund Research (HFR) released their year end report of inflows and outflows to the hedge fund markets in 2007. The headline is that The hedge fund industry …
Read More »London versus New York, Hedge Funds and PE
Interesting stats and facts coming out of the hedge fund and private equity worlds this week. First, Hedge Fund Research (HFR) released their year end report of inflows and outflows to the hedge fund markets in 2007. The headline is that The hedge fund industry …
Read More »London versus New York, Hedge Funds and PE
Interesting stats and facts coming out of the hedge fund and private equity worlds this week. First, Hedge Fund Research (HFR) released their year end report of inflows and outflows to the hedge fund markets in 2007. The headline is that The hedge fund industry …
Read More »HSBC: no longer an investment bank?
HSBC sent out a press release yesterday announcing that they are re-naming the "Corporate, Investment Banking and Markets Division". It will now be called "Global Banking and Markets". Global Banking and Markets comprises five main businesses: Global Banking, Global Markets, Global Asset Management, Global Research …
Read More »HSBC: no longer an investment bank?
HSBC sent out a press release yesterday announcing that they are re-naming the "Corporate, Investment Banking and Markets Division". It will now be called "Global Banking and Markets". Global Banking and Markets comprises five main businesses: Global Banking, Global Markets, Global Asset Management, Global Research …
Read More »Please remove brain before working at this bank
Little Britain, the UK comedy show, made a character that you may think is extreme. Her name is Carol, and she works for a fictional bank, Midwest. The way the sketch works is that each time a customer comes into the bank, she rattles away …
Read More »Please remove brain before working at this bank
Little Britain, the UK comedy show, made a character that you may think is extreme. Her name is Carol, and she works for a fictional bank, Midwest. The way the sketch works is that each time a customer comes into the bank, she rattles away …
Read More »Please remove brain before working at this bank
Little Britain, the UK comedy show, made a character that you may think is extreme. Her name is Carol, and she works for a fictional bank, Midwest. The way the sketch works is that each time a customer comes into the bank, she rattles away …
Read More »IBM’s global reality
In an interesting article in the NYTimes, IBM’s optimistic and upbeat assessment for a 15%+ rise in profits in 2008 is questioned. Answer: IBM’s not reliant on the depressed American economy but is making shedloads in the BRIC economies and from banks. Here’s the bit …
Read More »Why mobile banking doesn’t work … yet
I was looking at mobile finance this week, as we had a meeting to discuss this at the Financial Services Club last night. In the meeting, Samee Zafur of Edgar, Dunn and Company outlined results of research he has led into mobile finance. The research …
Read More »Bankers are overpaid, greedy pigs
After my doom and gloom week, I thought this was a good title for a blog entry although this is not me talking … rather it seems to be a campaign with a certain associate editor and chief economics commentator at the Financial Times named …
Read More »Bankers are overpaid, greedy pigs
After my doom and gloom week, I thought this was a good title for a blog entry although this is not me talking … rather it seems to be a campaign with a certain associate editor and chief economics commentator at the Financial Times named …
Read More »Something fishy about Discover’s credit cards
Most people think the marketing of financial stuff is as dull as dishwater. Maybe that’s why the Goldfish are cleaning the waters to allow the fish to swim freely … what am I talking about? Goldfish. Goldfish is a credit card that’s been available in …
Read More »Something fishy about Discover’s credit cards
Most people think the marketing of financial stuff is as dull as dishwater. Maybe that’s why the Goldfish are cleaning the waters to allow the fish to swim freely … what am I talking about? Goldfish. Goldfish is a credit card that’s been available in …
Read More »Everything should be free …
My last blog referred to the Wall Street Journal, and I suddenly realised that I could get this stuff for free … what’s happening? It used to cost me an arm and a leg for a view of the WSJ? Ahhh … they’ve made bits …
Read More »Everything should be free …
My last blog referred to the Wall Street Journal, and I suddenly realised that I could get this stuff for free … what’s happening? It used to cost me an arm and a leg for a view of the WSJ? Ahhh … they’ve made bits …
Read More »Give me some attention will you?
Absolutely nothing to do with banking but, with all this doom and gloom around, I just thought this plea for help was so funny that it was worth sharing. It’s apparently a true email exchange between a witty but sarcastic member of the public and …
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