Chris Skinner's blog Shaping the future of finance

In the world of daft inventions, here’s a great new one: the hamster shredder. No, it’s not a machine for grinding wee hammy into pulp, but a document shredder driven by hamster power. The idea is that you get rid of your sensitive documents by …

Yesterday I alluded to a bank being like a human body, with technology its lifeblood.  However, if technology is the blood of the bank, then you need a healthy heart, brain and soul to make that blood flow.  That is why the bank’s management team …

Yesterday I alluded to a bank being like a human body, with technology its lifeblood.  However, if technology is the blood of the bank, then you need a healthy heart, brain and soul to make that blood flow.  That is why the bank’s management team …

Yesterday I alluded to a bank being like a human body, with technology its lifeblood.  However, if technology is the blood of the bank, then you need a healthy heart, brain and soul to make that blood flow.  That is why the bank’s management team …

Yesterday I alluded to a bank being like a human body, with technology its lifeblood.  However, if technology is the blood of the bank, then you need a healthy heart, brain and soul to make that blood flow.  That is why the bank’s management team …

Prompted by the newsletter, Payment News from Glenbrook Partners, I had a look at The Wall Street Journal which ran a fascinating column today. The implication is that the lack of credit availability in the USA is forcing folks to go onto Proper, Zopa and …

In banks today, technology strategy is the essence of business strategy.  In capital markets, where algorithmic trading analytics can make the difference between success and failure, technology is critical to competitiveness.  If you cannot compete with another bank’s new derivatives capabilities, which are driven by …

In banks today, technology strategy is the essence of business strategy.  In capital markets, where algorithmic trading analytics can make the difference between success and failure, technology is critical to competitiveness.  If you cannot compete with another bank’s new derivatives capabilities, which are driven by …

In banks today, technology strategy is the essence of business strategy.  In capital markets, where algorithmic trading analytics can make the difference between success and failure, technology is critical to competitiveness.  If you cannot compete with another bank’s new derivatives capabilities, which are driven by …

I have had the contention for a while that Technology needs to be seen as disposable.  The day you buy it, it is out-of-date.  No sooner do you invest in new technology, than you find your investment is obsolete.    It has always been this …

I have had the contention for a while that Technology needs to be seen as disposable.  The day you buy it, it is out-of-date.  No sooner do you invest in new technology, than you find your investment is obsolete.    It has always been this …

We were debating Parallel Processing, Grids and Virutalisation in depth last week at the Tradetech Architecture conference.  Halfway through the conference, discussions of Amazon started en masse.  I have to say that until recently I thought Amazon was an online book store. Apparently not.  Amazon …

Last month, City broker Venetia Thompson wrote a tell-all tale of hedonism and debauchery in London’s trading rooms, which was published in the Spectator.  This month, according to the Daily Mail, Venetia Thompson is on the dole queue (see endnote).    Mind you, looking at …

Last month, City broker Venetia Thompson wrote a tell-all tale of hedonism and debauchery in London’s trading rooms, which was published in the Spectator.  This month, according to the Daily Mail, Venetia Thompson is on the dole queue (see endnote).    Mind you, looking at …

A friend of mine sent me this link last week, having seen how annoyed I’ve been about Windows Vista.  It’s a link to internal memos from Microsoft SVP’s and other senior staff in Q1 2007, airing the same issues I had with Vista.  It’s slow.  …

A friend of mine sent me this link last week, having seen how annoyed I’ve been about Windows Vista.  It’s a link to internal memos from Microsoft SVP’s and other senior staff in Q1 2007, airing the same issues I had with Vista.  It’s slow.  …

A friend of mine sent me this link last week, having seen how annoyed I’ve been about Windows Vista.  It’s a link to internal memos from Microsoft SVP’s and other senior staff in Q1 2007, airing the same issues I had with Vista.  It’s slow.  …

Most of us are fearful of virus, malware and phishing, especially in the financial industry.  Therefore, I was pleased to see a way to make our fears become reality by the online security firm Messagelabs.  Messagelabs has visualised these online security threats into art and …

Most of us are fearful of virus, malware and phishing, especially in the financial industry.  Therefore, I was pleased to see a way to make our fears become reality by the online security firm Messagelabs.  Messagelabs has visualised these online security threats into art and …

As those who deal with me in my work as Balatro know, I’m a one-man band.  I gain most of my knowledge by conferencing, networking, meeting, consulting and drinking with bankers and technologists through the Financial Services Club, and all the other events I speak, …

As those who deal with me in my work as Balatro know, I’m a one-man band.  I gain most of my knowledge by conferencing, networking, meeting, consulting and drinking with bankers and technologists through the Financial Services Club, and all the other events I speak, …

It’s been a while since I logged a numbers blog, the last one was in November, but it takes a while to find one that’s worthy.  So I was gratified today to find one – eBay.  Now, what has eBay got to do with financial …

I regularly run workshops on the future of banking. Part of the workshop explores the implications of virtual worlds and social networking on bank services, and what the world of banking might look like five years from now as a result.   Yep, you guessed it, …

I regularly run workshops on the future of banking. Part of the workshop explores the implications of virtual worlds and social networking on bank services, and what the world of banking might look like five years from now as a result.   Yep, you guessed it, …

I regularly run workshops on the future of banking. Part of the workshop explores the implications of virtual worlds and social networking on bank services, and what the world of banking might look like five years from now as a result.   Yep, you guessed it, …

There were plenty of great stories released over the last week.  We had the Liechtenstein stuff and more on Northern Rock with the near £50 billion exposure to Granite … but there were two stories that just made me smile so they have to be …

Forbes reports today that India’s competitive advantage for offshore services is disappearing fast as wage demands mean that services are now 66% cheaper for US and European firms in India, compared with 84% a few years ago.  As wage demands increase, it can only be …

An interesting little survey came out this month, looking at the fact that banks do not cross-sell effectively through their call centres. The truth is that most banks do not cross-sell effectively full stop.  I have had the pitch from the teller in the branch …