Chris Skinner's blog Shaping the future of finance

Interesting supplement in today’s Times newspaper on careers with an 8-page supplement on careers in Banking.   A few choice quotes: “Confidence in the world’s financial markets is shaky” “Lehman Brothers, UBS, Morgan Stanley and Credit Suisse have all announced redundancies” “Is now the worst time …

After the disappointing outcome over Plus Markets, various factions are coming out and poking fun at Turquoise.  Unlike BOAT, Turquoise has little to show for its efforts so far, and are still looking for a Chief Executive.  What happened? The big difference for me is …

I am struck by the sheer number of announcements over the past 12 months related to mobile payments and mobile banking.  Nothing wrong with this, but times change fast and I’m already wondering how long mobile will be in vogue. For example, just as the …

I am struck by the sheer number of announcements over the past 12 months related to mobile payments and mobile banking.  Nothing wrong with this, but times change fast and I’m already wondering how long mobile will be in vogue. For example, just as the …

I am struck by the sheer number of announcements over the past 12 months related to mobile payments and mobile banking.  Nothing wrong with this, but times change fast and I’m already wondering how long mobile will be in vogue. For example, just as the …

London-based insurance firms have struggled, largely unsuccessfully so far, to work with each other through electronic channels. ACORD, the US insurance standards organization which has been expanding into international markets, appears to be the leader in driving standards, the key to electronic business, into the …

I recently organised two debates at the Financial Services Club entitled "This House Believes We Really Know Our Customers".  Both debates focused upon fraud and money laundering (AML) and the vote at the end of both debates resulted in a resounding rejection … as in …

I recently organised two debates at the Financial Services Club entitled "This House Believes We Really Know Our Customers".  Both debates focused upon fraud and money laundering (AML) and the vote at the end of both debates resulted in a resounding rejection … as in …

The International Association of Financial Engineers is bringing in two heavy hitters to discuss the future of financial crises — Robert C. Merton and Myron S. Scholes (If you have to ask, this probably isn’t for you), but: Robert C. Merton is the John and …

The International Association of Financial Engineers is bringing in two heavy hitters to discuss the future of financial crises — Robert C. Merton and Myron S. Scholes (If you have to ask, this probably isn’t for you), but: Robert C. Merton is the John and …

And the top three: Information lifecycle management rather than just information management Technology refresh, or Dynamic IT, which involves wrapping new technology around old legacy systems. Sounds like a new name for Saas. It also seems to me that wrapping legacy systems by itself, without …

And the top three: Information lifecycle management rather than just information management Technology refresh, or Dynamic IT, which involves wrapping new technology around old legacy systems. Sounds like a new name for Saas. It also seems to me that wrapping legacy systems by itself, without …

The Halo Effect Takes the glow off some of the most popular business books of the last two decades with an intelligently critical view of methodology.             Two weeks ago I pulled “Good to Great” by Jim Collins off my shelf and …

The Halo Effect Takes the glow off some of the most popular business books of the last two decades with an intelligently critical view of methodology.             Two weeks ago I pulled “Good to Great” by Jim Collins off my shelf and …

I recently chaired a breakfast meeting on the future of trading with three key figures from the industry: John Serocold, Director, London Investment Banking Association; Wolfgang Eholzer, Head of Trading Systems Design, Eurex; and Eli Lederman, Managing Director, Electronic and Agency Trading Services, Morgan Stanley.  …

I recently chaired a breakfast meeting on the future of trading with three key figures from the industry: John Serocold, Director, London Investment Banking Association; Wolfgang Eholzer, Head of Trading Systems Design, Eurex; and Eli Lederman, Managing Director, Electronic and Agency Trading Services, Morgan Stanley.  …

I am regularly hearing half-truths and inaccuracies to cause confusion and issue, and this is particularly true as the battle grows between the old and new exchanges, and the old and new players in the investment markets.  One example is BOAT, formerly Project Boat. Due …

I am regularly hearing half-truths and inaccuracies to cause confusion and issue, and this is particularly true as the battle grows between the old and new exchanges, and the old and new players in the investment markets.  One example is BOAT, formerly Project Boat. Due …

I am regularly hearing half-truths and inaccuracies to cause confusion and issue, and this is particularly true as the battle grows between the old and new exchanges, and the old and new players in the investment markets.  One example is BOAT, formerly Project Boat. Due …

Yesterday was interesting.  I was invited to speak at a conference for Exchanges  and the expected players were there: Deutsche Bourse, Reuters and the London Stock Exchange (LSE); and then there were the newer markets with the Prague, Warsaw and Bratislava Stock Exchanges; and then …

Yesterday was interesting.  I was invited to speak at a conference for Exchanges  and the expected players were there: Deutsche Bourse, Reuters and the London Stock Exchange (LSE); and then there were the newer markets with the Prague, Warsaw and Bratislava Stock Exchanges; and then …

After yesterday’s news that Lloyds TSB and the Bank of Cyprus are accused of having "knowingly assisted" a money launderer, I do wonder whose job it is to police the financial markets for villains. Obviously, the banks will monitor fraudulent activity as they don’t want …

After yesterday’s news that Lloyds TSB and the Bank of Cyprus are accused of having "knowingly assisted" a money launderer, I do wonder whose job it is to police the financial markets for villains. Obviously, the banks will monitor fraudulent activity as they don’t want …

After yesterday’s news that Lloyds TSB and the Bank of Cyprus are accused of having "knowingly assisted" a money launderer, I do wonder whose job it is to police the financial markets for villains. Obviously, the banks will monitor fraudulent activity as they don’t want …

Although Biology is a well-known science, there is a lesser known but of growing importance science that is also, by coincidence, called Buyology. Buyology has been used in other context (google the word and you get just over 500 returns, most of which are for …

Although Biology is a well-known science, there is a lesser known but of growing importance science that is also, by coincidence, called Buyology. Buyology has been used in other context (google the word and you get just over 500 returns, most of which are for …

World renowned experts will be speaking at Quantitative Modeling & Financial Market Dynamics , to be held from 4-8 pm Oct. 31 at 7city Learning, 55 Broad Street. This first annual QuantDay event will be hosted by Numerical Algorithms Group (NAG), in conjunction with Wilmott …

World renowned experts will be speaking at Quantitative Modeling & Financial Market Dynamics , to be held from 4-8 pm Oct. 31 at 7city Learning, 55 Broad Street. This first annual QuantDay event will be hosted by Numerical Algorithms Group (NAG), in conjunction with Wilmott …