Blog Index

As usual at the end of the year, I look back and see what was of most interest in the blog over the last 12 months. So, here goes: #10 Will Silicon Valley Bank kill the FinTech industry? “When you’re not working, what do you do to de-stress?” was the last question Greg Becker, CEO…

This week’s main blog discussions include … There were 50 ways to leave your lover … now there’s one more (thanks to your payment app) Over the years, there have been many weird and wacky ideas for banking. There was the G&L Bank in the USA in 2000, targeting the LBGTQ+ community. It was a…

This week’s main blog discussions include … How can AI minimise fraud? Someone came up with the idea of running a series of events called Dinner with Skinner … no idea who would have thought that up … and so I run and moderate many discussions with fintech firms and bankers around the topics chosen…

This week’s main blog discussions include … When you’ve already offended customers, is it a good idea to tell them: “go f**k yourself”? This blog often talks about Elon Musk,  but then it also looks at the activities of Mark Zuckerberg, Richard Branson and more. They all share several things: billionaries, visionaries, autism and a…

This week’s main blog discussions include … When we talk about customer journeys, what do we mean? I was struck by one slide in a presentation the other day. The slide stated this: I need a mortgage … to buy a house Why did this strike me? Probably because you realise, from the customer view,…

This week’s main blog discussions include … Massive innovations in SME finances using the latest tech #SFF In case you didn’t notice, this week was the week of the #SingaporeFinTechFestival. Although I was in Asia last week, this week I’ve been invited to be in America and so could not attend. Nevertheless, my good friends…

This week’s main blog discussions include … Are we cashless and branchless now? I’ve just been travelling Asia and went on a trip where the entrance to the first attraction – the batcave! – was two ringgits. That’s Malaysian currency and the equivalent of around half a dollar. As per usual these days, I have…

This week’s main blog discussions include … The rise and fall of a cryptopunk How could I not make a blog about Sam Bankman-Fried who, yesterday, was found guilty of running a Ponzi scheme smash-and-grab using cryptocurrency? Well, I couldn’t, so here it is. Yesterday Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF), the tousle-haired mogul who founded the FTX…

This week’s main blog discussions include … The end of the smartphone? I’ve predicted the death of many things. The death of the keyboard, the death of the plastic card, the death of cash and cheques, the death of the branch, the death of main street and the death of the computer itself. Now, we…

This week’s main blog discussions include … Is Hamas funded by crypto? I hate stepping into controversy, and I know that this column is going to be really unpopular, but the latest reporting of terrorist funding using cryptocurrencies is seriously biased. This specifically relates to Hamas and Hezbollah in Gaza and Lebanon respectively. The latest…