Our biggest stories of the past week are ...
The Changing Face of Payments Report, 2014
In late 2013, we researched the views of how payments markets are responding to change. The results are intriguing, so here's the management summary. If you would like a free copy of the report, just download here.
Digital Bank (revised) is released today
Last October I published Digital Bank via Amazon. I was pretty pleased with it, and it got some good reviews: “I think Chris has added tremendously to the conversation with this book and I highly recommend it.” Brett King, Author of Bank 2.0 and founder of Moven
Payments regulation: a summary of the latest views
I was lucky to chair this year's International Payments Summit in London, and a lot of talk was about regulation. The organisers are kind enough to summarise the debate so here's a snapshot from their 12-page conference summary.
What future career for investment bankers?
After the announcement last week of job losses at Barclays, I was reflecting on this and two other news headlines. One from Reuters states that the boom time for trading has gone whilst the other, from the Financial Times, shows that traders are no longer what banks are looking for - instead they're hiring computer programmers.
Amazon's secret sauce: customer obsession
I was watching a documentary about Amazon on the BBC this week. It’s a rocking organisation that most of us mere mortals watch with wonder. From packing and selling books in a garage over the internet, it’s become a global behemoth (although Alibaba is bigger in China). Amazon generated almost $75 billion in revenues in 2013, up 22% on the prior year. How did it happen?
Digital Finance is not the same everywhere
I’ve just been doing a roadshow of events that focus upon Digital Finance. During the roadshow, we’ve been presenting research in the four countries of focus of how electronic channels and customer relationships are changing. The research was performed by IDG Connect …
The major general news stories of the past week include ...
Bank of England bomb scare: Abandoned car causes chaos in heart of the City - The Independent
Police sealed off an area near the Bank of England in London's financial district responding to a security alert after a car was abandoned with an open door in the middle of an intersection.
American billionaire Steve Cohen 'furious' over $100m penthouse 'no one wants' - The Independent
Sometimes, a hedge fund billionaire just can’t catch a break. Just ask Steve Cohen.
Lloyds admits nothing's safe in Scotland – jobs or sterling - The Independent
Customers with accounts in Scottish banks are running the risk that their money may no longer be in pounds after independence, a senior UK banker admitted yesterday.
Payday lender leaves the market - BBC
The UK's second-biggest High Street payday lender agrees to withdraw from the market, following pressure from the regulator.
Brewin Dolphin IT problems to cost £32m - Financial Times
One of the largest private client companies in the UK uncovers ‘issues’ with a computer program it was planning to roll out across its business
Congratulations Barclays, your “bad bank” is the biggest in the business - Quartz
Barclays dropped a bombshell on its investment bankers last week. Amid a general retreat by banks from bond trading and other volatile business lines, Barclays was particularly aggressive.
Ex-Barclays chiefs face Serious Fraud Office probe over Qatari fundraising - The Independent
Two former Barclays chief executives are among 12 ex-employees being interviewed under caution by the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) in connection with the lender’s Qatari fundraising in 2008.
Financial services fail to impress young - Financial Times
Fewer than one in 10 are interested in working in the sector, with many seeing it as ‘boring’ or ‘full of numbers’, research has found
Boom times for bank trading have gone, and may never come back - Reuters
LONDON (Reuters) - The boom years of financial market trading, when banks made unprecedented profits from bonds, currencies and commodities, may be over for good as financial firms realize there will be no cyclical upswing on their dealing desks.
Think only an idiot would hand their bank card and PIN number to a thief? Read on... - Daily Mail
My landline rang. It was a Sunday morning and I was surprised because I’d given the number to only three people as I tended to use my mobile phone instead.
If you like the Finanser, buy Chris Skinner's latest book: Digital Bank
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Chris M Skinner
Chris Skinner is best known as an independent commentator on the financial markets through his blog, TheFinanser.com, as author of the bestselling book Digital Bank, and Chair of the European networking forum the Financial Services Club. He has been voted one of the most influential people in banking by The Financial Brand (as well as one of the best blogs), a FinTech Titan (Next Bank), one of the Fintech Leaders you need to follow (City AM, Deluxe and Jax Finance), as well as one of the Top 40 most influential people in financial technology by the Wall Street Journal's Financial News. To learn more click here...
