A summary of the main blogs of the week …
Could Trump and May be the new Reagan and Thatcher?
I guess I’m an optimist and, in a world of pessimism, it’s an interesting place to be. I say a world of pessimism as all I’ve seen since the Brexit vote and Donald Trump being President-elect is negativity. A constant stream of we are screwed …
Will the USA see a surge of FinTech banks launch this year?
I write so much that I sometimes forget what I’ve written, where. For example, Mark Sievert of Silicon Valley Bank made an interesting comment on my predictions for 2017: Happy New Year Chris! One topic I am not hearing much about is the OCC December …
India’s demonetisation – taking the bull by the horns
I seem to find most of the truly exciting stories these days are happening in unexpected places. Tanzania, Indonesia, Turkey, China, Brazil … and specifically India. I wrote a fair bit about the demonetisation program in India at the beginning of December, saying that it’s …
Two mainstream blockchain developments already
So one of my 2017 forecasts is coming true already: it is the year that blockchain moves out of proofs of concept and work and into the mainstream. Two great examples broke out this week from skunk works to media. The first I spotted was …
Where’s the ROI in immediate payment systems?
I’m just starting a project on real-time, immediate, faster payments or whatever you call it. It’s basically making a payment that is either settled within seconds or the data is moved and settlement takes place at a later time, but it look immediate. There’s lots …
2017 – a decisive year for retail payment services in Europe
In case you missed it, there was an important keynote speech by Yves Mersch, Member of the Executive Board of the ECB, at a conference in France last Friday. It has some key announcements in there, so I’m reproducing the speech here for those interested …
And this week’s top 10 news stories are:
The City issues Brexit deal demands - The Telegraph
Value of reported fraud in UK financial services falls sharply - Financial Times
But actual incidences increased more than 31%, says study
HSBC chairman: Brexit could trigger 'Jenga tower' of City job loses - The Telegraph
The financial industry is not happy about Brexit - but will have to make the best of it - The Telegraph
The Swiss central bank turned a record-setting loss into a massive profit - Quartz
If 2016 was a bad year, somebody forgot to tell Switzerland’s central bank. It expects to report a profit of 24 billion Swiss francs ($23.6 billion) for 2016, one of its best years ever. This is a major turnaround from 2015, when it recorded its biggest loss in history, of 23 billion francs.
Generation war: Baby boomers v millennials - BBC
What are the financial prospects facing a graduate from 2015 versus a graduate from the 1970s?
Blockchain receives its first big test case - Financial Times
Emerging tech draws group that handles more than $1,500tn of securities a year
Biggest banks in line for $200m regulatory costs - Financial Times
New Basel rules due to come in globally in 2019 will create need for 2,000 staff
City bosses to face MP grilling over Brexit claims - The Telegraph
'A major bank will fail' - BBC
Cybersecurity promises to be major tech theme for 2017, but what are the others?
If you like the Finanser, check out our latest book: ValueWeb
The Financial Services Club is sponsored by:
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...