History

Few of us can forget the terrible attack on Paris in November.  When the Paris attacks took place at the end of last year, I was lucky enough to visit Paris a couple of days later for the annual CARTES conference event. Some firms had pulled out last minute for fear of further attacks, but…

Yesterday was the Bank of England’s 321st birthday.  Created on 27th July 1694, the Bank – as it’s referred to in shortened form – is one of the oldest Central Banks in the world.  It is not the oldest though.  That accolade falls to the Central Bank of Sweden, the Riksbank, created in 1668, although…

In most science fiction movies, there is no money.  The Hollywood visions of the future have wiped out the need for cash, and I’ve blogged before about Gene Roddenberry’s views on money in Star Trek:  “Money is a terrible thing”.  His idea is that money will disappear as we approach space and, as we send rockets…

I’m such a sad banking geek that in my two hours off here in Seoul I ran around to the Bank of Korea’s Money Museum.  Yes, I really am that sad but hey, it was near the hotel and the only thing I could do within walking distance apart from shopping.  Yes, I really am…

Having spent some time talking about life 700 years ago, you relaise that some things stay constant.  The inter-twining between where the powerbase lies and finance is always a close tie.  Back in the Medici era, it was the Vatican and Pope, the Catholic Church and the Holy Roman Empire that enabled the Medici’s to…

Having spent some time talking about life 700 years ago, you relaise that some things stay constant.  The inter-twining between where the powerbase lies and finance is always a close tie.  Back in the Medici era, it was the Vatican and Pope, the Catholic Church and the Holy Roman Empire that enabled the Medici’s to…

I spent some of the recent holiday in Florence, visiting many of the amazing Renaissance buildings, whilst reading a great historical novel about the rise and fall of the Medici bankers in the 15th century. The book is called Medici Money written by Tim Parks, and traces the fame and fortune of five generations of Medici…

I spent some of the recent holiday in Florence, visiting many of the amazing Renaissance buildings, whilst reading a great historical novel about the rise and fall of the Medici bankers in the 15th century. The book is called Medici Money written by Tim Parks, and traces the fame and fortune of five generations of Medici…

I’m just preparing a presentation in Canada and realised that, like most countries, the competitive landscape of Canadian banking has not changed much in the last century. Sure, there’s been some M&A and sure, the big banks are competing hard with each other but, outside that … Here’s the issue: the major banks in most…