Recent Posts
News•Feb 4, 2026
Things Worth Reading: 4th February 2026
Chris Skinner’s roundup highlights a wave of regulatory turbulence and innovation. Peter Mandelson is accused of lobbying for weaker U.S. banking rules, while rising cryptocurrency activity in Iran has prompted tighter U.S. oversight. The UK FCA announced its first fintech cohort under the government’s scale‑up initiative, even as a fintech founder was charged with fraud. Meanwhile, banking‑grade crypto solutions are eroding Bitcoin’s niche, and studies show customers still cling to legacy banks despite digital alternatives, all under the broader lens of AI reshaping work.
By The Finanser
News•Feb 3, 2026
Our Bank Is AI Central
Lloyds Banking Group announced a compulsory AI training programme for its entire 67,000‑strong workforce, targeting 100% AI literacy by the end of 2026. The initiative, backed by a multi‑million‑pound digital modernisation budget, starts with a mandatory module on responsible and...
By The Finanser
News•Feb 1, 2026
The Finanser’s Week: 26th January – 1st February 2026
The Finanser’s weekly roundup (Jan 26‑Feb 1, 2026) spotlights three intertwined themes: the enduring relevance of physical bank branches, the surge of artificial‑intelligence discourse at Davos and in a new White House report, and cultural commentary surrounding Elon Musk’s self‑described alien persona. Articles...
By The Finanser
News•Jan 29, 2026
Why Bank Branches Still Matter
Bank branches in the UK have shrunk dramatically, falling from over 20,000 in the late 1980s to about 6,870 today, with more than 6,600 closures between 2015 and 2024. The Big Five banks collectively shuttered thousands of locations, yet over...
By The Finanser
News•Jan 28, 2026
Things Worth Reading: 28th January 2026
Chris Skinner’s latest reading roundup spotlights several pivotal developments across finance. Chainalysis estimates cryptocurrency‑related money laundering reached $82 billion in 2025, while Revolut secured a full banking licence to launch a digital bank in Mexico. Tether’s CEO envisions the stablecoin as...
By The Finanser
News•Jan 26, 2026
Things Worth Reading: 26th January 2026
The Bank of England publicly acknowledged its inflation forecasting errors, while European regulators flagged systemic risk in life insurers and encouraged banks to re‑engage with Wall Street. In the fintech arena, Titan received a second SEC penalty for exaggerated crypto...
By The Finanser
News•Jan 23, 2026
Is Your Attitude to Money Shaped by Your Genes or Your Learning?
The article revisits the classic nature‑versus‑nurture debate, highlighting landmark twin studies such as the Minnesota Study of Twins Reared Apart and the controversial Louise Wise Services experiment, which underscore strong genetic contributions to behavior and IQ. It contrasts these findings with...
By The Finanser
News•Jan 20, 2026
Things Worth Reading: 20th January 2026
Chris Skinner’s daily roundup spotlights a wave of fintech and crypto headlines, from a $713 million crypto theft to AI‑driven stocks eclipsing digital currencies. It flags quantum‑computing anxieties that led a global investment firm to drop Bitcoin from its coverage, while...
By The Finanser
News•Jan 18, 2026
The Finanser’s Week: 12th January -18th January 2026
The Finanser’s weekly roundup highlights the upcoming release of the author’s new book, “Intelligent Bank,” which tackles the growing wealth divide and its potential to spark social upheaval. It critiques conventional remedies such as communism and wealth redistribution, arguing they...
By The Finanser
News•Jan 13, 2026
Things Worth Reading: 13th January 2026
Chris Skinner’s roundup highlights several pivotal developments shaping finance in early 2026. Bloomberg predicts bots, banking automation and stablecoins will dominate fintech, while Augmentum Fintech’s Tim Levene stresses the pressure to deliver strong investor returns. Former Federal Reserve chairs publicly rebuke...
By The Finanser
News•Jan 12, 2026
My Next New Book: “Intelligent Bank”
“Intelligent Bank” argues that banking is entering a third technological revolution, moving beyond the mainframe and digital eras to an intelligence era driven by AI‑powered insight and delegated decision‑making. The author contends that while digital transformation delivered apps, APIs and...
By The Finanser
News•Jan 5, 2026
What Will Happen in 2026?
Saxo Bank’s eight 2026 forecasts range from a premature quantum‑computing breakthrough that could wreck crypto to a SpaceX IPO that may create a trillion‑dollar space economy. The predictions also include an AI‑run Fortune 500 CEO, a gold‑linked "golden yuan" challenging dollar...
By The Finanser
News•Dec 23, 2025
The Top 10 Blogs of 2025
The Finanser’s 2025 roundup spotlights the year’s most‑read fintech and tech blogs, revealing a shift toward AI‑driven payments, corporate expansion, and crypto policy debates. Notable entries include Stripe’s GPT‑powered payment engine delivering a 15% conversion lift and 30% fraud reduction,...
By The Finanser
News•Dec 23, 2025
Things Worth Reading: 23rd December 2025
Chris Skinner’s December 23 roundup highlights a wave of strategic moves across finance. The UK FCA launched a payments initiative to accelerate “Pay by Bank” adoption, while Mastercard forged Middle‑East alliances to push blockchain innovation. The list also spotlights 2025 fintech...
By The Finanser
News•Dec 22, 2025
A Quick Review of #fintech 2025
FinTech funding worldwide slipped 6% year‑over‑year in Q1‑Q3 2025, with deal count falling 27% to 2,654. Average deal size rose to $24.5 million, highlighting a shift toward larger, later‑stage rounds. While Europe’s funding plunged 42% and the United States saw a...
By The Finanser
News•Dec 22, 2025
Things Worth Reading: 22nd December 2025
Chris Skinner’s "Things worth reading" roundup for December 22, 2025 curates seven high‑impact stories shaping finance. It highlights the Bank of England’s split decision to cut rates, British banks’ race to deploy agentic AI and the regulatory alarms it raises, and a...
By The Finanser
News•Dec 19, 2025
Digital Identity versus Privacy
The post outlines a shift toward privacy‑first behavior as consumers curb personal data sharing and adopt tools like encrypted messaging, VPNs, and tracker‑blocking browsers. Device manufacturers such as Apple, Samsung, and Google are responding by integrating on‑device processing, stricter app...
By The Finanser
News•Dec 19, 2025
The Arguments for and Against Digital Identification
Fintech commentator Chris Skinner outlines the growing push for digital identity systems, citing government initiatives in the UK, the US mobile driver’s licence, and Apple’s Wallet ID. He contrasts these programs with public resistance rooted in privacy fears, especially around...
By The Finanser
News•Dec 19, 2025
Things Worth Reading: 19th December 2025
Chris Skinner’s December 19 2025 roundup curates six fintech stories that illustrate the sector’s evolving landscape. Highlights include Citi’s perspective on funding trends, Aspire’s acquisition of global licences, the emergence of fintech‑driven gambling platforms, HSBC’s £55 million physical‑branch refurbishment, and the Bank of...
By The Finanser
News•Dec 18, 2025
A Great Example of a Terrible UX (#Barclays)
Barclays recently altered its online login flow, forcing users to choose between mobile access and a PINsentry card reader, which many customers mistake for their usual mobile PINsentry method. The ambiguous labeling leads to repeated access failures, wasted time, and...
By The Finanser
News•Dec 18, 2025
Things Worth Reading: 18th December 2025
Chris Skinner’s "Things worth reading" roundup highlights the most consequential fintech stories of December 2025, from the sector’s biggest headlines and a surge in UK hiring to a landmark industry‑communication report. The list also spotlights credit‑debit innovation, the AI compliance...
By The Finanser
News•Dec 17, 2025
Things Worth Reading: 17th December 2025
Chris Skinner’s daily reading roundup spotlights a sweeping set of financial‑sector developments. It highlights the European Central Bank’s ambitious banking‑rules overhaul and a forward‑looking analysis of how central banks should steer through the uncertainty of 2026. The list also captures fintech’s...
By The Finanser