January, 2011

New regulation and technology begs the question what will the bank of the future be? Banking has changed radically over the last decade, and will surely change significantly over the next. A big change was the abolition of Glass-Steagall. But Dodd-Frank...

Markets are changing faster than ever and disruption is a growing challenge for banks. An article from CNN Money predicts that credit cards may soon be as outdated as vinyl records. Creative destruction is hard to resist. While innovation may be the...

Clay Wilson was excited about the start of a new decade, the second of the 21 st century. His start-up company was enjoying its first year of profitability, but he was too tired to drive home. So he put his car on auto-drive. His GPS chose the best route...

My 80 year old father recently sent me a letter. He had been trying to master email, but finally despaired and wrote to me instead in the way he had done throughout his life. Normally my mail consists of bills and brochures. But this letter really stood...

BCG coined the phrase 'two speed world' to describe the difference in growth prospects between the developed and the developing world. [i] [i] Ashley and Lloyd see a world of incremental change and disruption in their new book "Two Speed World." [ii]...

We are in earnings season again, and many banks are reporting flat or weak revenues. After a significant period of expansion ending in crisis, banks are finding current market conditions tough to say the least. Putting customers first is an obvious response...

There's a certain level of risk involved in investing branches with new technology. If the goal is to get closer to customers, it is important that they are wowed and not confused. Before committing to major investments, banks should consider going through...

I bumped into one of my colleagues, Dave, the other day in the office. I was surprised to see him there. "How can you work at home so much," I asked. He replied, "I am better off there. I have my own office, and much better kit." Some of us have better...

The history of computing is one of more and more power using less and less space with an ever more compelling user experience. The CES show in Las Vegas witnessed another chapter in this story yesterday, when Microsoft unveiled its plans to launch the...

A recent conversation with one of the worlds most influential trading desks netted the question, what does the next generation of trading application look like, "what is possible today and where are we going?" Observing a teenager today playing a video...

Brazil is one of the world's coolest countries and greatest economies. While the U.S. payment system remains heavily paper based, Brazil has enjoyed one of the most automated and advanced payment systems anywhere. So it is no surprise to see a Brazilian...

Bank channels are often separate and rarely equal. They are also transaction focused and have changed little over the years. But the technology of user interfaces (UIs) has changed dramatically, creating new opportunities for banks to reach customers...

My early memories of TV involved black and white screens and rabbit ear antennae. Three main TV networks - NBC, CBS and ABC - let advertisers reach 90 percent of U.S. audiences. With the advent of cable, channels proliferated and audiences fragmented...

Almost fifty years ago, pirates controlled the airways. In 1964 a radio station called Radio Caroline challenged the BBC's monopoly by broadcasting popular music from a ship off the coast of England. The Beatles, Rolling Stones, The Who and many other...

High Frequency Trading (HFT) continues to capture headlines even after markets have long since recovered. Since the first Atlantic cable, markets have invested in faster execution - lower latency. So what's the problem? The FSA referenced one - spoofing...

It's 7.30 am Friday morning. In the office snatching moments between messages. A cup of Joe jumpstarts me. I decide to trip across the internet. I take my avatar with me. I hate to dress up and travel alone. Yes, I have my own avatar, custom built...

The first decade of this century has been the warmest on record, while those of us who live in the northern hemisphere must have noticed how cold it now is. These extremes of temperature are symptomatic of a planet getting warmer. If we haven't got the...