“TOP READS OF THE WEEK” (for week ending 30 July)

This week’s top reads in banking, fintech, payments, cybersecurity, AI, IoT, risk management and much more

In this weeks selection;

Top Reads

• Visualized: The Biggest Ponzi Schemes in Modern History
• The Emerging Paths Of Quantum Computing
• Neobank HMBradley shifts to invite-only, seeks more partner banks
• How 3 critical infrastructure security executives manage vulnerabilities
• Swift takes on low-value cross-border payments
• FX risk: Identifying exposure through a Currency Map
• Should employers pay for home internet during remote work?
• Fiserv, Goldman strike pact on cross-border payments
• A new leaf for the bank branch
• Mobile wallet use projected to surge
• OT cyberattacks could threaten human safety by 2025: Gartner
• Solving Big AI’s big energy problem
• Payment fintechs attract record $5B
• Ransomware, supply chain attacks put cyber insurers on notice
• Biden Directs Agencies to Develop Cybersecurity Standards for Critical Infrastructure
• Simplifying Small Business Payments
• Data-breached companies face higher bank lending costs
• PayPal builds services as EBay breaks away
• Google Pay taps Marqeta for virtual card
• Data breach costs hit record high due to pandemic

From our Blog

• What New ATM Transaction Types are Consumers Interested in?
• Carlos Ghosn: the rise and fall of a superstar CEO - FT Film
• SWIFT Go - near real-time cross-border payments
• How TikTok's Algorithm Figures You Out - WSJ

“TOP READS OF THE WEEK” (for week ending 23 July)

This week’s top reads in banking, fintech, payments, cybersecurity, AI, IoT, risk management and much more

In this weeks selection;

Top Reads

• Need to Fit Billions of Transistors on a Chip? Let AI Do It
• The DeFi Hype: Why it matters
• London fintech funding soars in first half of the year
• Banks demand high bar for fintech access to Fed services
• Wells Fargo lays out two-wave strategy for office return
• Why cybersecurity keeps payments executives up at night
• REvil vanished from the internet. But ransomware attackers never fully disappear
• Yellen urges regulators to 'act quickly' on stablecoins
• Visa makes another big bet on fintech, buying UK payments start-up Currencycloud
• Cybersecurity risk: The number of employees going around IT security may surprise you
• How Compliance Professionals Should Shape AI Regulations in Finance
• "Never Trust, Always Verify": Why Your Business Needs to Adopt Zero Trust Principles for Cybersecurity
• Data breach fears cloud optimism as open banking expands
• How to keep business operations running after a cyber incident
• Apple Pay Later's Target: Startups Or Issuers?
• Failed payments cost North American banks $33.7B in 2020: report
• Biden administration readies 3 initiatives to curb ransomware
• Neobank HMBradley shifts to invite-only, seeks more partner banks
• Card companies go green, but hurdles remain
• Cybersecurity is the next frontier for AI and ML
• 8 Fintech Trends Changing Banking Forever

From our Blog

• Consumer Adoption of Voice-Activated Payments is Tepid
• Why Microsoft keeps beating Apple and Google with Windows
• Ranking the Top Used Payment Services for Online Shopping
• Facebook Pay’s Expansion Plans Might Get No ‘Likes’ From Big Tech Rivals
• COVID-19 and its Impact on the Asia Pacific Commercial Credit Card Market

“TOP READS OF THE WEEK” (for week ending 16 July)

This week’s top reads in banking, fintech, payments, cybersecurity, AI, IoT, risk management and much more

In this weeks selection;

Top Reads

• NFTs - A hype or a lasting new investment asset class?
• CBDCs could give 'clean slate' for cross-border payments, BIS report says
• 'Black Swan' author Nassim Taleb says bitcoin is worth zero and fails as a currency and a hedge
• As SPAC Deals Fade, Banking And FinTech IPOs Step Into Listings Spotlight
• Visa rolls out BNPL for merchants
• PMorgan Suggests Adoption of Bitcoin as Legal Tender Might Break Bitcoin and Hurt El Salvador
• CFPB fines home improvement fintech GreenSky $2.5M, orders $9M in refunds
• China says measures applied to Ant Group to be imposed on other payment firms
• Iranian Hackers Posing as Scholars Target Professors and Writers in Middle-East
• Citi's Q2 profit jumps more than fivefold, but revenue slumps
• Want to quickly recover from ransomware? Plan ahead
• Wells Fargo charges ahead to $6B Q2 profit
• Bank of America's Q2 profit soars as low interest rates dent revenue
• JPMorgan's Q2 profit more than doubles amid slight drop in revenue
• Private credit joins private equity to freeze out banks
• Intuit's new Quickbooks card-reader joins the POS payments fray
• Behind the Firewall: How 6 security execs screen vendors

From our Blog

• Fintechs are becoming part of the establishment
• Using CBDCs for enhanced cross-border payments
• The end of Chinese Bitcoin mining
• Apple Working On 'Apple Pay Later' Monthly Installment Offering
• Non Fungible Tokens - a comprehensive overview

The end of Chinese Bitcoin mining

The Chinese government's clampdown has forced most Bitcoin miners offline.

In May, a government committee tasked with promoting financial stability vowed to put a stop to bitcoin mining. Within weeks the authorities in four main mining regions—Inner Mongolia, Sichuan, Xinjiang and Yunnan—ordered the closure of local projects.

China had accounted for about 65% of bitcoins earned through mining, according to the Cambridge Bitcoin Electricity Consumption Index. But analysts think about 90% of its mining has now ceased.  

Read the full story "Deep in rural China, bitcoin miners are packing up" from The Economist. HERE

“TOP READS OF THE WEEK” (for week ending 9 July)

This week’s top reads in banking, fintech, payments, cybersecurity, AI, IoT, risk management and much more

In this weeks selection;

Top Reads

• Banks prepare for 2021's second act with office-return, banker-pay pledges
• Cloud targeted in widespread brute force campaign
• Cybersecurity Ignorance Is Dangerous
• Risk management rises to No. 1 accounting priority during pandemic: ACCA
• Wells Fargo shuts down personal lines of credit
• Bank of America becomes last US SIFI to make crypto push
• Kaseya: What's known (and unknown) about the ransomware attack
• Tech savviness soars following pandemic but personal touch still key to customer experience
• If open banking were a colour - it would be green
• DeFi Is Ready to Disrupt Fintech
• World’s First Mobile Banking Service for Migrants MAJORITY Expands to the US
• Chime, Current lead U.S. banking app downloads in first half of 2021: report
• Paysafe builds up online betting, gaming payments systems
• Crypto exchange Binance responds to Barclays move to halt payments
• The pandemic pushed us toward a cashless economy. It could be the new normal
• Clash over debit card routing persists in comments to Fed

From our Blog

• Regulating digital payment services and e-money
• Could digital currencies make money more fragile?
• Could digital currencies put banks out of business? - The Economist
• Robinhood Warns of Meme Frenzy & Britain Wins Key Tax Exemption
• Facebook Rolls Out Live Audio Rooms, Its Competitor To Clubhouse

“TOP READS OF THE WEEK” (for week ending 2 July)

This week’s top reads in banking, fintech, payments, cybersecurity, AI, IoT, risk management and much more

In this weeks selection;

Top Reads

• Robinhood agrees to pay nearly $70M in FINRA settlement
• Will Artificial Intelligence Robots Do the Majority of Our Work in the Coming Decade?
• British regulator warns Binance to halt UK activity
• Citi launches digital assets unit, confirming crypto plans
• On-demand pay catches on, but scrutiny persists
• New consumer tech gadgets modernize payments
• Quarles: Fed-backed currency poses 'significant' risks, 'unclear' benefits
• How multi-accelerated Kenyan fintech startup Kwara is building an international operation
• Critical goods industries face existential ransomware decisions
• Users Clueless About Cybersecurity Risks: Study
• Whistleblowers risk getting nothing from bankrupt companies
• Scant evidence that cyber insurance boom is leading to better security
• Automating invoices becomes a hot payments play

From our Blog

• CBDC and Cryptocurrencies are NOT the same
• Is the rush to CBDCs just a fad driven by FOMO?
• CBDCs and the opportunities for the monetary system
• Key Steps on the Road to Digital Modernization in Corporate Banking
• Crypto: will the bitcoin dream succeed?

“TOP READS OF THE WEEK” (for week ending 25 June)

This week's top reads in banking, fintech, payments, cybersecurity, AI, IoT, risk management and much more

In this weeks selection;

Top Reads

• Attacks against container supply chains grow more sophisticated
• Legacy medical devices, growing hacker threats create perfect storm of cybersecurity risks
• BIS report shows growing divide on crypto
• Gensler says alternative to LIBOR poses risk of manipulation
• HSBC to sell French retail banking operations to Cerberus-backed entity
• PayPal to increase merchant fees in August
• Buy now-pay later drawbacks emerge for consumers, study says
• Morgan Stanley to bar unvaccinated staff from NY offices starting July 12
• VPN exploitation rose in 2020, organizations slow to patch critical flaws
• Mastercard faces pushback over ex-CEO's $27.7M pay package
• Visa pilots US merchant phone-tap system

From our Blog

• Elon Musk: CO2 saint or sinner? - FT Film
• Regulators Probe Market Amid Rising Meme Stocks
• Bitcoin Price Falters on China Crackdown
• Did covid-19 leak from a Chinese lab? - The Economist

Elon Musk: CO2 saint or sinner? - FT Film

 

The electric car revolutionary has built a reputation as a clean energy champion. But SpaceX has never fitted in with Musk's green image. Now the tech billionaire is driving the energy-hungry crypto market. FT writers and experts weigh his climate record, both good and bad, and ask whether his green status stacks up. 

You can read more at https://www.ft.com/climate-capital

“TOP READS OF THE WEEK” (for week ending 18 June)

The latest top reads in banking, fintech, payments, cybersecurity, AI, IoT, risk management and much more

In this weeks selection;

Top Reads

• The Merging Of Human And Machine. Two Frontiers Of Emerging Technologies
• Banks' pandemic-era flexibility reaches its pivot point
• Are Consumers Ready for a World Without Bank Branches?
• AI Will Fuel the Financial-Services Revolution. Here's What to Know
• Basel suggests strictest risk weighting for crypto
• Gig economy workers gravitating to faster pay
• Morgan Stanley, Bank of America CEOs break relative silence on office returns
• The Biggest Business Risks Around the World in 2021
• How payments became a magnet for money
• Mastercard faces pushback over executive pay
• Overlap concerns grow as more federal cyber officials join the ranks
• CFOs rethinking cost savings of just-in-time supply chains
• JPMorgan to buy robo-adviser Nutmeg to bolster UK footprint
• Visa pilots US merchant phone-tap system
• CFOs rethinking cost savings of just-in-time supply chains

From our Blog

• What are today's biggest business risks?
• ESG - What is next and what do you need to do?
• Who is going to win the digital money competition?
• Elon Musk’s Power Over Crypto, Explained - WSJ
• Crypto: will the bitcoin dream succeed? - The Economist

“TOP READS OF THE WEEK” (for week ending 11 June)

The latest top reads in banking, fintech, payments, cybersecurity, AI, IoT, risk management and much more

In this weeks selection;

Top Reads

• Consumer spending changes likely to stick, Visa says
• SCOTUS limits scope of computer fraud law. Here's the business impact
• 4 questions to ask after discovering a cyberattack
• Second Circuit overturns challenge to OCC fintech charter
• Tech experts discuss the three-year anniversary of GDPR
• Banks Don’t Have To Innovate
• What to consider before paying a ransom
• Clear Junction: The Payments Revolution Starts with 5G
• Fujifilm refuses to pay ransomware demand, relies on backups
• Bad actors hide in everyday IT tools, complicating detection
• 'Super-apps' are the next evolutionary step for financial services
• Billions of passwords leaked online from past data breaches
• 'Super-apps' are the next evolutionary step for financial services
• JBS paid hackers $11M ransom to avoid further disruption
• Basel suggests strictest risk weighting for crypto

From our Blog

• Greensill, Gupta and Cameron: what went wrong - FT Film
• The Month Coronavirus Unraveled American Business - A WSJ Documentary
• "Banks Don’t Have To Innovate" - Why not?
• Risk and compliance knowledge in Fintech is a superpower
• How to deal with big tech - The Economist
• How the Facebook digital currency dream has changed - CNBC Reports

“TOP READS OF THE WEEK” (for week ending 4 June)

The latest top reads in banking, fintech, payments, cybersecurity, AI, IoT, risk management and much more

In this weeks selection;

Top Reads

• The Pandemic's not over yet. Here's what will dominate compliance & risk for the remainder of 2021.
• Biden budget proposes $58B to take on legacy tech, cybersecurity
• Behind the Firewall: 4 cyber executives on security disasters they avoided
• AI is learning how to create itself
• PayPal invests $50M more in Black, Latinx funds
• Cash wallets are the future of fintech
• Moving from value to values: an ESG assessment
• Inside Wells Fargo's struggle with worker safety during the pandemic
• Opinion: The Fintech Express Is Leaving Women Behind
• Bank of America's mortgage bankers are quitting in frustration over call quotas, cross-selling mandates, and a new compensation scheme that shortchanges top producers
• Should Central Banks Worry About Facebook's Diem and Alibaba's Alipay?
• Rethink risk management programs post-SolarWinds, experts say
• Hackers Exploit Post-COVID Return to Offices
• White House steps in as JBS ransomware interrupts consumer supply chain 
• Forget the piggy bank, Till Financial’s kids’ spend management app gets Gates’ backing
  

From our Blog

• Could digital currencies put banks out of business?
• Kaspersky finds that cryptomining malware was up, financial malware down in Q1 2021
• Cybersecurity: Are false positives real?
• We know what you did during lockdown
  

“TOP READS OF THE WEEK” (for week ending 28 May)

The latest top reads in CBDC, banking, fintech, payments, cybersecurity, AI, IoT, risk management and much more

In this weeks selection;

Top Reads

• Fed Guidelines Look to Curb Fintechs Before They Run Wild
• Major payments trade group weighs in on CBDC development
• SWIFT Assesses What Roles It Could Play in Future CBDC Ecosystem
• CBDC – 3 reasons to just say no
• CNA Financial's reported $40M ransom payment likely a record
• Fed paper this summer aims to spur 'broad conversation' on CBDC
• HSBC CEO says Bitcoin not for us
• Ransomware seen as top cyberthreat as extortion demands, payouts soar
• AI Is Everywhere — Should We Be Excited or Concerned?
• Cyber premiums rise as insurers struggle to assess risk, GAO says
• CFOs can be on the hook for investigations — even after they leave
• Square may soon offer small-business checking and savings accounts, app code shows
• Fintechs attack cross-border business payments as banks and legacy players rush to innovate
• Twitter looks to add e-commerce features, CFO says
• Pinning ransomware gangs is a game of 'whack-a-mole'
• Expert: Biden's executive order on cybersecurity is a good start toward protecting organizations
• AI will yield biggest return in CFO spending during coming decade: Gartner

From our Blog

• Why central banks want to launch digital currencies
• Is Google Pay Safe? What to Need to Know About This Payment App
• Follow the money - Smart money is going into cash
• Fintechs focus on cross-border business payments
• Is AI a race to be won?
• Phone Call Scams—And How to Protect Yourself

Why CBDC's may not be such a good idea

Samson Williams sets out 3 reasons why CBDC (Central Bank Digital Currency) may not be such a good idea.

• 96% of current currency is already digital.
• Digital Currencies, as conceptualized under CBDC would be programmable and “programmable” money is a problem.
• Cash is King.   

Read the full article HERE. 

“TOP READS OF THE WEEK” (for week ending 21 May)

The latest top reads in banking, fintech, payments, cybersecurity, AI, IoT, risk management and much more

In this weeks selection;

Top Reads

• Is Bitcoin worth the energy and environmental costs?
• WannaCry lesson still echoes: Patch
• US Digital Banking Report: How 4 Companies Have Created and Own Niches in a Very Crowded Category
• DarkSide ransomware group suffers setbacks following Colonial Pipeline attack
• Colonial Pipeline hack highlights grid disruption risks even with IT-focused cyberattack
• Facebook-backed Diem withdraws FINMA application, shifts to US
• Bank of America to pay $75M to settle class action on overdraft fees
• US banks could cut 200,000 jobs over next decade, top analyst says
• COVID's silver lining: The race to cloud-based cybersecurity quickens
• What executives are saying about the future of hybrid work
• China bans financial, payment institutions from cryptocurrency business

From our Blog

• Are banks still needed?
• American Branch Banking is dying - Why?
• The Clearing House urges firms to buy into its real-time system
• Significant Cyber Attacks from 2006-2020

“TOP READS OF THE WEEK” (for week ending 14 May)

The latest top reads in banking, fintech, payments, cybersecurity, AI, IoT, risk management and much more

In this weeks selection;

Top Reads

• A future with fewer banks
• How fintech will eat into banks’ business
• Google Pay launches P2P cross-border payments
• Revlon says it has replaced Citi as agent on revolver loan
• Colonial Pipeline disconnects OT systems to silo ransomware IT threat
• Researchers say they've uncovered a massive Facebook bot farm from the 2020 rlection
• Lessons from a Bank Chief Transformation Officer
• Cybersecurity Fosters Competitive Advantage - Security Boulevard
• Artificial Intelligence is the Most Disruptive Technology of the Century
• The Best Malware Removal and Protection Software for 2021
• Cybersecurity: These two basic flaws make it easy for hackers to break into your systems
• How to Accept WhatsApp's New Policy Manually
• BABB Is Building a Mobile Bank on Blockchain Tech — But Sticking With Fiat
• McDonald's Workers Will Strike for $15 an Hour in 15 Cities
• The digital currencies that matter
• 'We cannot stay still': Inside Green Dot's path to BaaS growth
• Traditional banks mirror challengers with new digital offerings
• Pandemic altered consumers' payment patterns; US lags globally in contactless, study finds
• Traditional banks mirror challengers with new digital offerings
• LendingClub Teams With FinTron On Mobile Banking

From our Blog

• Cryptocurrency fuels ransomware payments
• Managing Inflation Risk
• High-Frequency Trading: A Sociologist’s Take
• Robinhood’s Big Gamble

Here comes official e-money

Technology has changed everything. Bitcoin has moved from being a gimmick to a supposed “financial asset”. The stock market, once the preserve of the specialist broker has become the stomping ground of the digital day trader, and have become a real force on Wall Street. China’s digital payments giants are being closely pursued by America’s PayPal. With its 392 million users, PayPal has become a force in its own right.

Now, a new development, barely noticed on the murky frontier between technology and finance could become the most revolutionary of them all. The government digital currency.

Imagine if people could deposit directly with the central bank; conventional lenders would be completely sidelined.

Government digital currency or “Govcoins” are a new manifestation of plain old fashioned money, those coins and notes we all know so well.

“Govcoins” not only promise to make finance work better, they have the potential to upend the financial system.

The last decade has seen a revolution in banking and payment systems. Experiments abound.

Read the full story HERE.