I got an interesting update on Monday from Visa Consulting & Analytics (VCA) on the impact that an event has on local community. Their data shows the positive impact that the Winter Olympics is having in Italy: Overseas Visa cardholder visits rose by more than 60%, with the largest share of visitors coming from the……

Things we’re reading today include … How Fintech is Transforming the 2,000-Year Red Packet Tradition Can investors ignore the FTSE 100’s next big bank? France says 1.2 million bank accounts exposed in database breach World’s oldest bank to take over Mediobanca You can bank on it – the branch manager is back Oxford Researcher Warns……

The Figure data breach allowed hackers to steal customer names, dates of birth, physical addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses.

In the last day, I’ve been blown away by two developments coming out of China. One is an AI movie sequence that’s only 15 seconds long; the second was the Spring Festival celebration to welcome the New Year of the Fire Horse. If you haven’t seen them, you need to, because both show how technology……

Things we’re reading today include … Google’s Take on the Future of Fintech: Beyond Neobanks and BNPL JPMorgan Chase plans branch opening spree as peers bet on in-person banking ECB President Lagarde to leave bank before end of her eight-year term, FT reports Big Bank CEOs received serious pay bumps in 2025 Mastercard and Visa……

Things we’re reading today include … European FinTech investments dropped by 11% YoY amid market uncertainties in 2025 UK bank bosses plan to set up Visa and Mastercard alternative amid Trump fears ECB fines Crédit Agricole for failing to address climate risk Lloyds investigating after using staff’s bank account data in pay talks Owners of……

I’ve avoided talking about the Epstein files on this blog. The main reason is that it’s appalling how wealth, power and connections can get away with anything they want. The worst part of it, for me, was a report that Donald Trump watched a 13-year-old girl give birth to a baby girl who was then……

Hartmut Neven, Founder and Lead of Google Quantum AI, has recently written a critical perspective on securing the “Quantum Era”, alongside his colleague Kent Walker, President of Global Affairs for Google and Alphabet. What do these guys know that you don’t? Perhaps, most critically, the fact that the near-term revolution of computing – quantum –……

Things we’re reading today include … Barclays CEO ‘shocked’ by Epstein revelations as bank deals with Staley fallout DWP given ‘extensive’ new powers to spy on YOUR bank balance as watchdog issues warning We Asked 300 Finance Leaders What’s Next in Fintech. Here’s What They Said UK fintech investment hits pandemic low despite Revolut boost……

Things we’re reading today include … Traditional banks’ market share to slump to 65% by 2030, says Bain ‘Likes to have cash’: Inside Deutsche Bank’s slow split from Epstein UK Fintech Funding Sinks to Five-Year Low Despite Revolut As some tech stocks tumble, cryptocurrency goes over a cliff JPMorgan: Bullish on the cryptocurrency market, predicting……