Countries are starting to settle trade in local currencies rather than U.S. dollars, and warnings of the dire consequences are heating up. They range from serious policy analyses on sanctions to conspiracy theories designed to sell investment information. Interest in the concept of “dedollarization” began to rise toward the end of the first quarter of 2023, spiking up at the … [Read more...] about Dedollarization: A Yuan Tale
Economy
Continuing Disruption
Supply chain disruptions will continue to create uncertainty in the real economy well into next year. This is not my usual Week in FinTech overview. But how current supply chain problems are likely to affect the economy in the coming year made a greater impression on me this week than any of the payments, wealth management, cryptofinance, and related regulatory topics I … [Read more...] about Continuing Disruption
Crypto Investments and Faster Payments Meet the Unbanked and Unequal
Who can easily take advantage of the benefits of digital financial services and who cannot? Taken together, this list of articles and research papers shows that cash is no longer king. They also suggest increasing income inequality. The ticket to the digital economy and its efficiencies and rewards is a bank account. Bridging the gap between cash and digital has policy … [Read more...] about Crypto Investments and Faster Payments Meet the Unbanked and Unequal
2021 FinTech Funding So Far Beats 2020
There's a lot of investment money sloshing around the economy these days, and a record amount is flowing into FinTech projects this year. Most of the data and investment research firms, as well as the FinTech investment banks, suggest that FinTech is well on its way to a record investment year. Some $34 billion flowed into FinTech in Q2, a quarterly record, according to CB … [Read more...] about 2021 FinTech Funding So Far Beats 2020
The Programmable Future of Currency
It’s broadly agreed that the rails that exist for payments – both domestically and globally – are antiquated. While there has been any number of advances and shifts toward digital wrappers and new ways for consumers to move money around, on the backend the payment rails themselves are roughly the same as they were 50 years ago. Those rails have built the backbone for a … [Read more...] about The Programmable Future of Currency
Covid Crisis Leaves Unpredictable Marks on Financial Services
The global pandemic, beyond the crisis it represents for public health, has had a drastic effect on business sectors around the world throughout 2020. And while news that many business goals have been negatively affected for the financial services industry – along with many others – a survey conducted jointly by the UK-based Financial Services Club and US-based Ravco Marketing … [Read more...] about Covid Crisis Leaves Unpredictable Marks on Financial Services