Banks to compete with Google and Amazon! The empire strikes back?

Banks to compete with Google and Amazon! The empire strikes back?

Google and Amazon the next competitors to banks? This is a recurring theme, which has been debated at length (here and here for example) But banks competing with Google or Amazon, that is, shall we say, more daring… But this is exactly what happened last week, when Santander announced that it will offer cloud storage, therefore(…)

Fintech scene in the UK. And in Switzerland. And Germany. And Romandie!

Fintech scene in the UK. And in Switzerland. And Germany. And Romandie!

Marc Bernegger is a Fintech investor (now venture partner at Orange Growth Capital, previously at NextGFI), and previously a serial entrepreneur. Having been in that space for a long time, he is a very insightful observer of the Fintech developments. As a result, the lists he compiled of people in Fintech are extremely useful for anyone(…)

How a Fintech company could lose $200m. In one day.

How a Fintech company could lose $200m. In one day.

A bank can lose money because it takes risks on its balance sheet, but what about a Fintech startup that only acts as an intermediary ? I wrote in a previous article about the financial concept of Principal vs. Agent, and how disruptive finance has seen a lot of companies focus on being Agents, in(…)

Update: Spain now ahead of New York in Fintech!

Update: Spain now ahead of New York in Fintech!

Further to my previous blog on the world ranking of Fintech places based on Twitter followers, there was some healthy discussions that were well summarised by Silvia Mensdorff: @Huynguyentrieu Love the rain of reactions your blog provocateur has sparked. Looking forward to the updated #fintech twitter ranking — Silvia Mensdorff (@silviamensdorff) December 13, 2014   Of(…)

Fintech: London losing ground to Hong Kong and New York, says Twitter

Fintech: London losing ground to Hong Kong and New York, says Twitter

“I want the UK to lead the world in developing Fintech. That’s my ambition – short and sweet.” (George Osborne, UK Chancellor at the launch of Innovate Finance) And as evidenced by the multiple initiatives coming from the Silicon Valley, New York, Amsterdam, Paris, Berlin, Singapore, Hong Kong, Sydney and many others, this is clearly(…)

Startups, how to choose your co-founder ?

Startups, how to choose your co-founder ?

I had the pleasure to present to the students of the Master in Technology Innovation & Entrepreneurship at my alma mater, Ecole Polytechnique in France. Some people say that problems between co-founders is the first source of failure for startups. I don’t know if it’s true, but it’s clear that the “wrong” choice of a(…)

Fintech in Hong Kong: what is the opportunity ?

Fintech in Hong Kong: what is the opportunity ?

I had the pleasure to meet Janos Barberis (known as @FintechHK on Twitter) a while ago, and have been incredibly impressed by what he has achieved. He is clearly one of the biggest fans of Fintech and financial inclusion, and thinks that Hong Kong is the best place to lead new initiatives in finance and(…)

How can startups work with large banks?

How can startups work with large banks?

A piece I wrote for Financial News about the target market for startups, and whether they should target very large financial institutions: “This is a question that often comes back in fintech: what are the target customers for a start-up and should they go after the large banks, insurers, asset managers?…”

SoFi, a p2p lender to watch…

SoFi, a p2p lender to watch…

Lending Club and Prosper are the largest – and most well-known – p2p platforms in the US, but SoFi is certainly one of the most interesting. #119024681 / gettyimages.com   SoFi is a p2p platform based on a simple concept : get alumni of US universities to borrow from other alumni. This obviously facilitates credit(…)

Air France – why it’s so difficult for incumbents to evolve

Air France – why it’s so difficult for incumbents to evolve

I was reading the news about Air France, and it struck me that it was a good example of the challenges faced by an incumbent to evolve. The summary of the situation from Business Insider : ‘Interminable’ Air France strike enters second week Pilots are on strike in protest at Air France’s plans to develop(…)