Open Banking

Open Banking and the magic illusion of 24x7 availability

13 Nov 2018

“The more things change, the more they stay the same.” The wisdom in this old adage appears to ring true when applied to the early phases of the evolution of Open Banking (or open payments). Especially when you contrast it with the early days of ATM withdrawals; particularly those made in the dead of night so you could pay cash for your after-par

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Do ATMs dream of electric money?

26 Jun 2017

Its nearly half a century since the famous American science fiction writer, Philip K. Dick wrote the novel, "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?", which went on to become the Ridley Scott movie, Blade Runner. (Spoiler alert if you have not seen it). Today also marks the 50th anniversary of the world’s first cash-dispensing ATM (Automate...

The Coin Nudger - will cash ever fall off the edge?

28 Mar 2017

Today's introduction of the new one pound coin has nudged me into contemplation. Isn't it a bit weird that our that society still relies on increasingly complicated metal disks as a way of exchanging value? How deeply rooted is cash in our society? Is it ever likely to be replaced completely by electronic money? A quick consideration of amusement a...

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Was the EBU responsible for the war on cash in Sweden?

13 May 2016

I came across an interesting article about Björn Ulvaeus in this month’s Wired magazine. I hadn’t realized how much of an anti-cash crusader the former Abba star had become. Perhaps the early signs were there - Abba rose to fame with “Waterloo” - possibly a reference to MasterCard, whose European HQ is at Waterloo near Brussels. Bjorn wrote “Money...