Actually, Apacs didn't point out that some banks are making the schemes mandatory - it managed to forget that detail in the press release.
22 Sep 2008 16:17 Read comment
James Gardner has just given me a bit of a pasting on his BankerVision blog over this (light-hearted) post.
In the interests of fairness, I'd recommend reading his piece outlining why it's perfectly sensible to make these kind of cost cutting moves.
27 Aug 2008 14:05 Read comment
Thanks for pointing that out William. I can only apologise to the good people of Albany.
To quote Mr Spitzer: "I am deeply sorry that I did not live up to what was expected of me."
11 Jul 2008 09:32 Read comment
Virgin came across some scepticism when it announced the card, with some suggesting it was a rushed attempt to combat Barclaycard’s Breathe offering.
Is it cynical to suggest Virgin might have failed to think it through and consult everyone affected? Is it now attempting to gloss over a climb down by making noises on mobile payments?
18 Jun 2008 13:47 Read comment
Away from the US battle, MasterCard confirmed today it will comply with the EC's order to scrap fees for intra-EAA cross-border transactions from 21 June.
Hardly surprising considering the Commission threatened back in December to impose daily penalty payments of 3.5% of MasterCard's daily global turnover if it didn't do as it was told within six months.
MasterCard hasn't given up though and says it will continue to pursue the appeal it launched in March.
Still, there's no doubt that they're getting some serious heat on both sides of the Atlantic.
12 Jun 2008 16:51 Read comment
Perhaps it is a sign of growing confidence in Brazil that the country's biggest IT services provider, Politec, said last month it will use some of the cash from an $80 million investment by Mitsubishi to try and crack the US market.
Not content with just picking up offshore work, the firm plans to open offices in Atlanta, Miami and New York over the next three years, creating hundreds of US jobs.
28 May 2008 15:55 Read comment
Hi Sriram
There's certainly plenty of information in there - we actually used some stats from the UK survey for a story about a month ago.
I agree with you on the likely general trend - richer a country is the more fearful its citizens.
One thing that struck me was the fact that for all four security areas you outline the UK's fear score was down on the previous study.
So, are Brits growing in confidence or maybe just resigned to having their identities stolen, jobs disappear and health fall apart?
28 May 2008 14:19 Read comment
I'd second that.
However, at an event on ID fraud I attended yesterday (as the story broke) a representative from the government’s Identity and Passport Service, which is responsible for the identity card scheme, was trying to sell the whole project as a vital tool in the fight against fraud.
I felt a bit sorry for her – not the best day to make the argument!
21 Nov 2007 16:58 Read comment
Some figures HSBC gave me on the Leeds office solar panel experiment -
Between December 2006 and June 2007:
Another pilot site - HSBC group management training college at Bricket Wood - began in June 2006 and has saved the bank $4,300.
HSBC has also just appointed Sir Nicholas Stern as a climate change advisor. Last year Stern wrote a report on the subject for the British government that highlighted the economic threat posed by climate change. He claimed that the cost of reducing emissions would be about 1% of global gross domestic product but the cost of inaction would be 5% - 20%.
Figures like those are bound to get the attention of big banks.
02 Jul 2007 15:04 Read comment
I confess that the tone was a little controversial.
I don't think that all French people are lazy. What I do think is that, due to government policy rather than inate characteristics, there is a difference in attitude between workers in France and the UK.
But my argument seems to be completely demolished by statistics that show that the UK's productivity performance, on a (GDP) per worker basis, is lower than France's.
Like Peter I tend to agree that in the UK we work far too hard and that France may well have a better balance.
However, the election of Sarkozy (whose politics I completely disagree with) does seem to indicate that many in France believe that things need to change.
25 May 2007 09:02 Read comment
Innovation in Financial Services
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Stefano PerciballiSales Director at Finextra
Gary WrightHead of Research at Finextra
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