Hamish Monk - Community Author: Finextra Research

Hamish Monk Senior Reporter at Finextra

How to prepare for DORA

As the result of a partiality for fierce innovation, the financial sector is increasingly dependent on technology to deliver its offering. The sector has therefore become highly vulnerable to cyber-attacks and other digital ‘slip-ups’. If not handled correctly, a compromised IT system could spark a knock-on disruption to financial services, the co...

16 May 2024 /regulation

Hamish Monk Senior Reporter at Finextra

How to leverage quantum computing

Earlier this year, researchers devised a breakthrough method for creating supremely pure silicon – the fundamental material in quantum computers. Imperfections in existing silicone mean that today’s quantum computers can maintain coherence (or more simply, operation) for only a fraction of a second. This newly-created, ultra-pure element sustains ...

14 May 2024 /devops

Ukraine’s crypto adoption: Why alternative finance is increasingly vital

Hamish Monk Senior Reporter at Finextra

Ukraine’s crypto adoption: Why alternative finance is increasingly vital

For those well-read on the economic and financial pressures induced by conflict, it will come as no surprise that Ukraine ranks highly in CryptoCasino’s recent survey of cryptocurrency adoption globally. Researchers analysed each country against four key metrics: percentage of the population holding cryptocurrency, the cost and profit of mining o...

10 May 2024 /crypto

Hamish Monk Senior Reporter at Finextra

How to recover from a data breach

On 7th May, several China-sponsored cyber-attacks on the Ministry of Defence (MoD) compromised data from its outsourced payroll system, SSCL (a subsidiary of Paris-based Sopra Steria) – exposing the names and banking information of 270,000 past and present military personnel from the Royal Navy, Army, Royal Air Force. In the wake of this news, Fin...

09 May 2024 /security

Understanding ethical AI: Why financial services are leading the charge

Hamish Monk Senior Reporter at Finextra

Understanding ethical AI: Why financial services are leading the charge

Unlike the preceding technological revolutions of history – perhaps with the exception of the third, computation – artificial intelligence has the potential to move into almost any industry and, critically, supplement or replace white collar work. There is no precedent for a technological development of this size, which is why the battle plans of ...

03 May 2024 /regulation

Creating a boundaryless experience: Maximising value for all stakeholders

Hamish Monk Senior Reporter at Finextra

Creating a boundaryless experience: Maximising value for all stakeholders

For too long, financial players have focused on simply selling better products or services than their competitors. This approach fails to acknowledge the unique and multifarious needs of individual customers. With the xTech revolution and the emergence of embedded finance, boundaries between industries – and sometimes competitors – are beginning to...

21 June 2022 /devops

The Future of Payments: New means of customer authentication

Hamish Monk Senior Reporter at Finextra

The Future of Payments: New means of customer authentication

This is an excerpt from Finextra’s report, ‘The Future of Payments 2022: The Cutting Edge of Digital Payments.’ With the rising cost of living, and the squeeze on finances anticipated in the coming months and years, fraudsters are going to double down on their attempts to extract more money out of consumers. Unfortunately, it is the most vulnerable...

20 June 2022 /payments

Sustainable finance, data, and technology: The way forward for a climate resilient future

Hamish Monk Senior Reporter at Finextra

Sustainable finance, data, and technology: The way forward for a climate resilient future

Financial institutions around the globe are increasingly responding to stakeholder demands on sustainability and environmental, social and governance (ESG) actions by articulating a corporate purpose and explaining how that purpose will drive their decision making. Sustainability within the context of banking and financial services manifests in tw...

14 June 2022 /sustainable

The Future of Digital Identity 2022: Equitable development and accessing digital identity

Hamish Monk Senior Reporter at Finextra

The Future of Digital Identity 2022: Equitable development and accessing digital identity

This is an excerpt from Finextra’s report, ‘The Future of Digital Identity 2022: Inclusive, secure, fit for purpose.’ The ability to prove one’s identity will soon be foundational to accessing many life-enhancing services, including healthcare, education, and in particular, financial services. Yet, 1.5 billion people around the world still do not h...

26 May 2022 /identity

World Earth Day 2022: How are banks progressing with their afforestation pledges?

Hamish Monk Senior Reporter at Finextra

World Earth Day 2022: How are banks progressing with their afforestation pledges?

In the world of sustainability, planting trees has, arguably, captured the public’s imagination most – and received plenty of attention from financial institutions. Trees provide the planet with oxygen, they sequester carbon, and stabilise the soil so that much of the world’s wildlife can live. To boost the planet’s ever-decreasing stock of trees,...

22 April 2022 /sustainable

TCFD and the IPCC report: Are we still missing a piece of the net-zero puzzle?

Hamish Monk Senior Reporter at Finextra

TCFD and the IPCC report: Are we still missing a piece of the net-zero puzzle?

It has been a busy week for the world of sustainable finance. The working group three report, as part of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)’s sixth assessment, was released – which explores viable options for robust carbon removal, and stresses the importance of carbon pricing. On top of this, as of 6th April, over 1,300 of the l...

08 April 2022 /sustainable

For and against a four-day work week: How will the financial sector fare?

Hamish Monk Senior Reporter at Finextra

For and against a four-day work week: How will the financial sector fare?

British economist, John Maynard Keynes, predicted in 1930 that successive generations would enjoy more free time than his generation could possibly imagine. Even the basic concept of the weekend – brought about by the gruelling working conditions of the Industrial Revolution – was relatively new to the UK when Keynes was born. Today, thanks to in...

28 March 2022 /people

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