Paige McNamee - Community Author: Finextra Research

The future of payments: Digitising identity

As almost one billion people lack a formal means of identification, and almost half of the entire global population have some form of ID but no digital trail, calls to rectify this situation are wide and intensifying. In addition to the humanitarian factor, opportunity for value creation through the development and delivery of digital identity pla...

30 June 2021 /identity

The future of payments: Digital currencies for a digital future

Paige McNamee

The future of payments: Digital currencies for a digital future

While neither the ECB nor the Bank of England have outlined a final decision on pursuing a CBDC, the central banks are actively researching the digital currency proposition and public discourse tends to suggest that CBDC is inevitable in one form or another. In the US, regulators have historically been loudly critical of digital currencies, howeve...

25 June 2021 /crypto

The future of payments: An open future for finance

Paige McNamee

The future of payments: An open future for finance

The push from open banking toward the more encompassing approach of open finance is being driven by several elements, from consumer pressure to regulatory obligations to greater awareness around privacy concerns. However, there is by no means a unanimous approach to open banking, and certain players believe that we are at different stages of compl...

22 June 2021 /regulation

Is UK open banking mature enough to survive without the OBIE?

Paige McNamee

Is UK open banking mature enough to survive without the OBIE?

In March 2021 the CMA launched its consultation on the future governance of open banking, a process in which the Open Banking Implementation Entity (OBIE) sits firmly at the centre. On May 17, the CMA published an update featuring consultation responses from key stakeholders, and a final decision as to the future strategic direction is expected to...

09 June 2021 /regulation

Why collaboration remains central to agile digital banking

Paige McNamee

Why collaboration remains central to agile digital banking

The pressure to transform and innovate is constantly increasing for financial institutions. At the same time banks and building societies are faced with the risk of being held hostage by the limitations of their own platform. To become more agile, financial institutions have now recognised the urgency of collaborating with the leading minds across...

01 June 2021 /retail

Why the Phone-paid Services Authority is resetting its regulatory approach

Paige McNamee

Why the Phone-paid Services Authority is resetting its regulatory approach

The Phone-paid Services Authority, the PSA, is the UK regulator for content, goods and services charged to a phone bill. This encompasses the goods and services that can be bought by charging the cost to the phone bill or pre-pay account and typically include charity donations by text, music streaming, broadcast competitions, directory enquiries, ...

25 May 2021 /regulation

What does the FCA’s consultation into SPAC listings mean for UK fintech?

Paige McNamee

What does the FCA’s consultation into SPAC listings mean for UK fintech?

The FCA’s four-week consultation into Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (SPACs) has begun, with decisions around strengthening investor protections expected to be announced and in place by early summer 2021. The consultation which proposes to amend rules to allow an alternative approach for listed SPACs comes at an inflection point in the glob...

12 May 2021 /regulation

Greensill’s demise is not enough to dampen UK's fintech spirits

Paige McNamee

Greensill’s demise is not enough to dampen UK's fintech spirits

As Greensill Capital’s spectacular fall from grace continues to play out in Westminster, questions are circling around what the potential ramifications of its demise signify for UK fintech. In the same week that Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced several updates to the UK’s CBDC strategy and confirmed that recommendations set out in The Kalifa Revie...

23 April 2021 /regulation

Is the Bank of England’s CBDC announcement overdue?

Paige McNamee

Is the Bank of England’s CBDC announcement overdue?

Chancellor Rishi Sunak recently announced several significant updates to enhance the UK’s competitive advantage in fintech, one of which pertains to exploration of a retail central bank digital currency (CBDC). A CBDC is a central bank-issued digital money, denominated in the national unit of account, representing a liability of the central bank a...

21 April 2021 /regulation

Will boosting the UK Government's role in fintech drive tangible change?

Paige McNamee

Will boosting the UK Government's role in fintech drive tangible change?

Incoming Finextra Contributor Lord Chris Holmes, Member of the UK House of Lords, recognises the role fintech will play into the future of UK financial services and is loudly championing its cause. Finextra’s conversation with Holmes could not be more timely. While Ron Kalifa OBE’s comprehensive review into Fintech in the UK was welcomed by the in...

22 March 2021 /regulation

EBAday 2021: Striving for strong instant payments uptake

Paige McNamee

EBAday 2021: Striving for strong instant payments uptake

At the heart of the European Commission’s Retail Payments Strategy lies the ambition to bolster progress toward instant payments, calling for a full uptake via SEPA Instant Credit Transfers (SCT Inst) by the end of 2021. More than 50 instant payment schemes currently exist around the world, and while the manner in which consumer payments leverage i...

19 March 2021 /payments

An in-depth look into the Kalifa Fintech Review ahead of the 2021 Budget

Paige McNamee

An in-depth look into the Kalifa Fintech Review ahead of the 2021 Budget

The release of Ron Kalifa OBE’s Review into the future of UK fintech set off a tidal wave of support across the industry. The Review outlines a plan to “bolster” the UK’s dominance in a global setting, and warns that “the trajectory of UK fintech is at an inflection point of opportunity – and risk. While the UK’s position is well established, its...

02 March 2021 /regulation

Long reads