Nigeria in political chaos leading up to Feb election


The election is coming Feb 25th, 2023. Unfortunately this country that 10-20 years ago was a leader of world emerging economies is being crippled by somewhat incoherent political directions with demonstrations all kinds of creativity during the election lead up, and which directly affect millions of Nigerians in the country of almost 300 million. The most impactful pre election change was a decision to replace certain bank notes with a new currency. The Central Bank failed to adequately prepare. The result is a cash shortage with the most visible symptom of people sleeping overnight outside ABM’s in hope they can … Continue reading Nigeria in political chaos leading up to Feb election

Cyber Security – Zero Trust and Persistence Theory


Something that as bothered me for a long time is the ease with which bad actors can gain access to important infrastructure such as banks. It can be as simple as a click on a link by an employee that takes them to a potentially innocuous application: but he bad actor has gained access and can sit there doing nothing for months or years. The key is that they have access and can use that for malicious attacks later. Security strategy today at banks tends to follow applications or products and leave the bank open to many attacks vectors. Zero … Continue reading Cyber Security – Zero Trust and Persistence Theory

Crypto problems summarised – SEC Chief


Crypto businesses don’t properly safeguard customer assets and often mix them with their own funds. This according to US Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Gary Gensler, who was especially blunt in his assessment of the embattled asset class and its proponents. “This is largely a noncompliant field,” Gensler said in an interview with Bloomberg Television. “They’re commingling customer funds with their businesses.” The negativity from the SEC chief is nothing new. For months he’s been warning of the potential dangers posed by the industry. The regulator has asserted that many tokens and crypto products are really just securities that trade … Continue reading Crypto problems summarised – SEC Chief

Digital Money, Decentralized Finance, and the Puzzle of Crypto


The Global Interdependence Center La Jolla, California Thoughts crypto ecosystem on the Crypto Ecosystem Remarks by Christopher J. Waller Member, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System February 10, 2023 La Jolla 2023 Crypto ecosystem The latter two parts may facilitate the trading of crypto-assets, but also have much broader applications. He begins with a brief review of concepts which are applicable to other applications: While these technological developments are still in their infancy, they have potential applications beyond the crypto ecosystem that could lead to substantial productivity enhancements in other industries. crypto-assets themselves. The question is, why would … Continue reading Digital Money, Decentralized Finance, and the Puzzle of Crypto

Custodia declined membership of Federal Reserve


Custodia is a crypto-focused bank from Wyoming and was declined because of nature of balance sheet assets as well as lack of appropriate risk management framework. The Fed in particular called out the potential for their business to support illegal activities and their lack of sufficient risk management. The diligence necessary to satisfy the regulators is significant but there has been no success to my knowledge by any crypto company. They are simply not banks. Reuters Custodia, which is based in Wyoming and is chartered through the state as a special purpose depository institution, lacked a sufficient risk management framework … Continue reading Custodia declined membership of Federal Reserve

The UK led the world in open banking — and then got left behind


A genuine tale of innovative success risks stagnating as global imitators push adoption harder FT confirms my thinking that Open Banking remains a solution looking for a problem. Britain successfully produced an infrastructure solution with common API’s and associated regulatory framework in support. The missing element was and remains the customer. https://on.ft.com/3XYNWR1 HELEN THOMAS It’s surprising really that we don’t hear more about open banking from a government desperate for signs of world-beating regulatory prowess. It is a genuine British success story: the UK pioneered open banking in 2017 (based on a piece of European legislation), after a competition investigation … Continue reading The UK led the world in open banking — and then got left behind

Wells and 3 other banks new wallet to compete with Apple Pay


Wells and 3 other banks new wallet to compete with Apple Pay. Some US Banks are pooling resources and planning to offer a Payment Wallet to their customers. The offer is being tied to choice of a participating bank by the customer. First difference to Apple Pay This is the first key difference to Apple Pay – you will see the customer is being directed ti a choice of bank first, and credit card secondarily. The acquisition approach is where the coverage gets murky for me but in fairness is still being worked out. The customer must choose the new … Continue reading Wells and 3 other banks new wallet to compete with Apple Pay

Martin Wolf: in defence of democratic capitalism


The marriage of liberal economics and democracy has brought immense benefits to the world, but faces its toughest test in decades. What needs to be done? https://on.ft.com/3XHLZIr “Universal suffrage democracy is only a little over a century old. Capitalism is older. But, in its modern corporate form, it is not all that much older. The system democracy and capitalism combine to create is one of social co-operation through competition and consent. Competition is at the heart of both the economy and politics. But that competition occurs within the context of rules and values internalised by society and embedded in law. … Continue reading Martin Wolf: in defence of democratic capitalism

Securities law – Musk trial on alleged stock manipulation using Twitter


https://on.ft.com/3QSN4ev FT 2023-01-21 “In the moments and days following Musk’s “funding secured” tweet on August 7 2018, Tesla’s stock price was extremely volatile, and fell sharply when it became clear a plan to have Saudi backers fund a go-private effort would not go ahead. The trial in the class action lawsuit, which is expected to last another two weeks, alleges the cost to investors could run into the billions of dollars. Musk described his Twitter account as the most “democratic” way to reach his retail investors, describing that cohort as the most “loyal” supporters of the company.“ — I have … Continue reading Securities law – Musk trial on alleged stock manipulation using Twitter

Twitter failures now include encouraging terrorism


https://on.ft.com/3QOo5ZP Some terrorist actors have increased operations on Twitter after staff tasked with monitoring this content were sacked, according to a report by Tech Against Terrorism, an initiative that helps companies police content online. The warning comes just two months after Twitter cut its 7,500-strong workforce nearly in half following Elon Musk’s $44bn takeover of the social network. Significant cuts were made to Twitter’s trust and safety teams, which aim to protect users from illegal and harmful content, as part of the restructuring. Continue reading Twitter failures now include encouraging terrorism