Welcome to The FinanSer, the portal to the knowledge base of the Financial Services Club, chaired by Chris Skinner.
Representing institutions and operations that cover capital markets, payments and retail banking, the Financial Services Club studies critical changes taking place driven by technology and regulatory change. From Europe’s big changes created by MiFID (the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive) and SEPA (the Single Euro Payments Area) to American rules such as RegNMS, we aim to provide the most up-to-date and incisive commentary.
Chris Skinner is an independent commentator on the financial markets and, as Balatro, Chris assists clients as an advisor, as well as sometimes being commissioned to write or speak on their behalf at conferences and tradeshows. You can see a few of his presentations on the blog, under the category: presentations and some of his speeches are also transcribed.
Alongside his role as Chief Executive of Balatro, Chris chairs the Financial Services Club and writes this blog, as well as regular columns in many national and international banking publications. He has also written several books on banking.
If you have any commentary you wish to add to The FinanSer, then send your views via the comments section on the relevant blog entry or just email Chris direct.
A few recommendations:
“The Bloomberg TV team is very grateful to have had such an insightful guest in such critical times.”
Marta Marino, Bloomberg Television
“Chris is an accomplished speaker and facilitator with broad international experience. He's known for his quirky take on life, his sharp wit, and his deep knowledge of the players in the EU banking space. Chris knows how to entertain and educate at the same time ... I am constantly in awe of the amount of content he produces at a consistent quality through his blog.”
Brett King, Author of Bank 2.0
“What a great speech! Thank you so much for coming to our business lunch yesterday and delivering such an excellent oration. I have heard nothing but praise from the Liverymen, Freemen and their guests whoe were there.”
Jonathan Soar, Master of the Worshipful Company of Information Technologists
“On behalf of all of us at the ACT thank you very much for being our keynote lunchtime speaker. As discussed I thought you successfully provoked the audience into thinking carefully about the state of their banking relationships.”
Colin Tyler, Chief Executive, the Association of Corporate Treasurers
“You are a versatile commentator who could easily transfer into another finance/economy debate… a topic which comes around time and again - and we don’t want to risk throwing away a valuable voice like yours.”
Cara O'Doherty, BBC
“Thank you very much once again for your participation yesterday. Several people commented to me that your moderation style really helped bring the best out of the panelists and from what I saw I’d be inclined to agree with them. I think the moderation role is underrated by some people – it can be the difference between a great session and an average one. I will certainly add you to our list of preferred moderators here.”
Dr Neema Parvini, Senior Conference Producer, Incisive Media (Waters)
“Chris Skinner is switched on, insightful, concise and keeps his finger firmly on the financial sector pulse. An opinion leader, not a follower.”
Robert Hokin, Chief Executive, ecoConnect CIC
“For those who are unaware of Chris' tireless work in the Financial Sector then I am glad to be able to thoroughly endorse him as a person who has both the intellectual acumen as well as the drive and dedication to his industry which is so sadly rare in the business world today.”
Steve Edwards MBE, Head of Fraud for eBay Europe
“The audience couldn't stop raving about your presentation. You know you could be live at the O2 and get a full house!”
Bikash Mathur, Partner and Head of Europe, Polaris Software Labs
“I’ve known Chris for a long time now, well over 10 years, and I always look forward to hearing what he says. He speaks knowledgably about a wide range of topics, from social media to payments to MiFID, and is rightly an in demand speaker and chairman at conferences. He has a knack for generating pasionate debate and discussion. As a result, he’s also extremely well connected in the banking sector, and few people in the industry don’t know Chris. I’ve worked with Chris in all sorts of ways and if nothing else his sense of humour makes him a pleasure to work with!”
Gareth Lodge, Senior Analyst, Celent
“Chris is a breath of fresh air. He continues to push the status quo thinking and adds value in looking at financial services through different and new perspectives.”
Kevin Harris, Executive Director, SaskTel
“Over the many years we have worked with Chris Skinner, we have found him to have both a multi-dimensional understanding of the financial services business, as well as unique insights into what the future holds for our industry. Most of all, he is uniquely skilled in articulately painting a clear picture of the dynamics impacting our future to help other financial services executives see what's ahead for them.”
Deborah L. Bianucci, President & Chief Executive Officer, BAI
“Chris is actually a sage. Not only is he a wise, perceptive and funny, he is also excellent at identifying and explaining the key drivers of change in the Financial Services industry. His work and that of the forward looking Financial Services Club around the impact of Information Technology, Web 2.0 and client expectations of what Financial Services should be delivering to its clients, is superb. Chris is erudite and witty as a Chairman and informative and challenging as a speaker. You can see why he is in demand around the world.”
Mark Outhwaite, Anti-Money Laundering Consultant & Compliance Adviser, OHL Consulting LLP
“Chris has always impressed me with his forward-looking perspectives on the global catalysts for change in the highly-commoditized retail banking industry. Chris can always be counted on to provide a controversial, yet highly-relevant dialogue on potential sources of future disruption.”
Steven D. Audino, Executive Director, USAA
"His series of blog posts prove again and again that he is a guy with a real passion for improving financial services, with an inventive approach who can be relied upon to deliver. Chris' expertise comes from a genuine interest and concern for the industry."
Andrew Carrier, Sales and Marketing Director, Cognito Analytics
“Chris is perhaps the first writer I know who successfully captures the pulse of the financial services industry not from a European or American, but from a truly global perspective. I sensed the same energy, reading it in Singapore and Beijing.”
Emmanuel Daniel, Founder and Editor-in-Chief, the Asian Banker
“Chris takes a serious subject and makes you laugh, think and worry at the same time. A provocative book about an industry being transformed in the age of the Internet.”
Leonard H. Schrank, former Chief Executive Officer, SWIFT
“Chris needs no recommendation, but here is a full-hearted one anyway! I have worked with Chris on marketing activities since 1992 and have always found him to be informed, incisive and often contentious in his analysis of the issues facing organisations today across the financial services and other sectors.”
Kerry Chapman, Marketing Manager, Tata Consultancy Services
“Chris has that rare ability to truly understand the social and business context as well as the potential technology solutions. In the finance sector this is absolutely essential, but sadly lacking in so many of Chris's peer group.”
Ian McDonald Wood, Trustee, the Strategic Planning Society
“Chris is a familiar face and voice in the UK and European banking market and being a prolific blogger on the banking and finance markets needs little introduction. His views are always of interest and are often stated to provoke broader debate. He is an excellent, intelliegent speaker and has been used by my company as a facilitator to good and useful effect.”
Roy McPherson, Banking Consultant, Gresham Computing
“Chris spoke at a recent Cambridge100 Club Dinner about the next big developments in technology and what these will mean to business. This was a remarkable talk - insightful, compelling and informative. Chris is a visionary and futurologist with a real command of the factors which shape our future.”
Dermot Hill, Chairman, Cambridge 100 Club
“Chris is a visionary, committed and highly knowledgeable about tomorrow’s trends. I’d thoroughly recommend him as a great speaker on the future particularly in what’s coming over the horizon in Financial Services and Technology.”
Michael Jackson, former Chief Executive, Birmingham Midshires Building Society
“Chris did a fantastic visionary presentation for me in our ‘Compliance as a Competitive Weapon’ seminar. He thinks outside the box and consistently delivers thought provoking arguments.”
Tony Ferguson, Director, UniRisX
"Thanks ever so much for your excellent kick-off of this year’s Management Conference. The feedback for the attendees was uniformly very positive. Your remarks exceeded our goal of 'telling them something they didn’t know'. Come back and see us again!"
John P. Biestman, Director, Federal Home Loan Bank of Seattle
Thanks again for Chris Skinner’s “keynote address at our conference. I’m just reviewing the evaluations and he was certainly a hit. Comments included: ‘Chris Skinner – WOW’; ‘Chris Skinner – you saved the best to the last’; ‘Chris was an excellent speaker and very thought provoking’; ‘Chris’ presentation was exceptional’.”
Anne Marie MacNeil, Deposit Specialist, SaskCentral
“I have worked with Chris over many years. His energy, drive and enthusiasm for innovation and change have impressed me greatly. His insights into financial services and his contriubution to this industry will continue to pay dividends over many years.”
Bill Wright, Owner & CEO Brand Intellect
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