Hamish Monk - Community Author: Finextra Research

Hamish Monk Senior Reporter at Finextra

How to realise the benefits of CBDCs

With a good amount of responses to Finextra’s introductory short read, ‘What is CBDC?’ we follow up to address the prevailing commentary: “What would be the main purpose of introducing digital currency?” The answer to this can be given in terms of the benefits of central bank digital currency (CBDC). In this article we respond to our community by ...

11 June 2024 /crypto

Hyper-personalisation - Are super-apps over?

Hamish Monk Senior Reporter at Finextra

Hyper-personalisation - Are super-apps over?

Hyper-personalisation has become something of a buzzword in discussions of the Future of Digital Banking in Europe. On the ground there are many holes that need to be plugged – both in terms of the technology and scalability – before it can become prevalent. A Deloitte report, ‘The Future of Retail Banking: The Hyper-Personalisation Imperative’, ...

04 June 2024 /retail

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s super-app: How to use hyper-personalisation in your business

Hamish Monk Senior Reporter at Finextra

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s super-app: How to use hyper-personalisation in your business

The super-app is the final boss of hyper-personalisation; the assembled endgame of the personal finance app (PFA). Look up – it’s swooping down to save the day; dropping a gamut of services in the palm of end-users’ hands. Alas, the term ‘super-app’ has become something of a nebulous catchphrase in the land of financial services. To help demystify ...

04 June 2024 /retail

Hyperbitcoinisation: Fantasy or reality?

Hamish Monk Senior Reporter at Finextra

Hyperbitcoinisation: Fantasy or reality?

The first page of the cryptocurrency history book should open in the early 1970s, when the United States ceased to back the dollar with gold – thus ushering in an era of fiat currency. The status quo has hardly changed since, and to this day money continues to be printed via the issuance of public debt, without tangible limits. This is one of the ...

28 May 2024 /crypto

Hamish Monk Senior Reporter at Finextra

How to prepare for the EU AI Act

The European Union’s AI Act has formally been signed by the presidents of its parliament and Council. Imminently, the regulation will be published in the EU’s Official Journal – 20 days after which, the law will be put into force. For financial institutions, there will be just two years’ implementation period. So, how should banks prepare for the...

24 May 2024 /ai

How can financial institutions hit G20 targets for cross border payments?

Hamish Monk Senior Reporter at Finextra

How can financial institutions hit G20 targets for cross border payments?

Finextra’s latest webinar, ‘Cross Border Payments: Hitting G20 targets for speed, cost, and transparency’ – hosted in association with Bottomline – explored why embracing new protocols, technologies, and data structures around cross-border payments is a non-negotiable for all financial institutions in 2024. Moderated by Finextra’s head of research...

23 May 2024 /payments

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

Long reads