The City of London has suffered another blow to its post-Brexit arrangements as the EU rejected its proposal of a trade deal for the financial services industry. Britain’s looming exit from the bloc in 2019 has London financiers working to retain the relationship that the capital has with the rest of Europe. In the proposal to the EU, the City of London laid out a plan of letting Britain conduct cross-border trade as long as both parties would stick to international standards. 

No Agreement

However, officials from the Commission did not accept the proposal, which...

Payment Services Directive II (PSD2) arrived in Europe on 13 January 2018, after two years of planning. The idea behind EU having this regulation is to open access to services and data to third-party service providers, a privilege which was initially limited to banks only. Banks will permit financial service providers to access their clients’ accounts via an Application Program Interface (APIs). 

What is the Effect of PSD2 on Banks and Customers?

With non-bank payments service providers expected to have access to bank APIs, the customers are undoubtedly the biggest...

Since the turn of the millennium, hacking incidents in various economic sectors have been on the rise. Today, the impact of these cyber crimes is being felt by the whole economic ecosystem, and it is feared that these hackers will catalyse the next global financial crisis. 

Industries targeted

In the recent past, the banking industry has been a major target for hackers. While at it, these cybercriminals access bank records and alter the customers’ bank balances. This has been supported by Mark Boleat, the head of policy for the City of London. He believes...

The disagreement between bankers, finance ministers, and the Basel Committee which regulates banks, continues. 

Basel III is the post-financial crisis regulatory framework which forces banks to hold much higher levels of capital, to ensure that they can maintain liquidity in the event of another crisis. Disgruntled bankers insist that the Committee’s latest proposals amount to “Basel IV”. The Committee denies this and describes what it is doing as simply a “recalibration” of Basel III.

France and the USA oppose further circumscriptions

Whether this...

Despite the initial post Brexit fears that bankers would start fleeing the United Kingdom, London has steadfastly remained the planet's financial epicenter. This is the finding of a survey carried out by the GFCI (Global Financial Centres Index) which ranked nearly eight dozen cities around the globe. London beat out Hong Kong, Singapore, and New York to claim the top spot. 

Trump's Isolationism

In fact, the GFCI survey found that London had actually increased its lead over the world's next most vital financial center according to the survey, New York City. A 24...

Experts say that, although the last financial crisis ended in June 2009, the economy is still recovering and many pundits fear that the world could be facing a double-dip recession. So, what lessons can we learn from the big crash of 10 years ago? Financial regulation may have increased but have the core issues been addressed?
 

What lessons can be learned?

When levels of debt increased and loans and credit were being handed out like sweets, house prices suddenly started going into reverse. This has been a recurring pattern during past financial crises through history and one that...

By using innovative digital platforms to provide fast and accessible financial services, Fintechs have provided a challenge to the established financial institutions. Consumers increasingly expect to be able to manage their finances wherever they are. Although the main players in the financial world have recognised this demand, old legacy IT systems and entrenched business practices place them at a disadvantage in an area that develops rapidly. Fintechs provide services such as loan approvals within minutes and cheaper international money movements, core banking procedures.

Consumer...

The proposed Payment Services Directive II (PSD2) set by the European Commission in 2013, is expected to be implemented by all member states into law by January 13, 2018. Its main objective is to ensure enhanced consumer protection, safe payments and encourage innovation. However, some see these new regulations as obstacles against providing innovative solutions for banking.

What are PSD2 regulations?

These are the new European Union banking regulations which will govern the protection and sharing of data across Europe. The regulations will give non-banking third parties such as...

Some banks have already started choosing alternative headquarters after UK has left the European Union, with Frankfurt emerging as the preferred destination. Frankfurt appears to have taken an early lead over other cities such as Paris and Dublin. Nomura, a Japanese bank, is one of the banks to move their headquarters to Frankfurt. It is the largest brokerage firm in Japan. This comes even after Prime Minister Theresa May lost her majority, which increased the chances of UK seeking a softer Brexit deal that would lead to a reduced impact on its financial services industry....

The finance website biallo.de currently reported that many banks across Germany are now charging a certain fee upon each withdrawal. For instance, many branches of Sparkasse banks are now charging up to 0.50 Euro to their own customers on every withdrawal. The website further reported that 40 of the over 400 companies in the Sparkasse network are now charging the fee for withdrawal.

In Erding town, customers now withdraw money twice a month before they pay a withdrawal fee of 0.29 Euros, while the ATM users withdraw four times a month before the charges are imposed on them. The fee is...