(Where) will the bitcoin massacre stop?
I have been looking at tradingview.com charts almost hypnotized for the last week, just to see this intriguing pattern developing before my eyes. While the rise of the bitcoin was [...]
7
02, 2018
31
01, 2018
Yes, Bitcoin should be considered a competitive zero-sum game
What is the essence of a zero-sum game? Wikipedia: A zero-sum game is a mathematical representation of a situation in which each participant's gain or loss of utility is exactly [...]
30
01, 2018
Should Bitcoin be considered a zero-sum game?
In principle, you can use Bitcoin to pay for things electronically. Bitcoin turns out to be a clunky, slow, costly, and - due to its volatility - a very uncertain [...]
25
01, 2018
Bitcoin revisited: “What do you think about bitcoin? Should I ….”
Since the meteoric rise of the bitcoin, and especially after it entered "black tulip"-type speculative territory in q4/2017, I have been asked multiple times by family members, friends and work [...]
26
06, 2015
Language as a “social technology”
Via Flipboard I read an article “Why we speak” from Mark Pagel writing for the The Atlantic on the crucial role of language in our ability to trade. It offers [...]
15
03, 2015
The huge potential for fiat currencies based on block-chain
The last few days I have been listening to keynotes attending a European payments congress in Vienna, Austria. Among many issues presented against the use of the bitcoin - and [...]
11
03, 2015
Cognitive dissonance: “Remittances”
When considering a new car you suddenly start seeing the car you fancy everywhere. There are not suddenly more cars of the particular brand and model driving around, but you [...]
9
03, 2015
“PayPal plans to rule the digital commerce world”
From "add on" to being the platform. Via Finextra paypal's CEO Schulman: "Our vision for PayPal is to be the world's leading open digital payments platform. What that means is [...]
5
03, 2015
Malignant Differential Pricing at POS for foreigners
While traveling to Copenhagen yesterday I was presented by the POS-terminals the option to pay my taxis and restaurant bill at the airport in the locale Danish Krona or in [...]
19
02, 2015
“No regional integration effort sees cross-border payment as end goal”
Leo Lipis, chief executive and Colin Adams, senior consultant both of Lipis Advisors discuss their research on the wide range of regional payments projects and the factors behind successful integration [...]
19
02, 2015
“Collective learning” fits collaborability nicely
I have been very quiet as of late on my pet subject “collaborability”, unfortunately. The subject asks for a serious amount of prolonged and heightened concentration to get back into [...]
18
02, 2015
Disruption via undercurrent trends
The term "Disruption" is used often, as it is embedded in our contemporary vocabulary of fancy and popular management speak. It has a way of using broad terminology without being [...]
17
02, 2015
ECBcoin and BoEcoin next to FEDcoin?
One of the main gripes by skeptics with bitcoin is its volatility, next to the fact that the “issuer” is not controlled by regular democratic structures. By linking the bitcoin [...]
28
01, 2015
“Is there a real customer need for instant payments?”
Over the past few years one of the questions popping up regularly in conversations with clients and prospects at banks and processors all over Europe was: “is there a real [...]
3
01, 2015
A new year; a new cycle!
Calendars are amongst mankind's most important standardizations. Taken totally for granted by most it allows us to place events on a commonly used and harmonized timeline. As a mechanism of collaboration [...]
15
12, 2014
Behavioral biometrics: “Is there still any place to hide?”
(Part I in a series on behavioral biometrics) The various types of biometrics have been lingering above our networked societies as its continuous technological development promises secure, easy and cost [...]
14
12, 2014
Sign2Pay: the return of the signature?
(Prelude to a series on behavioral biometrics) Have you ever tried to create a signature on a touch screen or touch pad? You must have... With or without a stylus [...]
19
11, 2014
Snapcash: P2P payments with Snapchat app
Snapchat and Square recently announced “Snapcash”. This service enables to exchange money directly between two persons (so called P2P: person to person) right from the Snapchat app prompt line. At [...]
26
10, 2014
CurrentC backers defying Apple-pay push
One of the tidbits on Apple-pay is that every NFC enabled POS terminal - which accepts wireless payments from the big card processors - can accept Apple-pay. Once Apple-Pay is [...]
16
09, 2014
As expected: NFC iPhone exclusive to Apple-Pay
In my post earlier this week "Will Apple-Pay prove to be a dud in EU?" I stated that I expected apple to keep NFC exclusive to themselves. (via Macrumors) Cult [...]
16
09, 2014
PSD2 Payment Account Access Services: SEPA interoperability revisited?
Reading up on the latest developments in PAAS I experienced a very strong deja-vu feeling: the banks are not in a position, nor do they want to be apparently, to create a common interoperable standard together while true interoperability is critical to the success of PAAS. I have seen this happening all before with SEPA CSM interoperability (see Half-baked CSM interoperability, SEPA: a Missed Opportunity for True Payments Standardisation). Will history repeat it self again?
11
09, 2014
Will Apple-Pay prove to be a dud in EU?
Apple-pay could become a major success in USA (urgency and market position apple) while at the same time could prove totally underwhelming in the EU.
3
09, 2014
Correction: contactless payments are used ….. but only by young people!
Today in a bookstore just around the corner I was able to pay with my contactless debit card again. I directly continued my little user based survey. As it appeared the lady told me that it was new to her ("YES AGAIN!" I thought....) and she continued "until just 10 minutes ago, but since then I was already customer number 3 to pay this way". I tried to get to grips with this experience.
28
08, 2014
Contactless payments are not used by Dutch payers at all
Everywhere, and literally every time I use the facility the employee behind the counter is total stunned that this capability exists and actually operational. Maybe 25% knew the facility was present the others did not even know it existed. If I may use the explanations of counterparts as survey input I have been the first to use it at every location without a flaw since early this year.
28
05, 2014
Tearing down the tower of Babel
I have always wondered when the moment would come that I could pick up a phone and speak in my mother-tongue that would instantly translate into Mandarin Chinese while emulating my own voice and vice versa! Microsoft demoed a Skype call translating a conversation form German to English and back in real time.