Latest opinions that Graham Seel has shared on Finextra

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Graham Seel

Principal Consultant

BankTech Consulting

Member since

17 Apr 2015

Location

Concord

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Graham's opinions

Models Are Essential for Banks, but How Do We Know They’re Right?

Banks are dependent upon models of all kinds. This is because reality is much too complex for us to understand well enough for perfect predictions of the future. Models are used as a simplification of reality. The problem is that this introduces uncertainty, which means risk. Regulators are very concerned about model risk. They require that banks ...

13 October 2016 /regulation Innovation in Financial Services

Is Blockchain Really the Answer to Global Payments?

Ripple (amongst others) promises to disrupt correspondent banking by driving out delay, cost, complexity, and uncertainty. Will it deliver on this promise? Ripple has recently announced Series B funding of $55 million from some pretty prestigious players. After announcing the Ripple Global Settlement Network, they have 15 of the world’s 50 larges...

21 September 2016 /payments Innovation in Financial Services

Is Community Bank Innovation Strategic or Tactical? Yes

Everyone likes to think they’re strategic. And that they can be tactical when they need to. When it comes down to it, though, how many of us are really either? How often have you heard someone ask what the strategy is, only to be told “this is a tactical project, so there’s isn’t a strategy”? What nonsense that is! There is no real tactical initia...

25 August 2016 /retail Innovation in Financial Services

Innovation Basics for Community Banks and Credit Unions

“We must innovate!” Are you sick of hearing this yet? Are you focused on revenue growth, expense management and the increasing burden of regulatory compliance? If so, innovation may be the furthest thing from your mind. And yet the plaintive refrain continues, and it has merit. Why Innovate? Not because everyone else is doing it, that’s for sure.

05 August 2016 /retail Innovation in Financial Services

Alternative Lending: Friend or Foe to Banks?

An Interview with Glenn Goldman of Credibly Recently I had the opportunity to pose a few questions to Glenn Goldman, CEO of alternate small business lender Credibly. I have used Credibly as an example of an alternative lender – this piece is not intended to endorse them or otherwise. However, by way of background, they have focused on providing lo...

29 July 2016 /wholesale Innovation in Financial Services

It Takes a Village to Manage Operational Risk

Whose job is it to manage operational risk? The Chief Risk Officer? Check Operations Management? Check Compliance? Check Data Management? Check Technology Providers, FinTech and RegTech? Check Yours and mine? Check! Yesterday I had the pleasure and privilege of moderating a great panel discussion on Big Data Analytics for Risk Management. The dis...

22 July 2016 /regulation Innovation in Financial Services

What Every FinTech CEO Should Know About Risk Management

A FinTech CEO who doesn’t understand risk management is at a crushing disadvantage. Why? Banking at its core IS the business of managing risk. Banks don’t just have to be risk-aware. They are in the business of managing risk on other people’s behalf – that’s the primary reason they exist. Banks look after our deposits, ensuring they don’t get lost...

19 July 2016 /regulation Innovation in Financial Services

How Many Lawyers Does It Take to Save a FinTech?

Bank regulation is older than you think. The ancient Code of Hammurabi, which predates Moses and the Biblical legal code of the Pentateuch, includes rules for interest-bearing loans (not more than 30% interest for past due loan repayments!) Since then, review of the history of banking shows that regulation of financial services has become more an...

08 July 2016 /regulation Innovation in Financial Services

Can FinTech Companies Thrive in Community Banking?

There are over 6,000 community banks in the US. Many of these manage significant assets, and have meaningful IT budgets. Their small business and consumer customers are looking for competitive digital banking services. But community bank technology is often outdated, and difficult to enhance. What an opportunity for FinTech! There is no clear asse...

02 July 2016 /retail Innovation in Financial Services

FinTech and Core System Providers - Between Scylla and Charybdis

Community banks and Credit Unions buy most of their technology from the core banking system providers. So they aren’t terribly excited about buying directly from a FinTech. There are four main core system vendors: FIS, Fiserv, Jack Henry, and D+H. Between them they own 96% of the community banking market. This presents a rather limited set o...

24 June 2016 /wholesale Innovation in Financial Services