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  • Payment Experts Swinging to the Rescue!
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Uncategorized

The ATM as a Social Construct

Posted on September 30, 2025September 30, 2025 by Payment Monkey
A robot using an ATM on Mars.
30
Sep

In the UK, the number of cash machines is quietly shrinking, and with every one that disappears, it takes with it a vital lifeline for millions who rely on cash for their basic needs.

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Posted in Uncategorized Leave a comment
Uncategorized

Texting Shillings: The Genius of M-Pesa

Posted on September 17, 2025September 17, 2025 by Payment Monkey
a robot standing outside an M-Pesa agent shop
17
Sep

M-Pesa turned the humble mobile phone into a wallet, creating a giant shared bucket of money spread across shops, banks, and tills, transforming how millions in Kenya move and manage cash.

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Posted in Uncategorized
Innovation, Psychology of Payments, Thinking

Innovation, or Just a Faster Horse?

Posted on September 11, 2025September 11, 2025 by Payment Monkey
a robot standing in front of a window looking out over an alien landscape, holding a payment card with a weighing scale on the windowsill
11
Sep

Have we allowed “innovation” to be hijacked by marketing?
We add a new colour, a shinier material, or a slicker User Experience and suddenly it’s a breakthrough. If everything is innovation, then nothing is!

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Posted in Innovation, Psychology of Payments, Thinking Leave a comment
Banking, Thinking

Money Movement Models

Posted on September 7, 2025September 8, 2025 by Payment Monkey
2 robots standing in front of a window, holding a bucket of money
07
Sep

There are essentially three ways of moving money around a payment ecosystem: bank rails, card rails and the Bucket of Money. Each can be ideally paired with some payment services but not with others. It’s Football and Rugby – how hard can it be?

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Posted in Banking, Thinking Leave a comment
Open Banking

The Wise Old Open Banking Experience

Posted on August 6, 2025August 6, 2025 by Payment Monkey
lady robot with a green card looking out over Dubai
06
Aug

The other day my wife asked me what the best card for a trip to Dubai might be. I considered Wise to be a good choice, although there are clearly other options, but that’s not the point.

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Posted in Open Banking Leave a comment
Customer Services

Talking to Barclaycard Customer Services

Posted on August 1, 2025August 2, 2025 by Payment Monkey
a robot that has seen better days, on an old phone
01
Aug

Is it any wonder that Barclays top the UK charts of crap customer service. I had a non-standard problem, I called customer services and I still have a non-standard problem.

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Posted in Customer Services Leave a comment
Uncategorized

Mastercard phasing out 16-digit Card Numbers

Posted on July 20, 2025July 20, 2025 by Payment Monkey
a robot holding a payment card, looking at a PC, in front of a window looking out over a martian landscape
20
Jul

Mastercard are considering removing the PAN from cards by 2030. However, they mean the printed PAN. Why the misunderstanding?

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Posted in Uncategorized Leave a comment
Open Banking

Open Banking for Dummies

Posted on July 7, 2025August 7, 2025 by DavidG
a robot looking to pay using Open banking at a POS device
07
Jul

The main purpose for the development of Open Banking was increased competition, innovation and transparency in the financial sector. How’s that going?

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Posted in Open Banking Leave a comment
Open Banking, Thinking

National Payments Vision

Posted on June 26, 2025June 26, 2025 by Payment Monkey
a robot scratching his chin and looking confused against a martian landscape
26
Jun

A short critique of the UK National Payments Vision, with emphasis on Open Banking as the UK National Payments Vision also emphasises Open Banking.

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Posted in Open Banking, Thinking Leave a comment
Methodology

Inspiration from 2001: A Space Odyssey

Posted on May 26, 2025May 26, 2025 by DavidG
a rocky red planet landscape showing a night sky and a moon, with an ape in silhouette, looking at the moon.
26
May

What inspiration can we take about product and project management from 2001: A Space Odyssey? More than you think – still relevant!

Continue reading →
Posted in Methodology Leave a comment
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Recent Posts

  • The ATM as a Social Construct
  • Texting Shillings: The Genius of M-Pesa
  • Innovation, or Just a Faster Horse?
  • Money Movement Models
  • The Wise Old Open Banking Experience

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