All articles by Douglas Blakey
Douglas Blakey
Are banks actually ready for stablecoins?
Neha Dasani reflects on what the rise of stablecoins means for banks, the operational lessons emerging from early adopters, and what financial institutions must prioritise in 2026 to avoid falling behind as settlement infrastructure evolves
Why real-time finance is forcing retail banks to rethink infrastructure
Ravi Ranjan explores how the financial services industry is entering a new phase of infrastructure modernisation driven by growing demand for real-time financial operations, embedded services and continuous financial visibility
Africa’s payments paradox: Why complexity is the market’s greatest advantage
Tim Davis explains why Africa’s fragmented payments landscape should be viewed as an opportunity rather than a barrier for fintechs and payments providers looking to scale across the continent
CASS 15 – The new safeguarding rules explained
In August 2025, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) introduced CASS 15, reshaping the safeguarding regime for payments and E-money firms. Oliver Hawes sets out the key priorities for in scope firms
The cashless myth is distracting fintech from a bigger infrastructure challenge
Neil Martin explains why the “cashless UK” narrative is focusing fintech and banks on the wrong problem
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Digital wallets are emerging as the leading infrastructure for trust in banking
Mick Fennell explores how digital wallets are becoming a new layer of digital trust and explains what banks must do to modernise their infrastructure to support this shift
Revolut repositions crypto spending as TradFi with new card: GlobalData
GlobalData comments on the launch of Revolut’s first physical crypto debit card
One region, many realities: Navigating Latin America’s payments landscape
Juan Franco explains why growth requires a localised approach
The charging experience is broken — and payments are at the heart of the problem
Conn Byrne explains why reducing friction at the point of payment is key as the EV transition gathers pace
When AI shops for you: Visa and Mastercard bet on agentic payments
Visa and Mastercard are advancing investments in agentic payments, but trust, regulation, and merchant buy-in may slow adoption, writes Bhavya Patel