Published on 9 April 2020
A taxonomy of the anti-cash lobby is not taxing.
First we have the frontrunners, dissing cash as part of a pump-and-dump strategy to make their own offerings fly commercially:
Crypto (but don’t mention eco to them: a single crypto
transaction consumes the same electricity as Bridlington does in a year)Fintechs proposing their digital or […]
Published on 8 April 2020
It must be absolutely obvious who are the principals in the campaign to eliminate cash – it’s the card issuers and the card brands. Both have serious financial interests in play.
In the UK the major banks have reduced their branch networks and with it their ATM estates – to cut costs. […]
Report on the trial of the miscreant Richard Towne – “the Zeeland Sands Chunderer”
Published on 2 April 2020
We have done four previous blogs about the punishment of economic crime as recorded in the Old Bailey archives and particularly for the period when we have the “Ordinary’s Account” of the resulting executions.
Now we should move on […]
Extract from “Ordinary’s Account” of executions at the Tyburn on 23rd March 1752
Published on 31 March 2020
We have recently published three blogs about economic crime in the modern day and its equivalents in the Old Bailey archives, with special references to the “Ordinary’s Accounts”: the Newgate prison chaplain’s narrative about each condemned […]
The heinous crime of Thomas Wood…but he did not get to face the drop.
Published on 26 March 2020
We have previously examined the archives of Old Bailey proceedings for precedent offences to those of issuing Stablecoin (“coin clipping”) and issuing Bitcoin (“uttering counterfeit currency”).
To close the loop we need to take a position on the running
of […]
The chaplain’s account of the demise of divers traiterous malefactors
Published on 24 March 2020
The archives of Old Bailey proceedings are detailed in their coverage of offences to do with the Coin of the Realm, and infringements thereof.
In a previous blog we explored whether Stablecoin was an
example of “coin clipping” because, although supposedly backed by fiat
currency, […]
Benjamin Smith’s Treason: Clipping the King’s Coin
Published on 22 March 2020
I count myself very lucky in the current difficulties for many things, including having an Open University MA in English local history to be getting on with. It is 100% remote and can be done on a social-distance or self-isolation basis, apart from missing out […]
Published on 28 February 2020
The Euro is a currency without a Eurozone sovereign legal person backing it. Swathes of Eurozone financial assets are rated and accounted for as if there was such a legal person, whereas the backing for these assets is far less impressive.
The consequence is that the Eurozone
financial system is far less well-capitalised […]
Published on 5 November 2019
I have taken on the role for one year of chair of the trade association for the UK’s Payment Institutions. This is the Association of UK Payment Institutions and I will be attempting, as my main focus, to resolve the issue around bank accounts in the UK.
Since UK banks have started […]
Important forenote
Published on 28 October 2019
“It is a great pleasure to make this address to you as the Managing Director designate of the UK’s Payment Systems Regulator.
I would like
simply to outline the nine focus areas for the first year of my tenure in this
role.
With your
kind permission I will dispense with any flannel about the background […]