Are multiple processors the case of “more the merrier”? In Web2 payments, multi processor is a business working with multiple payment providers. For example, using Adyen, Stripe, Worldpay together. The strategy has its pros and cons explained further ain this post. This post discusses the similar multi processor trend (“the more the merrier”) unfolding in the fiat to crypto…

What’s a fiat to crypto on/off ramp? When I first heard the term “on ramp”, it seemed to mean different things to people. I’ll define it as: On ramp is the conversion of fiat into crypto. For example, using what you have in your bank account to purchase crypto. Off ramp is the opposite. To convert the…

Do you check your card bill for irregular or unexpected transactions? I’m not sure if because of my family, or a working-in-payments casualty, but it’s a regular activity in my household. …

In the UK. What’s happening? — Unexpected Headlines Saw a couple of headlines recently: BBC: Cash Payments rise for the first time in 10 years Financial Times: UK cash use grows for first time in a decade Guardian: Cash payments rise in UK as people seek ways to manage budgets and a few others behind a paywall (trying…

Imagine being able to send and receive money to another account anytime, 24/7, 365 days a year, immediately. Other benefits are that the transfer is usually free (and if not free, cheap). No hidden fees, no % fees for instant payments. Welcome to the world of real time payments. To…

“Just a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down In a most delightful way” - Mary Poppins “A Spoonful of Sugar” I’ve been struck recently by how spoonful of healthy skepticism is necessary and valuable, especially in how a listener reviews a pitch/claim/assertion. I’ll dive into it by: 1/…

I was at the British Museum and chanced upon the exhibit on the the “History of Money” over the past 4000 years. It was a good time (especially for a nerd) and might inspire a few posts beyond this one. First, pictures on the rise of debit and credit cards…

I’ve been reading Mythical Man-Month, and it has many sharp insights (yes even and arguably more so for a non engineer). I’m narrowing in on one today on the discipline of documentation. We’ll start with a lovely quote from the essay “Why Have Formal Documents?” “First, writing the decisions down…

I almost softened the “always” to be a “likely to be”, but decided not to. This post is about drawing lines: what’s in vs out, boundaries, policies around access and usage, and that even if we try to avoid it, there’s always a line to be drawn. Drawing lines can…