David G.W. Birch
@dgwbirch.bsky.social
Author, advisor and commentator on digital financial services.
If the police call me up and tell me that criminals are accessing my bank account and stealing my money, I will politely remind them that the criminals are accessing the bank’s money and I could not care less.
www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...
www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...
Scam Secrets - The Police Are On The Phone - BBC Sounds
You want to help the police. Who wouldn't?
www.bbc.co.uk
November 15, 2025 at 1:45 PM
If the police call me up and tell me that criminals are accessing my bank account and stealing my money, I will politely remind them that the criminals are accessing the bank’s money and I could not care less.
www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...
www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...
Friday 14 November, 2025 buff.ly/69MkSqi
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"'Can we have a rule,' Dave wrote, “that AI bots must by default behave like a computer?'"
Thank you for your co-operation, the computer is your friend,
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"'Can we have a rule,' Dave wrote, “that AI bots must by default behave like a computer?'"
Thank you for your co-operation, the computer is your friend,
Friday 14 November, 2025
A reminder of Summer…
buff.ly
November 14, 2025 at 9:53 AM
Friday 14 November, 2025 buff.ly/69MkSqi
\
"'Can we have a rule,' Dave wrote, “that AI bots must by default behave like a computer?'"
Thank you for your co-operation, the computer is your friend,
\
"'Can we have a rule,' Dave wrote, “that AI bots must by default behave like a computer?'"
Thank you for your co-operation, the computer is your friend,
New on the not-a-newsletter "In the future, everyone will be famous for 15MB"...
I Won't Use Stablecoins, Nor Will You. But We Don't Matter ($$$)
buff.ly/4AnHuM8
Perhaps one day I will pay at the supermarket with stablecoins, but I doubt I will either know or care.
I Won't Use Stablecoins, Nor Will You. But We Don't Matter ($$$)
buff.ly/4AnHuM8
Perhaps one day I will pay at the supermarket with stablecoins, but I doubt I will either know or care.
November 12, 2025 at 5:17 PM
New on the not-a-newsletter "In the future, everyone will be famous for 15MB"...
I Won't Use Stablecoins, Nor Will You. But We Don't Matter ($$$)
buff.ly/4AnHuM8
Perhaps one day I will pay at the supermarket with stablecoins, but I doubt I will either know or care.
I Won't Use Stablecoins, Nor Will You. But We Don't Matter ($$$)
buff.ly/4AnHuM8
Perhaps one day I will pay at the supermarket with stablecoins, but I doubt I will either know or care.
State of Crypto 2025: The year crypto went mainstream buff.ly/Wtze5z5
"Roughly $750 billion in bitcoin sits in addresses vulnerable to future quantum attacks"
"Roughly $750 billion in bitcoin sits in addresses vulnerable to future quantum attacks"
State of Crypto 2025: The year crypto went mainstream
This year's report explores the data behind crypto's maturation, from institutional adoption and the rise of stablecoins to crypto x AI.
buff.ly
November 11, 2025 at 11:42 AM
State of Crypto 2025: The year crypto went mainstream buff.ly/Wtze5z5
"Roughly $750 billion in bitcoin sits in addresses vulnerable to future quantum attacks"
"Roughly $750 billion in bitcoin sits in addresses vulnerable to future quantum attacks"
New on Forbes...
Stablecoin Strategy buff.ly/FDxi2li
If the Chinese Communist Party can show us something about strategy, then I am tempted to summarise their long-term view as being that stablecoins have a limited role but digital assets will form the basis of new kinds of financial markets.
Stablecoin Strategy buff.ly/FDxi2li
If the Chinese Communist Party can show us something about strategy, then I am tempted to summarise their long-term view as being that stablecoins have a limited role but digital assets will form the basis of new kinds of financial markets.
November 10, 2025 at 5:17 PM
New on Forbes...
Stablecoin Strategy buff.ly/FDxi2li
If the Chinese Communist Party can show us something about strategy, then I am tempted to summarise their long-term view as being that stablecoins have a limited role but digital assets will form the basis of new kinds of financial markets.
Stablecoin Strategy buff.ly/FDxi2li
If the Chinese Communist Party can show us something about strategy, then I am tempted to summarise their long-term view as being that stablecoins have a limited role but digital assets will form the basis of new kinds of financial markets.
Exclusive | Visa and Mastercard Near Deal With Merchants That Would Change Rewards Landscape
buff.ly
November 10, 2025 at 11:42 AM
Exclusive | Visa and Mastercard Near Deal With Merchants That Would Change Rewards Landscape
Why won’t the chancellor listen to the experts (and me). Abolish stamp duty, abolish business rates and bring in a 1% land value tax while reducing corporation tax to 10%. And while they are at it, they can scrap half of the dogs breakfast of a tax code.
How to reform property tax
Property taxes are probably more in need of reform than any other area of UK tax. We have three taxes on property: stamp duty (SDLT), council tax and business rates. They’re bad taxes: they’re…
buff.ly
November 9, 2025 at 5:17 PM
Why won’t the chancellor listen to the experts (and me). Abolish stamp duty, abolish business rates and bring in a 1% land value tax while reducing corporation tax to 10%. And while they are at it, they can scrap half of the dogs breakfast of a tax code.
For my coffee break this morning I was reading some more of Rachel O'Dwyer's excellent book "Tokens: The Future of Money in the Age of the Platform" and I came across my favourite subject: me.
November 7, 2025 at 5:17 PM
For my coffee break this morning I was reading some more of Rachel O'Dwyer's excellent book "Tokens: The Future of Money in the Age of the Platform" and I came across my favourite subject: me.
Hello from Woking.
November 7, 2025 at 2:45 PM
Hello from Woking.
New on the not-a-newsletter... The Key Questions in Agentic Commerce buff.ly/KB6fO8S
The news that Amazon is suing Perplexity brings to the fore the growing tension between companies providing agentic AIs and companies that provide products and services.
The news that Amazon is suing Perplexity brings to the fore the growing tension between companies providing agentic AIs and companies that provide products and services.
November 6, 2025 at 3:03 PM
New on the not-a-newsletter... The Key Questions in Agentic Commerce buff.ly/KB6fO8S
The news that Amazon is suing Perplexity brings to the fore the growing tension between companies providing agentic AIs and companies that provide products and services.
The news that Amazon is suing Perplexity brings to the fore the growing tension between companies providing agentic AIs and companies that provide products and services.
Wednesday night lights COME ON YOU CARDS
November 5, 2025 at 8:02 PM
Wednesday night lights COME ON YOU CARDS
Fascinating conversation between Simon Taylor of Tempo and Zac Abrams of Bridge. Stablecoins are mainstream (for fintech people, not in the real world*)
* See first comment
* See first comment
November 5, 2025 at 5:47 PM
Fascinating conversation between Simon Taylor of Tempo and Zac Abrams of Bridge. Stablecoins are mainstream (for fintech people, not in the real world*)
* See first comment
* See first comment
Lots of interesting panels today! Now listening to Alexandra Edmonds, Simon Taylor, Hugo Hasan, Andy Sacre and Mark Titmarsh. Personally I think financial services is looking at a revolution, not because of what companies do with AI but because of what consumers do with AI.
November 5, 2025 at 3:36 PM
Lots of interesting panels today! Now listening to Alexandra Edmonds, Simon Taylor, Hugo Hasan, Andy Sacre and Mark Titmarsh. Personally I think financial services is looking at a revolution, not because of what companies do with AI but because of what consumers do with AI.
The metaverse is rewriting the rules of who can be a K-pop star
The metaverse is rewriting the rules of who can be a K-pop star
In an industry studded with megastars like BTS and Blackpink, virtual idols are building powerful new fandoms even while their true identities remain obscured.
buff.ly
November 5, 2025 at 11:42 AM
The metaverse is rewriting the rules of who can be a K-pop star
November 5, 2025 at 9:37 AM
New on Forbes: Cybersecurity Is A Digital Identity Problem And We Must Deal With It buff.ly/7QAP0xP
The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has just published its annual review for 2025. Central to its recommendations is the issue of digital identity.
The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has just published its annual review for 2025. Central to its recommendations is the issue of digital identity.
November 4, 2025 at 5:17 PM
New on Forbes: Cybersecurity Is A Digital Identity Problem And We Must Deal With It buff.ly/7QAP0xP
The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has just published its annual review for 2025. Central to its recommendations is the issue of digital identity.
The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has just published its annual review for 2025. Central to its recommendations is the issue of digital identity.
Autonomous Risk buff.ly/mbCHyxW
"The result is a collision between two incompatible systems. Legacy fraud detection flags legitimate agent transactions while missing entirely new attack vectors it wasn’t designed to recognize."
Spot on.
"The result is a collision between two incompatible systems. Legacy fraud detection flags legitimate agent transactions while missing entirely new attack vectors it wasn’t designed to recognize."
Spot on.
November 4, 2025 at 11:42 AM
Autonomous Risk buff.ly/mbCHyxW
"The result is a collision between two incompatible systems. Legacy fraud detection flags legitimate agent transactions while missing entirely new attack vectors it wasn’t designed to recognize."
Spot on.
"The result is a collision between two incompatible systems. Legacy fraud detection flags legitimate agent transactions while missing entirely new attack vectors it wasn’t designed to recognize."
Spot on.
Reposted by David G.W. Birch
Academics in Assyria in the 7th c BC complain that admin is preventing them from doing research and teaching
November 3, 2025 at 10:04 AM
Academics in Assyria in the 7th c BC complain that admin is preventing them from doing research and teaching
November 3, 2025 at 5:17 PM
I suppose that technically it was a best selling book. Or I suppose you could call it a masterpiece of world literature held by many to be the greatest novel ever written.
November 3, 2025 at 5:00 PM
I suppose that technically it was a best selling book. Or I suppose you could call it a masterpiece of world literature held by many to be the greatest novel ever written.
Atmospheric, imaginative and thought-provoking Don't miss it.
As the lights dim and thunder rolls, we welcome A J Bennewith & Co into the haunting world of Frankenstein. With heartfelt thanks for your continued support, we celebrate this final spark of our 2025 season together.
November 3, 2025 at 4:06 PM
Atmospheric, imaginative and thought-provoking Don't miss it.
Help Protect Yourself From Social Media Scams buff.ly/bb9B53s
"For your protection, Chase will not allow you to send Zelle® payments identified as originating from contact through social media"
"For your protection, Chase will not allow you to send Zelle® payments identified as originating from contact through social media"
November 3, 2025 at 11:42 AM
Help Protect Yourself From Social Media Scams buff.ly/bb9B53s
"For your protection, Chase will not allow you to send Zelle® payments identified as originating from contact through social media"
"For your protection, Chase will not allow you to send Zelle® payments identified as originating from contact through social media"