The Wrap #9 | Future finance, future talent, future function
The Wrap #9 | Future finance, future talent, future function
A shot of thinking fuel, brought to you each month by Futurestate Design Co.
This month we’ve picked out three articles that each demonstrate significant ‘what if’s’ for your business: what if the customer experience was so seamless it was practically undetectable to the user; what if centralised vs. decentralised banking is more evenly matched than we thought; what if young upstarts make it better than we ever did*, what will we do then?
With careful consideration, businesses can be ready to act, or even collaborate, on these changes.
*Bah humbug
Be careful what you think
What’s going on?
In his latest hair-brained (literally) scheme, Elon Musk is developing an implant that enables people to control their smartphones with their minds.
Why it matetrs?
We’ve talked before in The Wrap about how inclusive design shouldn’t be an afterthought; how often it’s designed for a few but taken up by the many – the typewriter, or flexible straws as examples. Here, the possibilities could be transformative for paraplegics, and possibly for us all: will no interface be the perfect interface? Fancy a truly seamless customer experience, akin to summoning a genie?
Ethical and existential questions abound: will the implant always act on our instruction – what if it malfunctioned? Will it only act on our instruction, or will it ‘listen’ to us, too? Would our thoughts (how we think, not just what action we decide to take) become currency? Expect unexpected outcomes.
Read the original on Futurism.com
Bank of England's crypto(ish) plans get a stamp of disapproval
What’s going on?
An unknown Bitcoin user, and central bank skeptic projected ‘Bitcoin fixes this’ on the BoE and the Houses of Parliament, seemingly in response to the Bank of England considering creating a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC).
Why it matters
For some, the question of governance – or independence from political levers – at the BoE is a murky one, and they prefer to invest in crypto, clearly. Decentralised = good. Centralised = bad.
The fiscal fisticuffs have begun, with the BoE bringing in a taskforce to discuss the potential of their own digital currency. It’ll be called Britcoin, naturally.
Should Britcoin be brought in for common use (it’s already offered to banks and select financial institutions), the everyday citizen’s relationship with a bank could shift in interesting ways. Not only is there the assurance that the bank won’t go bust, but it will be able to directly stimulate the economy and apply negative rates. A new era for the current account.
Progress, or merely the latest way for the banks to try to see off encroaching threats?
Read the original on Coin Telegraph and more on CBDC on BBC
Prepare to feel like an under-achiever
What’s going on?
Forbes shares their list of promising young achievers for the year, each annoyingly impressive in their respective fields.
Why it matters
Look beyond your own regrets at not having been an associate professor at Cambridge at the age of 23. This list showcases a host of the year’s innovators and pioneers, but it also highlights just why we live in such interesting times. This is the level of creativity and dynamism that incumbents have to contend with this year: imagine what next year’s are up to.
The sheer volume and variety of this year’s list shows that there are few stones that can’t be overturned by young talents. If there’s one message here for established businesses, it’s that the time to take your market share for granted is never.
Read the original on Forbes