A library of snippets
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Davis build apps that would regularly execute a method called “IsDLEnabledinAD” which stands for “Is Davis Lu enabled in Active Directory”. Once that method failed, his apps would wreak havoc on the systems of his employer.
From: Fired “Kill Switch” Programmer Faces 10 Years In Jail: What Went Wrong? | by Jan Kammerath | Medium.
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At this year’s Davos — or more properly the 54th Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland — it was impossible to escape AI. Every conversation — whether it was about hydrogen production or loyalty schemes, horse training or ethical investment — touched on AI. Central to these discussions was the shift toward “agentic AI,” which has real implications for the world of fintech.
From: A-Commerce Is Coming: Agentic AI And The “Do It For Me” Economy.
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The UK’s stance on encryption and data access could influence its reputation as a tech-friendly hub. The government’s actions may deter tech companies from investing in the UK, potentially slowing down the growth of the country’s digital economy. However, if the UK can strike a balance between security and privacy, it could position itself as a leader in responsible tech innovation. This could attract investments from companies looking to operate in a regulatory environment that values both security and individual rights.
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The answer to that question is that the ownership and disposition of stablecoins, unlike the ownership and distribution of bank deposits, is anonymous. This is a highly valuable feature for those who want to engage in money laundering, extortion, purchase of illegal drugs, and so on. In other words, the only economic reason for stablecoins is to facilitate criminal activity.
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While stablecoins present novel tech, the notion that they will supplant established retail banking relationships is a bunch of “hooky”. Big banks aren’t just watching from the sidelines; they are best positioned to integrate this new rail, much like they’ve absorbed countless payment innovations before.
From: Stablecoins: Bank Strategy – Just Another Rail | Noyes Payments Blog.
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That escape from accountability is one of the most valuable services that management consultancies provide.
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Spraying is believed to have originated among the Yoruba people in the 20th century and is now a mainstay of the country’s culture, a symbol of ostentation and a practice that unites an ethnically fractious nation.
Politicians have been known to spray crowds with cash. There’s a cottage industry of vendors offering fresh banknotes to partygoers looking to spray their hosts. And some Nigerians have taken to spraying with dollars since the naira crackdown began.
From: Nigeria cracks down on ‘spraying’ money at parties to defend currency.
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UK Banking-as-a-Service bank Griffin is opening up access to a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server, providing a way for AI agents to autonomously perform tasks on behalf of customers.
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The digital euro is a long-term play, but in the short term the European Payments Initiative (EPI) has launched its commercial wallet. Called wero (from “we” and “euro”), the project got a boost with news that Revolut is joining although not as a shareholder. Revolut is the first neo-bank involved in the initiative and brings customers, credibility and fintech glamour to the project.
Wero currently covers Germany, France, Belgium, and the Netherlands. Wallets from other nations (like Bizum, Bancomat, and SIBS) have formed the EuroPA alliance which was bolstered this month as Vipps (Norway/Sweden) and Blik (Poland) have signed a letter of intent to join.
EuroPA advocates interoperability between schemes rather than their replacement with a single European product. Speaking at Web Summit, Blik’s CEO said: “Interoperability is not just a vision—it’s a necessity.”
Martina Weimar, wero’s CEO, initially dismissed the idea of interoperability with EuroPA members, saying it didn’t “create synergies.” But she’s since changed course, confirming that EPI is now exploring cooperation with Bizum, SIBS, and others.
Wero is live for P2P transactions (see below advert in Belgium) and the pilot eCommerce acceptance launches in May, with general availability in September. Nuvei has joined Computop (Nexi) and PPRO as a distribution partner.
From: Business of Payments – May 2025 – by Geoffrey Barraclough.
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SoftPOS is a clearly long-term threat to payment terminals but, as PSE Consulting points out, traditional payment hardware is still needed to process offline PIN verifications (a big issue in the UK) and provide tactile key input for blind customers. And many merchants in Europe are still running on installed Windows software which limits the benefits of softPOS. The latter may explain why less than 20% of ISVs currently offer SoftPOS according to Flagship Consulting.
From: Business of Payments – May 2025 – by Geoffrey Barraclough.
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