All articles by Douglas Blakey

Douglas Blakey

BMO’s Wrap the Good campaign returns to support under-represented businesses

New online curated gift guide and holiday wrapping paper available in BMO branches

COP28 sponsor Mashreq partners with Visa and ecolytiq for first climate banking platform in UAE and MENA

Collaboration enables Mashreq Bank’s customers to track their carbon footprints and gain transparency on their spending, with advanced carbon footprint analytics

UK banks still unprepared for sanctions despite rising tensions with China

Martin Cheek highlights disturbing evidence that some UK banks are still failing to take adequate steps to ensure they are not dealing with sanctioned individuals or corporate entities

Unlocking financial inclusion: the interconnected role of digital identity

A bank account – and the identity verification needed to open these – should be a right for all. Miguel Traquina explains why banks and financial organisations need to see these issues as two sides of the same coin

US bank branch numbers fall to 40-year low: do branches matter to win customer deposits?

Over one-in-five US branches have closed since numbers peaked in 2009. Does branch investment lead to deposits market share gain? Chase and Capital One offer conflicting evidence, writes Douglas Blakey

North American companies at greatest risk of violating UN environmental standards

With COP28 approaching, data released by sustainability data and technology provider ESG Book

Varo Bank doubles Varo Advance limit to $500

Low-cost loan limit increase helps paycheck-to-paycheck consumers cope with cost-of-living crisis 

US customer satisfaction with mortgage lenders rises but challenges ahead

Fairway Independent Mortgage Corporation ranks highest in customer satisfaction according to the JD Power 2023 US Mortgage Origination Satisfaction Study

UK banking sector contributes £41bn to UK Treasury in financial year to end March 2023

Banking sector tax contribution represents 4.6% of total UK government tax receipts

YouLend and Plaid partnership boosts SME financing approval rates to 90% across Europe

Strategic partnership between YouLend and Plaid seeks to reshape the SME lending landscape