About us

Chris Skinner, Director

Chris Skinner is an independent commentator on the financial markets and, as Balatro, Chris assists clients as an advisor, as well as sometimes being commissioned to write or speak on their behalf at conferences and tradeshows.

As well as being Chief Executive of Balatro, Chris chairs the European networking group the Financial Services Club. The Financial Services Club is a prestigious meeting place, and allows networking between members and regulators, practitioners and futurists. Our guest speakers include Charlie McCreevy, John McFall, Angela Knight and other luminaries shaping the future of banking and insurance.

Chris is well-known for his regular columns and for his daily blog, which can be found at The FinanSer (subscribe to the blog here).

He has also written several books on banking, covering retail and investment banking, payments and the supply chain, and general technology trends. Current titles include "The Future of Banking", 'The Future of Finance after SEP' and "The Future of Investing after MiFID".

Chris is a Judge with the TradeTech Awards and with the Asian Banker's Excellence in Retail Financial Services program, and a contributor to the World Economic Forum.

Chris worked for various technology firms and is a co-founder of the website for strategists www.shapingtomorrow.com.

He is a Fellow of the British Computer Society, a Fellow of the Institute of Management Services, an Associate of the Chartered Insurance Institute and a Chartered Insurance Practitioner.