Bitesize Payments

Welcome back to Bitesize Payments: Digital. I’m Paul Thomalla. There is an extended version of this on my Substack channel here . Last time we talked about programmable money — the idea that value itself could carry rules and conditions. Today we’re going somewhere that sounds like pure upside but isn’t. We’re talking about settlement. Specifically, we’re asking: what happens when settlement becom...

Welcome to Bitesize Payments: Digital. I’m Paul Thomalla. The expanded Substack version is here :- https://bitesizepayments.substack.com/p/programmable-value Imagine a banknote that could decide whether you’re allowed to spend it. Or a coin that automatically splits itself when certain conditions are met. Or money that flows continuously from your account without you touching it, based on rules it...

Welcome to Bitesize Payments: Digital . I’m Paul Thomalla. You use money every day. You work for it. You worry about it. You plan your life around whether you have enough of it. But what is it?  Not what does it buy. Not how does it work. Not who controls it. What actually is it? This seems like an obvious question. Of course we know what money is. It’s the thing in your bank account. The numbers...

There is also an expanded read here on my Substack channel here Remember the Gringotts scene in Harry Potter? Those carts racing through underground tunnels, goblins moving gold from one vault to another, the physical reality of value stored in specific locations, transported through space, guarded by dragons. That's still how we think about payments. In 2025. You tap your phone at the coffee...

There is an extended version of this on my substack channel here  https://bitesizepayments.substack.com/publish/post/191148138?r=5zpu1m&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true In 1995, I picked up Nicholas Negroponte's Being Digital . The premise was simple but profound: the world was shifting from atoms to bits. Physical things were becoming digital information,...

Welcome back to Bitesize Payments Digital. The expanded Substack version is here:   https://bitesizepayments.substack.com/p/the-sovereignty-container-breaks Today I’m going to cover a topic that one way or another is front and centre in Europe in particular. But frankly it’s a global issue. My aim here isn’t to be political but to try and explain. Today I’m covering: The Sovereignty Container Brea...

After more than 30 episodes, I wanted to take a moment to reflect. This isn’t a deep dive into real-time payments, standards, or compliance. This episode is about why Bitesize Payments exists in the first place — and what I’ve learned from doing it. I started the series to give back. To share what I’ve learned from years in payments — and from the many brilliant people I’ve worked alongside. The g...

In this episode of Bitesize Payments , we zoom out from the usual rails and rules of payments to explore a much bigger force shaping the industry: sovereignty . From the ancient control of coinage by kings to today’s battles over digital currencies, data, and cross-border standards, sovereignty has always been about power — who has it, who wants it, and what happens when that power is challenged....

Welcome back to Bite-Size Payments, where we dive into their history, how they work, and, of course, who does what.     Today, we’re tackling compliance—yes, that lovely, complex topic that often seems like it gets in the way. But it’s essential, and we’ll explain why. Yes, it’s complex, but it’s also the backbone of a secure financial system.  Today, I am joined by the rock star that is Susan Hal...

Welcome to Bitesize Payments where we discuss their history how they work and of course who does what.  In today’s episode, we’ll unravel the fascinating world of Cross-Border Payments . With so many payment terms, brand names, and confusing jargon out there, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. But at its core, cross-border payments are actually a straightforward concept—and we’re here to simplify it f...

Welcome back to Bitesize Payments where we discuss their history, how they work and of course who does what….  Today we are looking at key stakeholder in payments, fintech's… The new young things of the industry or are they… ?  So today we are discussing Fintech’s, and I am super pleased to be joined by Caleb, CEO of Tilled. It was not long ago that the industry was the Fintech's were al...

Welcome to Bitesize Payments, where we discuss their history, how they work and of course who does what… Today we are going to discuss mobile payments….  Remember when losing your wallet was the ultimate nightmare? These days, losing your phone feels like losing your entire life—and your wallet’s just a passenger on that ride! Let’s take a quick journey through time. Once upon a time, cash was kin...

Welcome back to bitesize Payments, where we explain their history, how they work and of course who does what. Today we’re diving into a topic that has fascinated civilizations for thousands of years: gold.  Did you know that all the gold ever mined would fit into a cube just 21 meters on each side? All that Glitters is not Gold – comes from Shakespeare don’t you know!! But it's history and ro...

Welcome back to Bitesize Payments. Where we discuss their history, how they work and who does what. Today we are going to do the reverse of the last podcast with Eric Grover – we will be looking at Europe from an American's point of view. We say Europe, but what do we mean? What’s the EU, SEPA, and EEA? We will walk you through that. Obviously, European history is a little more complex as, am...

Welcome back to Bitesize Payments where we look at their history, how they work and who does what.  When we look at the payment systems of another region, they often seem impenetrable due to different brand names, terminologies, use cases, and cultural nuances. You might be thinking, aren’t payments just payments around the world? Well, yes and no. While there are common elements like high-value p...

Welcome back to bitesize payments where we discuss the history, how they work and who does what?  Today we are going to discuss banks, what do they do? We have discussed a little of their history in previous episodes, we talk through them as key stakeholders as well,  banks are right at the top of the list.    So we're zooming in on banks - institutions as ancient as civilization yet as conte...

Welcome back to bitesize Payments were we discuss their history, how they work and of course who does what.  In this episode we're discussing Clearings. Clearings what are they?  Well, they are sometimes called rails, schemes or the last mile either way there are a lot and I mean a lot, as I have mentioned before there is a clearing for every type of payment – RTGS, IP etc for every country. ...

Welcome back to Bitesize Payments, in today's episode we dive into the murky waters of payment fraud and scams. From ancient swindlers to modern-day cybercriminals, we're charting the course of deceptive practices that have evolved alongside our financial systems.  Fraud is a personal and often distressing experience, and while we won't dwell on the emotional aspects, it's impo...

Welcome back to Bitesize Payments, in this episode we are going to discuss a Major Stakeholder that is not always discussed as much as they should have.  As an example, when the EU asked for feedback in preparation for PSD2 the “corporates” gave more feedback than all the other groups put together, yet we seem to put them in a distant place.  While we think of us citizens as the super user, as we...

Welcome back to Bitesize Payments, where we delve into the world of payments, exploring their history, how they work, and the key players involved. Today, we're tackling a crucial topic: regulators. Love them or hate them, they play a vital role in shaping the payments landscape. From ensuring fair competition to protecting consumers, their influence is undeniable. But navigating the complexw...

Welcome back dear listeners to Bitesize Payments, today we are going to discuss ISO20022.  It’s the lingua franca of financial services.  We started this journey when we discussed Standards, but ISO deserves a podcast on its own.  But here’s the thing ISO touches the entire ecosystem and so the issue is a timing one.  The stakeholders need to not just adopt but get ready.  So, a central bank, a co...

Standards hmm that sounds interesting Paul well yep fair point but where would we be without them? Imagine a world where each time you tried to send money to someone, you had to navigate a new process, perhaps even create new accounts, or understand new protocols. Sounds chaotic, right? That's a world without payment standards. The financial world thrives on trust, security and efficiency, an...

Welcome to today's episode of Bitesize payments, where we'll be diving deep into the world of Central Bank Digital Currencies, or CBDCs. The latest revolution in Fiat Money since the bank note. From their origins to their potential impact on the global financial system. Probably a once in a lifetime event, we will also talk specifically about the Digital Euro.     I am joined today by Ka...

Welcome to back dear listeners to Bitesize Payments. Today, we delve into the world of cryptocurrencies. They are digital natives in a payments world that is mostly analogue, the technology behind them is genuinely impressive however they introduce new paradigms which to some cause’s issues. Like many tools in the payment sphere, it’s not the tool per se that is the issue but, in its application,...

Dave and I thought that there was so much to discuss around RTGS that we decided that we need 2 podcasts. So here is part 2….   We are going to discuss a little of their history and dive into why RTGSs are so critical…. Before the advent of RTGS, many countries used deferred net settlement systems for interbank transactions. In these systems, payments were accumulated over a certain period, and th...