It’s About the Blockchain

We’ve been working with bitcoin at Glenbrook for a few years now, teaching about it in our boot camps, and holding one-day workshops on math-based currencies and blockchain technology. I have one conclusion. The focus of the evolution of digital money is shifting....

Disruption and Innovation at the Point of Sale

Surprising disruptions and unanticipated consequences abound in payments. Sometimes, it’s just a rule change that makes all the difference. In 2001, the NACHA rule enabling ad hoc web debits was put in place, primarily at the behest of banks who wanted to make it...

Faster, Better, Cheaper – Like it or Not

A new wave of payment capabilities is hitting shores around the world. This wave is made up of better, faster, and cheaper “credit-push” systems.  That means that transactions enter the payments systems from the sender’s bank (like a wire transfer) rather than from...

Square… It’s Déjà Vu All Over Again!

How does disruption happen in mature industries? Clayton Christensen famously wrote about this phenomenon in his classic book “The Innovator’s Dilemma.” Most commonly, the new disruptor enters from below – by providing new capabilities to those unserved by...