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Pat McConnell

Honorary Fellow, Macquarie University Applied Finance Centre, Macquarie University

After over 30 years working for, and consulting to, major banking and insurance companies in the US, Europe and Australia, Pat transferred to teaching courses in Risk Management at Masters level and to industry. His main areas of research are in Operational Risk (People, Systems, Process and Legal risks) and banking regulation and he has published widely on this topic, including a new book on People Risk Management http://www.koganpage.com/product/people-risk-management-9780749471354 .

Time to toss one of the Four Pillars out of the nest?

Nov 04, 2016 03:50 am UTC| Insights & Views Business

This week, ANZ, the latest (and now the last) of the Big 4 Australian banks to have ventured far away from the nest, confirmed that it was coming home into the arms of the Bank of Mum and Dad (also known as the Australian...

Blockchain Revolution Series

Blockchain: reinventing the squeaky wheel

Oct 25, 2016 18:13 pm UTC| Insights & Views Fintech

Apparently, the world is holding its breath on the unloading of a few bales of cotton, which could change trade forever. In Qingdao sometime in early November, 88 bales of cotton will be unloaded and ownership of the...

Big four bank chiefs face parliamentary committee: experts react

Oct 04, 2016 08:39 am UTC| Insights & Views Politics

The chief executives of Australias big four banks are this week being called before a House of Representatives economics committee. We asked a panel of experts what questions the committee should be asking. Deborah...

Banking excuses wearing a bit thin

May 20, 2016 09:59 am UTC| Insights & Views

Brain Hartzer, the CEO of Westpac, gave an excuse to the media when asked about allegations that Westpac traders deliberately manipulated the important Bank Bill Swap Rate (BBSW) benchmark, saying that it was a heavy...

Banks – Just what do they get paid for?

May 09, 2016 06:14 am UTC| Insights & Views Business

Just last month, the US Department of Justice (DOJ), fined Goldman Sachs over AU$6.7 billion and Wells Fargo over AU$1.6 billion for improper mortgage lending practices specifically securitising and selling Residential...

Government backflip on ASIC could be too little too late

Apr 21, 2016 06:31 am UTC| Insights & Views Law

In announcing new money for the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, the Treasurer and the Minister responsible Kelly ODwyer executed a synchronised back flip with tuck, declaring that The broad reform...

BBSW – Too Dumb to Understand?

Apr 07, 2016 06:37 am UTC| Insights & Views Law

The reactions of ANZ and Westpac management to recent legal actions by ASIC alleging manipulation of the BBSW benchmark are instructive of the attitudes of the major banks. ANZ wheeled out its Chief Risk Officer to...

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Economy

Gold Prices Rise as Oil Slump Eases Fed Rate Hike Fears

Gold prices climbed on Tuesday as a sharp decline in oil prices eased inflation concerns and reduced expectations for additional Federal Reserve interest rate hikes. A softer U.S. dollar and renewed hopes for diplomacy...

Oil Prices Rise as U.S.-Iran Talks Fuel Diplomacy Hopes

Oil prices moved higher in Asian trading on Tuesday, snapping a four-session losing streak as investors assessed the possibility of renewed U.S.-Iran talks during this weeks United Nations General Assembly in New York....

Vietnam, US Trade Deal Could Be Signed Soon, To Lam Says

Vietnam and the United States have made positive progress in negotiations toward a new trade agreement, with a deal potentially ready to be signed soon, Vietnamese leader To Lam said, according to a government statement...

Canada Unveils Bill to Fast-Track Major Resource Projects

Canada unveiled draft legislation on Monday aimed at accelerating approvals for major natural resource and infrastructure projects, as Prime Minister Mark Carney seeks to strengthen economic growth and reduce the countrys...

Yen Weakens as Dollar Gains on Widening US-Japan Rate Gap

The Japanese yen remained under pressure against a firm U.S. dollar on Tuesday as traders focused on the widening interest rate gap between Japan and other major economies following a hawkish shift among global central...

Politics

Macron, Trump Discuss Ukraine-Russia Energy Strike Moratorium

French President Emmanuel Macron said Monday that he discussed potential measures with U.S. President Donald Trump aimed at securing a moratorium on energy-related attacks between Ukraine and Russia, as diplomatic efforts...

Burnham Eyes UK Leadership Role in AI Ahead of Trump Meeting

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham will push for the UK to take a global leadership role in artificial intelligence on Tuesday as he makes his first major appearance on the international diplomatic stage at the United...

US Plans Two New Military Bases in Greenland Under Arctic Deal

The United States plans to expand its military presence in Greenland by reopening a Cold War-era base in the south and establishing operations at another site on the islands east coast, according to people familiar with a...

US, Denmark and Greenland Set to Sign Arctic Security Deal

Denmark, Greenland and the United States are set to sign a new Greenland security agreement on Tuesday that could expand the US military presence while placing broader Arctic security under NATO oversight. The signing is...

UK, Mauritius Seek Diego Garcia Base Deal

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham has pledged to work with Mauritius and the United States to resolve the dispute surrounding the strategically important Diego Garcia military base in the Indian Ocean. Burnham spoke with...

Science

Blue Origin New Glenn Explosion Could Delay Launch Operations Until 2028

Blue Origin is facing a significant setback after a dramatic explosion involving its New Glenn rocket severely damaged a launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida. According to NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, repairs to the...

Blue Origin New Glenn Rocket Explodes During Launch Pad Test, Delaying Space Ambitions

Blue Origin suffered a major setback after its uncrewed New Glenn rocket exploded during a launch pad test in Florida on Thursday, raising new challenges for Jeff Bezos space company as it competes with Elon Musks SpaceX...

SpaceX Delays Starship V3 Launch Ahead of Potential Record IPO

SpaceX on Thursday postponed the highly anticipated launch of its 12th Starship rocket test from Texas after technical issues interrupted the final countdown. The company now plans to attempt the Starship V3 launch again...

Trump Administration Releases New UFO Files and Apollo Mission Records

The U.S. Defense Department has released dozens of previously classified UFO-related files following an order from President Donald Trump, sparking renewed debate over unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) and government...

China vs. NASA: The New Moon Race and What's at Stake by 2030

The space race is back and this time, its a direct competition between the United States and China for dominance on the lunar surface. NASAs Artemis II mission recently made history when four astronauts flew farther into...

Technology

US Northeast Airports Resume Operations After Telecom Outage Disrupts Thousands of Flights

US airport operations across the Northeast began returning to normal on Monday after crews repaired telecommunications problems that had disrupted air traffic and contributed to thousands of flight delays and cancellations...

OpenAI Urges US-Led Global Standards for Frontier AI

OpenAI is calling for the United States to lead an international effort to establish technical standards for advanced artificial intelligence, as concerns grow over increasingly capable AI systems and the prospect of...

Meta Partners With Shopify to Bring Shop Pay Checkout to Muse AI

Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced a new partnership with Shopify aimed at bringing agentic shopping and checkout capabilities to Metas recently launched Muse artificial intelligence platform. Zuckerberg said...

SoftBank Launches $11 Billion Bond Sale to Fund OpenAI Investment

SoftBank Group Corp. has launched a major bond offering worth $10 billion and 1 billion to finance its latest investment in OpenAI, according to a term sheet released Monday. The Japanese technology investment group is...

Trump Plans Federal AI Force and AI Czar

U.S. President Donald Trump said Saturday that he plans to create a federal AI Force and appoint an artificial intelligence czar, outlining an effort to accelerate U.S. AI development while using existing laws to address...