Former Barclays boss says technology is the key to scandal-free banking
A former Barclays boss has said banking scandals could be slashed if there were less people across the sector and more computers.
Antony Jenkins, who was suddenly let go from his group chief executive role at Barclays last year, has previously spoken about the "Uber" moment the industry is undergoing, and launched his own fintech venture, 10x Future Technologies, last month.
Now, in an interview with the Sunday Times, Jenkins has gone on to say the financial crisis would not have been so severe if computers had been running the show, while humans are the root of scandals.
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"The crisis showed us that banks are safe most of the time," Jenkins said. "But when they are not, it's a very bad situation.
"Ultimately [technological advances] will lead to much safer decisions and much better credit decisions. This will be better for the individual."
Jenkins, who has often been described as the nicest man in banking, also told the newspaper that the growing usefulness of technology in the sector would soon result in less need for bankers.
"I think about 20 per cent to 30 per cent of bank staff will go in the next decade," Jenkins said. "We are seeing branch traffic fall by about 15 per cent a year."
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Jenkins was being interviewed alongside Virgin Money boss Jayne-Anne Gadhia. The challenger bank was revealed to be 10x Future Technologies' first client last week, with the fintech firm tasked with building it a digital banking platform.