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Matt Berryman

Payment security executive. Specialist in authentication, 3-D Secure and regulatory compliance. Former startup founder, now balancing enterprise solutions with family life in the New Forest.

The Engagement Problem: Designing Automation That Keeps Humans in the Loop

The Engagement Problem: Designing Automation That Keeps Humans in the Loop

In The Automation Paradox, I explored how financial automation risks disengaging users. This follow-up examines how automation can enhance, rather than replace, human judgement—ensuring users remain active participants in decision-making rather than passive observers.

The Automation Paradox How Smart Banking Features May Be Making Us Worse with Money

The Automation Paradox How Smart Banking Features May Be Making Us Worse with Money

Smart banking features promise to streamline our finances through automation and clever defaults. But are we sacrificing financial awareness for convenience? Explore the tension between automated money management and mindful decision-making in personal finance.

The Psychology of Modern Payment Choices From Cards to BNPL

The Psychology of Modern Payment Choices From Cards to BNPL

How do payment methods influence our spending decisions? From the psychological distance created by card payments to the sophisticated mechanisms of Buy Now, Pay Later services, this article examines the hidden forces shaping our financial choices.

Water drops creating overlapping ripples on a calm surface, captured in crisp detail.

Seeing Around Corners Developing Second-Order Thinking

When Amazon introduced one-click purchasing in 1999, it seemed like an obvious win. Reduced friction, higher sales. But the ripple effects continue to reshape retail in unexpected ways, from return fraud to changing consumer psychology. Welcome to the world of second-order thinking.

Consistency Over Intensity: The Hidden Power of Small Actions

Consistency Over Intensity: The Hidden Power of Small Actions

As January ends, packed gym classes thin out, with 80% of New Year's resolutions already abandoned. While we celebrate dramatic transformations, we overlook a far more powerful force: consistency. The science shows that small, regular actions trump sporadic bursts of intense effort.

Deepseek & AI Investments

Deepseek & AI Investments

Last Monday, DeepSeek, a Chinese AI research laboratory spun out of a quant trading firm, released a preview of its latest language model, DeepSeek-R1. The model demonstrates reasoning capabilities comparable to leading commercial models, but with a crucial distinction: it's open source. While you can chat with it

Node network image created by Google DeepMind.

AI: State of Play 2024

2024's AI landscape saw intense competition displace GPT-4's early lead, while multi-modal capabilities and platform integration expanded. Despite advanced features, widespread adoption remains limited. Breakthrough applications await as hardware costs fall and integration deepens.