About me

I am an author, journalist, economic anthropologist and former financial broker exploring the politics of money systems, finance and digital technology. I'm the author of Cloudmoney: Cash, Cards, Crypto and the War for our Wallets (Penguin & HarperCollins, 2022) and The Heretic’s Guide to Global Finance: Hacking the Future of Money (Pluto Press, 2013).

I've written for publications like The Guardian, Business Insider, New Scientist, Huffington Post, Wired Magazine and CNN.com, covering the dynamics of cashless society, fintech, cryptocurrency, monetary reform, economic activism, alternative finance and the politics of technology. I've spoken at over 300 events in over 30 countries, and have appeared on a wide range of TV shows, radio broadcasts and documentaries across the world, including BBC World News and Sky News. I've occasionally provided input to reports for institutions like UNRISD (United Nations Research Institute for Social Development), UNPRI (UN Principles for Responsible Investment), UNEP and UN­OCHA, and have presented on financial inclusion at EU Parliament, EU Commission and IMF events.

I obtained a degree in anthropology in South Africa and a Masters in international development at Cambridge University (UK), and worked in the world of financial derivatives in the midst of the 2008 financial crisis, after which I worked on financial reform campaigns and alternative finance projects with a wide range of groups. This has included teaching at Singularity University in Silicon Valley, undertaking residencies at the MIT Media Lab, and being financial artist-­in-residence at MuseumsQuartier in Vienna. I'm a Senior Fellow of the Finance Innovation Lab (UK), an Associate at the Institute of Social Banking (Germany), and an advisory group member of the Brixton Pound local currency. I was a winner of the 2016/2017 Ethics and Trust in Finance Global Prize. I publish a newsletter called Altered States of Monetary Consciousness and tweet as @suitpossum.