Articles by Richard Thurston
Walmart Takes a 'Trusted Agent' Approach to Purple Teaming
Many organizations struggle with the inherent tension between red and blue teams — where offensive security testers and defensive operators often work in silos or even develop adversarial relationships. But Walmart has entirely reimagined this dynamic. Jason O'Dell, the retailer's global VP of security operations, recognizes that the traditional model of rigid separate teams conducting exercises in isolation delivers limited value and can actually damage team morale and organizational learning.
Walmart Leaders Transform Security Operations Without Going Bananas
As the world's largest retailer, Walmart knows a thing or two about scale. It sells more bananas than any grocer, employs more than 2 million people across 19 countries, and generates more than $700 billion in annual revenue. And like all large companies, it's also in the crosshairs of cyber adversaries, so it's imperative that its leadership team understands the risks and buys into a mitigation plan.
AI Tools Will Accelerate International Fraud at Scale
Banks Must Prepare for the Coming Deluge Richard Thurston • April 15, 2026 Image: Shutterstock Global crime intelligence agency Interpol added to warnings about a coming torrent of artificial intelligence-enabled global fraud in an annual assessment assessing that victim losses reached $442 billion last year. See Also: Defending Identity in the Age of AI Attacks Financial fraud is one of the top five global crime threats, alongside money laundering and drugs offenses, according to Interpol.
AI Tools Will Accelerate International Fraud at Scale
Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning , Fraud Management & Cybercrime , Fraud Risk Management Banks Must Prepare for the Coming Deluge Richard Thurston • April 15, 2026 Image: Shutterstock Global crime intelligence agency Interpol added to warnings about a coming torrent of artificial intelligence-enabled global fraud in an annual assessment assessing that victim losses reached $442 billion last year.
AI Tools Will Accelerate International Fraud at Scale
11 minutes ago bankinfosecurity Banks Must Prepare for the Coming Deluge Richard Thurston • April 15, 2026 Global crime intelligence agency Interpol added to warnings about a coming torrent of artificial intelligence-enabled global fraud in an annual assessment assessing that victim losses reached $442 billion last year. See Also: AI Impersonation Is the New Arms Race-Is Your Workforce Ready?
Studies: Banks Penalize Bad Cybersecurity With Higher Rates
CFOs Should Know: Lackadaisical Security Carries a Price Richard Thurston • April 10, 2026 Image: Halytskyi Olexandr/Shutterstock Bad cybersecurity is bad for business. A badly secured business may pay as much as ten extra basis points for a loan than if its posture had been up to scratch, find academic studies examining how U.S. banks price debt. See Also: AI Impersonation Is the New Arms Race-Is Your Workforce Ready?
Studies: Banks Penalize Bad Cybersecurity With Higher Rates
7 minutes ago bankinfosecurity CFOs Should Know: Lackadaisical Security Carries a Price Richard Thurston • April 10, 2026 Bad cybersecurity is bad for business. A badly secured business may pay as much as ten extra basis points for a loan than if its posture had been up to scratch, find academic studies examining how U.S. banks price debt.
Studies: Banks Penalize Bad Cybersecurity With Higher Rates
Finance & Banking , Governance & Risk Management , Industry Specific CFOs Should Know: Lackadaisical Security Carries a Price Richard Thurston • April 10, 2026 Image: Halytskyi Olexandr/Shutterstock Bad cybersecurity is bad for business. A badly secured business may pay as much as ten extra basis points for a loan than if its posture had been up to scratch, find academic studies examining how U.S. banks price debt.
How to Stay on Top of Future Threats With a Cutting-Edge SOC
The security operations center (SOC) is a critical business function that must continually evolve to keep pace with new cybersecurity threats. CISOs remain under tight cost pressure, so they must be highly focused on transforming the SOC to meet their organization's future needs. One thing is certain: The capabilities of today's SOC will not be fit-for-purpose in five or even three years' time. SOC transformation is complex, and artificial intelligence (AI) and people strategies are crucial.
Taylor Wessing: Why Fintech Should Be Optimistic in 2026
Verena Ritter-Doering, Partner, Taylor Wessing The new year will bring fresh optimism to the fintech sector following a turbulent 2025, according to a report by experts at global law firm Taylor Wessing. High levels of innovation and positive regulatory developments set the industry up well for 2026, the company’s Verena Ritter-Döring and Miroslav Đurić say.
Why has Donald Trump Sued JPMorgan Chase?
US President Donald Trump (Credit: Getty Images) US President Donald Trump is to file a lawsuit against JPMorgan Chase for US$5bn, saying that it illegally closed his accounts. His lawsuit personally names the bank’s chief executive Jamie Dimon - with whom he has had a difficult relationship. It alleges that Trump - and his business empire - suffered what he calls “considerable financial and reputational harm” following the bank closing their accounts in January 2021.
Where Will New Partnerships Chief Take Fintech Storfund?
Justin Hanna, who will lead a newly formed partnerships team for Storfund The UK-based fintech Storfund has hired Justin Hanna, the former Worldpay, Barclaycard and NomuPay executive to lead a new partnerships team as it accelerates expansion across platforms in the e-commerce ecosystem. Justin will look to expand the number of partnerships related to payments and vertical SaaS.
Brits Forget Their PIN, as Contactless Payments Take Over
Nearly a third of young people in Britain struggle to remember their PIN as contactless payments become commonplace, new research from payments provider myPOS finds. It reveals that 29% of Gen Z say they struggle to remember - or have completely forgotten - their PIN, highlighting how digital-first habits are shaping consumer behaviour.
UK Calls for Better Regulation to Drive Financial Innovation
Britain’s financial services trade surplus has topped that of the United States, according to data from TheCityUK, which represents British financial services and professional services companies. Despite the country’s economic challenges, the UK remains the world’s largest financial services net exporter (exports minus imports), generating a trade surplus of US$127bn, ahead of the US (US$64.2bn).
Who are the UK’s New Safe AI Chiefs?
HM Treasury building, London; base of Economic Secretary Lucy Rigby The UK Government has appointed two AI and data science experts to help London’s financial sector seize AI opportunities in a safe and ethical way. The so-called Industry Champions – Harriet Rees from Starling Bank and Rohit Dhawan from Lloyds Banking Group – will focus on turning momentum in AI into practical delivery through their extensive experience.
Deutsche Bank: Building Sustainability and Resilience
Deutsche Bank warns that the AI boom faces a US$800bn shortfall | Credit: Getty For banks, sustainability has shifted from a corporate responsibility initiative to a core driver of risk management, growth and client value. As global supply chains are redesigned, banks are embedding sustainability into strategic decision-making to underpin resilience and regulatory readiness and bolster customer trust. Climate risk is now financial risk.
World Economic Forum: How Financial Services Lag on Cyber
The financial services sector is lagging behind in the use of AI to mitigate cyber security risks, according to the World Economic Forum’s Global Cybersecurity Outlook 2026. Financial services companies are failing to become a leader in any of the five key use cases, WEF finds. The results are based on extensive interviews with global business leaders, with the results revealed ahead of WEF’s Annual Meeting in Davos, where the world’s business, government and academic leaders are meeting.
How is Tech Europe Foundation Powering the Continent’s Tech?
A non-profit foundation backed by Italian billionaire Andrea Pignataro is merging with the tech incubators of Milan’s leading universities to boost early-stage investment in the country. The foundation – Tech Europe Foundation – has raised EUR120m (US$140m) and aims to increase investments to €1bn (US$1.2bn) by 2030. The merger brings together Politecnico di Milano’s tech incubator, Bocconi University’s venture capital fund and entrepreneurial hub and more than 70 start-ups.
World Economic Forum: Barclays Sees Strength in AI Bubble
Christian Keller, Head of Economics Research at Barclays Investment Bank As the World Economic Forum kicks off in Davos, Switzerland, Barclays Investment Bank’s Head of Economics Research has reassured investors that the AI investment boom is sound, and that any bubble that is forming is unlikely to burst. Speaking on a World Economic Forum podcast, Christian Keller noted the productivity benefits that AI is bringing globally, and how that is impacting tech valuations.
Why is Fintech Dominating the Turkish Start-Up Ecosystem?
Türkiye is witnessing significant fintech investment Fintech is dominating Turkey's startup businesses after a record year of investment. Along with the second-place sector in terms of investment - gaming - it accounted for 68% of total capital allocation in the country during 2025, according to data from startups.watch, which analyses business startups in Turkey.
Formula 1: What will Nexo Bring to the Audi Revolut F1 Team?
Audi Revolut F1 Team - Nexo partnership The Audi Revolut F1 Team has announced a multiple-year strategic partnership with Nexo, the digital assets platform. The partnership sees Nexo become the team’s inaugural official digital asset partner, placing Nexo’s next-generation digital tools on a global stage. Nexo is a digital assets wealth platform designed to empower clients to grow, manage and preserve their crypto holdings, and has more than US$11bn of assets under management.
What Will Happen to Financial Sector AI Budgets in 2026?
Pascal Brier, Chief Innovation Officer at Capgemini AI budgets in the banking and capital markets sector are set to leap in 2026, according to research by Capgemini Research Institute. The proportion of the total business budget allocated to expenditure on AI is forecast to increase from 3% in 2025 to 5% in 2026, its researchers found, based on a survey of executive-level respondents in more than 1,500 organisations.
What will the WalletConnect partnership mean for Ingenico?
A partnership between Ingenico, the payment acceptance and services company, and WalletConnect will allow merchants to accept supported stablecoins, giving customers additional payment options and convenience when making purchases. Stablecoins are cryptocurrencies designed to have stable values by pegging them to an external asset, such as the US dollar, or gold.
Why is FinTech Seeing Rapid Growth in Scotland?
The number of fintech companies in Scotland has more than doubled in the space of five years, as interest in fintech use cases continues to grow. The nation’s fintech cluster has increased to 260 companies from 120 companies in 2021. For a country of just 5.5m people, this represents a substantial business sector. Growth in the number of fintech companies in 2025 was 10%.
Where Will FIS Take Agentic Commerce Following TSYS Deal?
FIS Chief Executive and President Stephanie Ferris US-headquartered fintech FIS has completed the acquisition of Global Payments' Issuer Solutions business, formerly known as TSYS, for an enterprise value of US$13.5bn. This comprises a net purchase price of US$12bn including US$1.5bn of net present value of tax assets. Offerings from the asset - which is the world’s largest issuing business - will be taken to market under FIS’ Total Issuing Solutions brand.
Credit card issuers hit as Trump looks to cap interest rates
The share price of American Express fell by 4% while Visa and Mastercard's dropped more than 2% following President Donald Trump’s mandate for a 10% one-year cap on credit card interest rates. Other US lenders including JPMorgan Chase and Bank of America also saw their shares open more than 1% lower as Trump re-iterated an idea he put forward during his 2024 presidential campaign to limit credit card rates to address the cost of living concerns of many Americans.
Intuit QuickBooks: Five Tips to Scale Your Business to £1m
Intuit QuickBooks whitepaper offers tips to fintechs on how to scale to £1m Intuit QuickBooks is offering five top tips to help fintech business owners grow their companies beyond the £1m threshold. Its whitepaper – Five Tips and Tricks to Becoming a £1m Business – says that the businesses that scale past £1m (US$1.35m) in revenue are not just good at making money - they are great at managing it.
Microsoft Agentic AI Accelerates Retail Banking Operations
As with other retail organisations, banks are constantly seeking improved ways to serve customers and streamline customer-facing operations. Microsoft's latest suite of agentic AI solutions is built to deliver intelligent automation across retail operations, marketing and fulfilment – with a focus on speed, efficiency and customer relevance in a market where real-time decision-making matters.
EY examines role of tech in regulatory compliance
In a detailed report examining UK financial services regulation, EY has set out four regulatory priorities that will impact the sector in 2026. Technology is a significant theme throughout the report, which is called: What to Expect: UK Financial Services Regulation in 2026.
Why is Global Fintech Investment Rising?
Janine Hirt, CEO of Innovate Finance Global investment in fintech has increased 21% in the last year, taking total investment to US$53bn, according to figures published by Innovate Finance, the industry body representing fintech in the UK. The US remains dominant in the fintech market, with capital invested of US$25.1bn, or nearly half of the global total. The UK is in second place ($3.6bn) with India in third ($3.4bn), Innovate Finance’s FinTech Investment Landscape 2025 report shows.
Euronet’s CrediaBank Partnership Grows Market Opportunities
Euronet, a Kansas-headquartered payments processing and cross-border transactions company, is to acquire the merchant acquiring business of CrediaBank, the fifth largest operating bank in Greece. In addition, Euronet will provide financial services to the bank, and the companies plan to launch an account-to-account consumer digital wallet.
Why is Airwallex Expanding its European Operations?
Christos Chamberlain, UK and Europe General Manager, Airwallex Australia-based financial platform company Airwallex is to expand its presence in Europe as it shifts its focus away from Asia Pacific. It will invest around EUR200m (US$234m) in the Netherlands over the next five years and increase its headcount in that country to 70 by the end of 2026, according to Reuters.
J.P. Morgan: AI Bubble Not About to Burst
Kristin Lemkau, CEO, J.P. Morgan Wealth Management - J.P.Morgan Investments in AI are “justified and sustainable” amid massive capital expenditure, according to J.P.Morgan’s Outlook 2026. The company says it continues to look for opportunities across the AI value chain. It adds that although the ingredients for an AI bubble were “certainly in place”, it was not about to burst and AI would transform industries and investment opportunities. “As we look ahead, investors are facing a pivotal shift.
AI-native challenges and timescales polarise the industry
Düsseldorf, Germany – AI-Native Telco Forum – Amid reports of considerable progress with pockets of AI, experts at last week’s AI Native Telco Forum emerged heavily divided on when telcos would become truly AI native. It’s also apparent from the event, which was organised by TelecomTV, that the industry is split on what it deems to be AI native and how exactly to get there.
Deutsche Telekom outlines rapid progress towards being AI native
Düsseldorf, Germany – AI-Native Telco Forum – Deutsche Telekom (DT) has outlined the rapid progress it’s making in transforming its network operations using multiple AI capabilities.
The path to autonomous networks in telecom
Richard Thurston, TelecomTV (00:02): We're here at the Ericsson OSS/BSS Summit in London, and with Jason Keane from Ericsson. Jason, great that you're spending time with us today. Jason Keane, Ericsson (00:11): Thank you for having me today. Richard Thurston, TelecomTV (00:12): So tell us about the challenges that you're helping customers solve.
The role of network automation in the future of telecom
The role of network automation in the future of telecom To embed our video on your website copy and paste the code below: <iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/VOdMdhFNPMI?modestbranding=1&rel=0" width="970" height="546" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" allowfullscreen></iframe> Richard Thurston, TelecomTV (00:02): We are here at the Ericsson OSS/BSS Summit in London, and I'm here with Robert Curran from Appledore Research. So Robert, you've been to the event before, how are you finding it?
Maximising 5G value with autonomous networks and network slicing
Maximising 5G value with autonomous networks and network slicing To embed our video on your website copy and paste the code below: <iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/mi-HCamX6Ng?modestbranding=1&rel=0" width="970" height="546" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" allowfullscreen></iframe> Richard Thurston, TelecomTV (00:03): We're here in London at the Ericsson OSS/BSS Summit here with Lucky la Riccia. How are you finding the Summit?
BT develops ‘network immune system’
Researchers at BT are developing a ‘network immune system’ (NIS) that aims to make the telco’s network infrastructure better able to respond to cybersecurity threats. BT believes the system may also pave the way for the development of network-based cybersecurity services for the enterprise sector.
UK space sector caught between opportunity and limitation
LONDON, UK – Connected Britain 2025 – The UK space sector is caught between opportunity and limitation, according to experts speaking at the Connected Britain event in London this week. While the government is showing an appetite to grow the UK’s space activities to fuel stuttering economic growth, experts warn that many elements of the space industry mandate international collaboration.
Mastering Digital Breadcrumbs to Stay Ahead of Evolving Threats
Digital forensics is a fast-growing cybersecurity discipline in increasing demand by businesses. Professionals need special preparation and frequent upskilling, but the rewards can add up. It's a highly attractive area to work in, says Rob T. Lee, chief of research for SANS Institute. "It's very juicy and very sought after," says Lee, a former cyberspace warfare operations officer tasked to the National Security Agency.
What Makes Great Threat Intelligence?
Fast-changing geopolitics is constantly altering the nature of threats, so CISOs must quickly adapt their approach to new risks and sources of intelligence. While the need for high-quality threat intelligence is undeniable, it is a discipline that can sprawl uncontrollably, and it requires a targeted response.
Private 5G: New possibilities—and potential pitfalls
While ushering in "great operational value" for organizations, private 5G networks add yet another layer to CISOs' responsibilities. By Richard Thurston, Contributing Writer, Dark Reading Private 5G connectivity promises transformative benefits for organizations that operate large physical sites, such as airports, factories, campuses, and ports.
Private 5G: New Possibilities — and Potential Pitfalls
Private 5G connectivity promises transformative benefits for organizations that operate large physical sites, such as airports, factories, campuses, and ports. With high-capacity, low-latency performance and ubiquitous coverage, private 5G can enable next-generation use cases, like autonomous vehicles, augmented reality, and Internet of Things (IoT) applications — often outperforming Wi-Fi in these demanding environments.
Advanced Preparation Was Key to a Secure Paris Olympics
The Olympic Games showcase sport to the world with an intensity and volume no other event can match, and securing the event requires extensive collaboration and advanced preparation. The 2024 Olympiad in Paris featured 329 events across 41 events and 41 sports, drew 500,000 spectators, and attracted 3.1 million tourist arrivals last summer, making it the largest event ever in France.
Thinking Outside the Box on Cyber Risk
Complex, urgent, and an erosion of trust—these are words that make cyber risk professionals uncomfortable. Yet, earlier this year, the World Economic Forum framed risk this way prior to its Annual Meeting of World Leaders in Davos, Switzerland. The extensive assessment, published in the WEF's Global Risks Report, is based on research of business and public sector leaders worldwide.
Modernization Takes Center Stage at BT Focus 2024
This IDC Market Note presents key takeaways from BT Focus 2024, which was held in a hybrid manner on October 1 and 2, 2024. It summarizes key messages from the event and provides IDC's perspective on BT Business' strategy, focusing on modernization, the role of AI, cloud connectivity, security, all-IP, mobility, and digital work.
Visual Programming: A Modern Way to Code Your Ideas
Richard Thurston · Follow 11 min read · -- Imagine a world where coding is as simple as building with blocks. That’s what visual programming is all about. It’s changing how we make and use technology. Let’s explore how it’s helping people and businesses make their digital dreams real. Emma, a new entrepreneur, had a big idea for a mobile app. She wanted to change how people handle money. She knew coding would be hard, but then she found visual programming.
# Discover Your Golfing Paradise: Why Mauritius Should Be Your Next Tee-off Destination
Richard Thurston · Follow 9 min read · -- # Discover Your Golfing Paradise: Why Mauritius Should Be Your Next Tee-off Destination Hey there, fellow golf enthusiast! 👋 Are you ready for a golfing adventure that’ll make your friends green with envy? Well, pack your clubs and get ready for the trip of a lifetime, because we’re heading to Mauritius — the hidden gem of the Indian Ocean! ## Why Mauritius?
IDC MarketScape: European Managed Detection and Response Services 2024 Vendor Assessment
This IDC MarketScape assesses the major providers of managed detection and response (MDR) services for organizations operating in Europe. Detecting and responding to cybersecurity threats promptly and effectively is essential for organizations. Many do not have the knowledge or resources in house to do this successfully, so are working with one of many service providers. These service providers bring substantial expertise and are helping organizations mitigate cyber-risk.
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