Duncan Knowles

MSc Management Science and Operational Research, 1998

I have recently written a book on commercial banking, "Banking Matters: An essential guide to commercial banking in an age of disruption".

The book provides an overview of commercial banking and the role that banks play in the economy, and would be useful for anyone starting a career in banking, hoping to challenge incumbent banks, or providing services to banks. It briefly reached #1 for banking books on Amazon in the UK, and was #2 in terms of ratings for such books. It has been publicly endorsed (on LinkedIn) by senior bank executives as a useful resource.

The 2008 financial crisis showed the terrible impact that banks can have on people and firms if they are not well understood and managed. Well run banks however, provide considerable value to all of us: creating money; supplying liquidity; facilitating payments; and guarding the financial system against criminals.

We are now seeing further disruption, some potentially beneficial (new digital technologies), and some potentially damaging (the financial impact of the pandemic). Managed well, this could transform people’s lives for the better; managed badly, the consequences could be catastrophic.

In this age of disruption, it is more important than ever that everyone working in and around banking understand the important role of banks in our economies. This is true for those disrupting banking (FinTech, challenger banks), providing services to banking (consultants, technology firms), and working in banks.

The book is my attempt to meet this need.