Alex Rowan

Alex Rowan writes about crypto, payments and everyday finance, with a particular interest in fees, custody and cash flow.

Latest

Two glass vessels holding layered paper reserves beside a ledger.

stablecoins · Sep 24

USDT vs USDC: What You Actually Hold

Separate issuer backing, custody, networks and your route back to spendable money.

A lockbox and key beside paths leading to a distant vault.

custody · Sep 14

Before You Buy Crypto: Custody, Liquidity and Risk

Map custody, selling and withdrawal risks before putting money into crypto.

A bank vault, sealed document folder and wallet represent different ways to hold money.

banking · Sep 12

Bank Accounts, E-Money Accounts and Wallets

Identify the provider, product and protections behind the balance in an app.

A paper route between two banks loses small pieces along the journey.

international transfers · Sep 10

The True Cost of an International Transfer

Compare the full sender debit with usable recipient proceeds, including rates and fees.

Separate paper channels carry receipts and cash through different gates.

cash flow · Sep 8

Profit vs Cash Flow: Why Growing Businesses Run Short

See how profitable work creates a cash gap, then build a weekly forecast.

A balance scale weighs two illustrated currencies above a calendar and wallet.

currency risk · Sep 6

Currency Risk When You Earn and Spend Abroad

Map currency mismatches by amount and date before choosing how to manage them.

Daily leverage follows the path. The benchmark returns to 100; the 2x daily fund finishes near 98.18.

ETFs · Jul 30

Leveraged ETFs: Why Daily Returns Do Not Add Up

Work through two market paths before treating a daily multiplier as a long-term promise.

Read the whole redemption route. Selling on an exchange and redeeming with an issuer are different routes.

stablecoins · Jul 22

Stablecoin Redemption: Read the Exit Terms

A market price near one dollar does not explain how you can redeem the token.

Atomic settlement. Project Agora: a wholesale prototype, with further testing planned.

cross-border payments · Jun 5

Project Agora: What Atomic Payments Actually Solve

Follow a cross-border payment through an all-or-nothing settlement design.

Trace the fund token back to cash. A fast token transfer is one stage in the complete exit route.

tokenisation · May 28

Tokenised Money Market Funds: Read the Claim

An on-chain fund share still depends on assets, dealing rules and redemption routes.

Higher yields, lower bond prices. Promised payments are unchanged; their present value changes.

bonds · May 19

Bond Duration: Why Safe Debt Can Lose Value

Separate repayment risk from price risk before buying bonds for a future bill.

Check before money moves. A secure login cannot establish that an incoming request is genuine.

payment fraud · Apr 8

Invoice Fraud: A Payment Check for Small Teams

Verify changed bank details and payment requests before a legitimate login moves money.

Small fees compound. Simplified calculation, no taxes or contributions; not a return forecast.

investing · Mar 27

Investment Fund Fees: Calculate Your Real Cost

Compare fund, platform and trading costs with a realistic holding period.

Read the dates separately. A future regime does not establish every protection today.

regulation · Mar 6

UK Crypto Regulation: What Changes, and When

Read the February 2026 legislation without treating future permissions as protection today.

A name match has a limited scope. A match supports the first question; the business must answer the second.

bank transfers · Feb 17

Verification of Payee: What a Name Match Proves

Use bank name checks without mistaking a matching account for a trustworthy supplier.

Follow the custody chain. An on-screen balance does not answer every ownership question.

custody · Jan 16

Crypto Custody: Who Owns the Assets in a Failure?

Read custody contracts, identify subcustodians and separate legal ownership from a wallet balance.

Build the reserve in stages. Known annual bills stay in a separate budget.

cash reserves · Jan 1

Emergency Funds for an Irregular Income

Build a reserve around essential bills, late invoices and the time it takes to replace lost income.