# Unread essays — BAM essays not yet read on Complex Systems

> Live view, rendered from production on every request (not pre-computed).
> Published BAM essays that do NOT carry the `read-on-cs` tag — i.e. not yet read
> aloud on Complex Systems. Candidates for a future reading.

- [Perpetual futures, explained](https://www.bitsaboutmoney.com/archive/perpetual-futures-explained/) originally published on 2025-12-05
- [Open Banking and payments competition](https://www.bitsaboutmoney.com/archive/open-banking-and-payments-competition/) originally published on 2025-08-13
- [Bits about Money yearly recap and plans](https://www.bitsaboutmoney.com/archive/bam-2024-retrospective/) originally published on 2025-01-15
- [Debanking (and Debunking?)](https://www.bitsaboutmoney.com/archive/debanking-and-debunking/) originally published on 2024-12-09
- [Fiction and Finance](https://www.bitsaboutmoney.com/archive/fiction-about-finance/) originally published on 2024-10-07
- [Why the CrowdStrike bug hit banks hard](https://www.bitsaboutmoney.com/archive/crowdstrike-bug-hit-banks-hard/) originally published on 2024-07-31
- [Working title (insurance)](https://www.bitsaboutmoney.com/archive/working-title-insurance/) originally published on 2024-06-30
- [The business of wallets](https://www.bitsaboutmoney.com/archive/the-business-of-wallets/) originally published on 2024-04-30
- [Anatomy of a credit card rewards program](https://www.bitsaboutmoney.com/archive/anatomy-of-credit-card-rewards-programs/) originally published on 2024-03-29
- [Financial systems take a holiday](https://www.bitsaboutmoney.com/archive/financial-systems-take-a-holiday/) originally published on 2024-02-29
- [The business of check cashing](https://www.bitsaboutmoney.com/archive/the-business-of-check-cashing/) originally published on 2024-01-30
- [The Bond villain compliance strategy](https://www.bitsaboutmoney.com/archive/bond-villain-compliance-strategy/) originally published on 2023-11-24
- [A review of Number Go Up, on crypto shenanigans](https://www.bitsaboutmoney.com/archive/a-review-of-number-go-up-on-crypto-shenanigans/) originally published on 2023-09-29
- [Credit card debt collection](https://www.bitsaboutmoney.com/archive/the-waste-stream-of-consumer-finance/) originally published on 2023-08-11
- [Requiem for a bank loan](https://www.bitsaboutmoney.com/archive/requiem-for-a-bank-loan/) originally published on 2023-06-16
- [Deposit franchises as natural hedges](https://www.bitsaboutmoney.com/archive/deposit-franchises-as-natural-hedges/) originally published on 2023-05-05
- [Deposit insurance maximization as a service](https://www.bitsaboutmoney.com/archive/deposit-insurance-maximization-as-a-service/) originally published on 2023-04-05
- [Banking in very uncertain times](https://www.bitsaboutmoney.com/archive/banking-in-very-uncertain-times/) originally published on 2023-03-14
- [Improving how credit cards work under the covers](https://www.bitsaboutmoney.com/archive/improving-cards-under-the-hood/) originally published on 2023-02-24
- [Money laundering and AML compliance](https://www.bitsaboutmoney.com/archive/money-laundering-and-aml-compliance/) originally published on 2023-02-10
- [BAM's Early Adopter discount ends soon](https://www.bitsaboutmoney.com/archive/early-adopter-discount-reminder-0125/) originally published on 2023-01-25
- [KYC and AML: beyond the acronyms](https://www.bitsaboutmoney.com/archive/kyc-and-aml-beyond-the-acronyms/) originally published on 2023-01-23
- [BAM is now reader-supported](https://www.bitsaboutmoney.com/archive/bam-is-now-reader-supported/) originally published on 2023-01-06
- [The infrastructure behind ATMs](https://www.bitsaboutmoney.com/archive/the-infrastructure-behind-atms/) originally published on 2023-01-02
- [Credit cards as a legacy system](https://www.bitsaboutmoney.com/archive/credit-cards-as-a-legacy-system/) originally published on 2022-12-02
- [Demystifying financial leverage](https://www.bitsaboutmoney.com/archive/demystifying-financial-leverage/) originally published on 2022-11-11
- [Markets in power](https://www.bitsaboutmoney.com/archive/markets-in-power/) originally published on 2022-09-30
- [Siting bank branches](https://www.bitsaboutmoney.com/archive/why-is-that-bank-branch-there/) originally published on 2022-09-16
- [The branch banking model](https://www.bitsaboutmoney.com/archive/branch-banking/) originally published on 2022-09-01
- [Stablecoin mechanisms and use cases](https://www.bitsaboutmoney.com/archive/stablecoin-mechanisms-and-use-cases/) originally published on 2022-05-20
- [Reconciliation: A game designed to frustrate the player](https://www.bitsaboutmoney.com/archive/a-game-that-intentionally-frustrates-the-player/) originally published on 2022-04-18
- [Plastic (and payments) in the fantasy supply chain](https://www.bitsaboutmoney.com/archive/payments-and-plastic-in-the-fantasy-supply-chain/) originally published on 2022-04-08
- [Charitable donations and the infrastructure supporting them](https://www.bitsaboutmoney.com/archive/charitable-donations-infrastructure/) originally published on 2022-04-01
- [Hybrid offline/online transactions](https://www.bitsaboutmoney.com/archive/hybrid-offline-online-transactions/) originally published on 2022-03-04
- [Moving money internationally](https://www.bitsaboutmoney.com/archive/moving-money-internationally/) originally published on 2022-03-02
- [Changing how Main Street businesses bank](https://www.bitsaboutmoney.com/archive/changing-the-way-main-street-businesses-bank/) originally published on 2022-02-18
- [Finality does not exist in payments](https://www.bitsaboutmoney.com/archive/no-payments-are-final/) originally published on 2022-02-15
- [BNPLs: Businesses Needing Provided Legibility](https://www.bitsaboutmoney.com/archive/buy-now-pay-later/) originally published on 2022-01-07
- [The secondary market in gift cards](https://www.bitsaboutmoney.com/archive/gift-card-marketplaces/) originally published on 2021-12-17
- [More than you want to know about gift cards](https://www.bitsaboutmoney.com/archive/more-than-you-want-to-know-about-gift-cards/) originally published on 2021-12-13
- [The fraud supply chain](https://www.bitsaboutmoney.com/archive/the-fraud-supply-chain/) originally published on 2021-12-03
- [Bank transfers as a payment method](https://www.bitsaboutmoney.com/archive/bank-transfers-as-a-payment-method/) originally published on 2021-11-26
- [Payments in Japan](https://www.bitsaboutmoney.com/archive/payments-in-japan/) originally published on 2021-11-19
- [Debit cards are hidden financial infrastructure](https://www.bitsaboutmoney.com/archive/debit-cards-are-hidden-financial-infrastructure/) originally published on 2021-11-12
- [How credit cards make money](https://www.bitsaboutmoney.com/archive/how-credit-cards-make-money/) originally published on 2021-11-05
- [Financial innovation is actually happening](https://www.bitsaboutmoney.com/archive/financial-innovation-is-happening/) originally published on 2021-10-29
- [Community Banking and Fintech](https://www.bitsaboutmoney.com/archive/community-banking-and-fintech/) originally published on 2021-10-22