Blockchain incubator set to bolster Australian industry
Australia’s first incubator program dedicated to helping blockchain startups get their businesses up and running will be established in Adelaide. South Australian blockchain advisory firm Crypto SA has been awarded A$170,000 from the Federal Government to open the Crypto SA Lab in September. The incubator program will offer 10 blockchain startups free co-working space and mentoring services. The businesses have already applied for Crypto SA Lab and are currently in the vetting process. Program entrepreneurs will also receive blockchain technology training and broader business advice on how to run a startup. Crypto SA is an advisory firm that provides blockchain businesses information surrounding legal and financial compliance, smart contract support, […]
Unique marketplace driving alternative finance
The fourth annual AltFi Australasia Summit is approaching, with alternative finance leaders convening to discuss the future of the industry on 15 April. “Alternative lenders are currently facing a unique convergence of market happenings: reduced trust in traditional lenders, the upcoming shift to open banking, and the impending introduction of comprehensive credit reporting,” said the global CEO of alternative lender OnDeck, Noah Breslow. The 2018 Deloitte Trust Index for Banking revealed that less than half of Australians trust that their personal bank will keep its promises, and only 36% feel that their bank has their best interests at heart. According to Breslow, “This has created an opportunity to capture an […]
London threatening San Francisco’s fintech unicorn dominance, research says
London could soon overtake San Francisco as the fintech (financial technology) unicorn capital of the world, according to a new study. Of the world’s 29 fintech unicorns – private companies valued at more than $1 billion – nine are based in San Francisco, while seven are headquartered in London, the research published Tuesday said. The report, by London-based recruitment firm Robert Walters and research group Vacancy Soft, said London was “showing signs of potential to threaten San Francisco’s historic dominance of the market.” It noted that London’s fintech sector received more venture capital (VC) funding than any other EU city in 2018, securing 39% of all European fintech funding. Berlin’s […]
How Blockchain is boosting the Fintech Sector
The Financial Technology sector, commonly known as Fintech, has changed considerably over the years. From the introduction of ginormous super computers in the 1970’s that would struggle to compete with the average phone for power these days, technology has advanced the finance world. The 1980’s saw automated stock exchanges and the increased use of computer technology in everyday banking. The 1990’s brought the advent of the internet, changing our lives as well as the financial sector. Slowly but surely, mobile banking, internet banking, personal loans, insurance renewal, forex trading and more crept into our lives bringing disruption to the financial world. What was once the preserve of big banks and […]
Is this the Afterpay of small business?
Cloudfloat is one of a number of companies looking to bring buy now pay later to businesses. When Afterpay was founded in 2015, few could have predicted the impact that it and other buy now pay later providers would have on the consumer payment sector. From 400,000 users in 2016, the sector now boasts over 2 million customers and over 2 million transactions per month. A similar revolution may soon be on the horizon for small businesses, with startups such as Cloudfloat looking to bring the buy now pay later model to business invoicing. Founded in August 2018 by Aleem Habibullah, Cloudfloat is in early access, with plans to launch […]
Afterpay inspires US rival Sezzle to list on ASX
US Afterpay competitor Sezzle is set to become the latest buy now, pay later, fintech to list on the ASX, with the Minneapolis-based start-up inspired by the success of its local rivals. Having already raised $US5.6 million ($7.9 million) in a pre-IPO round, led by Chicago-based institutional investor Continental Investors, Sezzle intends to list within the next few months and representatives were travelling around Australia last week meeting with local investors. Speaking to The Australian Financial Review, co-founder Charlie Youakim said Sezzle was modelled on local company Afterpay, with the co-founders wanting to bring the buy now, pay later model to the US. To read more, please click on the link below….Source: […]
Aussie school’s cryptocurrency programs attract international attention
In August 2017, news.Bitcoin.com covered a number of cryptocurrency programs that were being offered to the students of Wooranna primary school in Victoria, Australia. Nearly two years later, the school’s cryptocurrency programs continue to thrive, with the students having recently interviewed Andreas Antonopolous, and attracted visitors from Europe, North America, and Asia. The cryptocurrency programs offered to students of Wooranna primary school have continued to expand despite 2018’s bear trend. Even though the school is situated in a “low socioeconomic area” as described by Keiran Nolan, a former network engineer turned educational technologist who runs Wooranna’s blockchain programs, 2019 has already seen Wooranna’s students afforded unique opportunities within the cryptocurrency […]
Why parents should start teaching their kids about money at an early age
How did you learn about money when you were a kid? Maybe your parents handed you a few dollars to swing by the grocery store for milk. After getting through the checkout line and carefully counting out the change, perhaps you stuffed the rest back into your pocket and headed back home. Today, teaching kids how to manage money is different. As technology around payments and money management has evolved, transactions are often no longer tangible. Cash is becoming less common and learning to become financially savvy is beginning to take a much different shape than in the past. From cash to V-bucks and in-app purchases This emergence of financial […]
