ETFs the ‘starting point’ for Millennials
Almost 40 per cent of first-time ETF investors are Millennials, according to new research by BetaShares and Investment Trends. BetaShares and Investment Trends have launched a joint report that examines the attitudes of people who are currently invested in (or considering) ETFs. According to the report, the average age of ETF investors had dropped: the average age of those who began investing in ETFs five years ago was 56, whereas the average age of those who began investing in ETFs 12 months ago was 42. Furthermore, Millennials were found to have the greatest appetite for ETFs, with the report revealing this demographic made up 38 per cent of online investors […]
Use fintech apps to grow your wealth
Fintech (finance-technology) startups have exploded in the past five years, shaking up traditional product and service offerings in banking, insurance and superannuation; industries long overdue for disruption. Digital “non-bank” platforms and apps are promising to demystifying complex financial processes, personalise customer experience and offer round-the-clock convenience. Whether you’re paying off debt, budgeting, getting started with investing or saving for retirement, there is likely to be a fintech app to help you. However as digital technology replaces human decision making, we need to ensure that the algorithms that will increasingly decide our financial fate do not reflect the unconscious and often unhelpful biases of their creators. As artificial intelligence expert Clara […]
DigitalX Ltd teams with MailGuard to develop blockchain based cybersecurity network
DigitalX was recently appointed as adviser for two major initial coin offerings. DigitalX Ltd (ASX:DCC) has been appointed corporate advisor to MailGuard, the world’s largest private Software as a Service (SaaS) email security company. DigitalX will advise MailGuard in the development of a blockchain cybersecurity ecosystem called GlobalGuard. Based out of Perth and New York, DigitalX provides initial coin offering (ICO) advisory services, blockchain consulting services and software development A new method to fight cybercrime In a world first, GlobalGuard will combine artificial intelligence (AI) and Blockchain technology to identify emerging email-borne cyber threats.Global spending on cybersecurity products and services is predicted to exceed $1 trillion by 2021. GlobalGuard is […]
Smartpay secures fintech connection with Alipay
Dual-listed payments facilitator Smartpay (ASX: SMP) has signed a cornerstone agreement with Alipay, China’s largest payments provider with around 520 million active users and clearing around $1.7 trillion per year in transactions. The deal brings together the largest online payments provider in China and the largest independently-owned EFTPOS provider in Australia — a deal that could serve as a watershed moment, opening the door for other similar agreements amongst smaller players in the near future. The deal also means that Australian consumers will obtain a far wider range of payment and money transfer options than before. Smartpay said that “harnessing this reach will both boost the merchant’s revenues and benefit […]
Ripple wants to invest in startups that will put its XRP cryptocurrency to work
Payments company Ripple says it plans to invest in startups and technology companies to develop more uses for XRP, its cryptocurrency that is currently the third largest digital token behind bitcoin and Ethereum based on total market cap. The value of XRP shot up in December and January following a crypto market rally that saw bitcoin reach nearly $20,000 per coin. The collective value of XRP was worth more than $128 billion at peak before a market crash in January walked those prices back significantly. Today, the token has a total market cap of around $30 billion but Ripple has come under fire for a perceived lack of use for […]
Australia’s AtlasTrend releases voice-activated finance bot
AtlasTrend, the financial investment platform helping Australians invest in global trends, is launching Australia’s first voice-activated personal investment assistant, Astro, once again challenging traditional institutions and approaches to investing money. One of the first voice-activated fintech bots in Australia, Astro is available on Google Home, Google Home Mini and Google Assistant devices, and uses verbal commands to allow transactional capabilities for AtlasTrend investors, and provide users with real-time responses and information on AtlasTrend’s investment portfolios and general investment info. Following Astro’s initial launch, the team are set to develop and roll-out additional capabilities throughout the year, further enhancing its functionality and user experience. Astro will inform users of AtlasTrend’s investments, […]
Chinese blockchain delegation hunts Aussie opportunities
A high-powered delegation of Chinese technology executives is in Australia this week for discussions on blockchain, including how China plans to apply it to trading relationships. The companies are a who’s who of China’s fintech elite. Senior managers from Ant Financial, WeBank, JD.com, ZhongAn, Wanxiang and OnChain have made the trip south. They’re being led by Ming Li, director of the China Electronics Standardisation Institute, which has responsibility for setting blockchain industry standards under China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. Blockchain records and verifies transactions in synchronised databases providing transparency and security. The architecture will end up underpinning an “internet of value”, which proponents reckon will be as important […]
ASX-listed US fintech Credible shrugs off recent share drop with US mortgage play
The founder and chief executive of ASX-listed US fintech start-up Credible has shrugged off a declining share price since its December initial public offering and pointed to a strong financial performance and new plans to target the US mortgage market as a sign that investors can expect significant growth in the long term. Credible, which was founded by Australian Stephen Dash, was the largest ASX tech IPO of 2017, raising $67 million, having built up a significant niche in the US market by creating an online marketplace for student loans. However, despite posting full-year results that beat the important metrics laid out in its IPO prospectus, the shares have slowly […]
