Aussie Bitcoin exchanges now need to register with the govt
Operators of Australian exchanges for Bitcoin and other digital currencies will now need to register with the country’s anti-money laundering agency after new legislation passed through parliament. AUSTRAC has been given the authority to monitor local cryptocurrency exchanges through the new Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Amendment Bill 2017. The bill was introduced in August to combat the threat of serious financial crime, in the wake of revelations about the Commonwealth Bank’s breaches of money laundering laws. It was also spurred on by global watchdog Financial Action Task Force (FATF) findings of significant deficiencies in Australia’s anti-money laundering framework two years prior. The new law, which passed through the senate yesterday, for […]
Why most Australians don’t invest in shares
The vast majority of Australians have never invested in shares, and there’s no great mystery why – they can’t afford it. But the rise of fintech solutions such as Acorns has made share trading more accessible to everyday Australians, a survey by comparison site Finder suggests. The online survey of 2017 Australians aged 18 to 90 found that three out of four people had never invested in shares. Men are nearly twice as likely to have invested in shares as women, with 35 per cent of men having tried it compared with 17 per cent of women. The majority of shares investment is traditional ASX investing, which one in five […]
Bank rules get tougher so technology’s importance grows
Borrowers who embrace apps and budgeting technology that tracks their spending are giving themselves a better chance of grabbing a good loan amid a crackdown by regulators. Stricter rules around loan serviceability means people able to prove what they spend are getting the upper hand. Financial regulator APRA last month called for more realistic living expense details on loan applications and increased vigilance by lenders. People’s Choice Credit Union spokesman Stuart Symons said reliable records were becoming increasingly important, and borrowers could help themselves “by being on the front foot”. “If you can’t show what you spend, a lender may look instead to an estimate that shows a higher level […]
Credible founder Stephen Dash comes home for biggest ASX tech IPO of 2017
A 33-year-old Australian tech entrepreneur, who left Australia five years ago for Silicon Valley, will return home to ring the bell at the Australian Securities Exchange on Friday as his fintech company Credible becomes the biggest local tech float of the year. Stephen Dash, a former investment director at Mark Carnegie’s private equity, venture capital and advisory firm M.H. Carnegie, already raised over $US20 million ($26.5 million) in external funding for the US-focused online student loan marketplace before raising $68 million through an initial public offering, which valued the company at $306.6 million. Credible has carved out a potentially lucrative niche in the US market, where students have typically paid […]
Bitcoin shakes off bubble warnings in race past $US16,000 mark
Bitcoin touched $US16,000 for the first time on Thursday, extending its advance this month to almost 70 per cent as concerns mounted the cryptocurrency’s rapid rise masks risks. The world’s biggest cryptocurrency is surging on expectations that new bitcoin derivatives products expected to begin trading this month will boost mainstream demand. Some of the world’s biggest brokerages criticized those plans on Wednesday, telling regulators the contracts have been rushed to market without enough due diligence. Bitcoin jumped as much as 23 per cent to $US16,374, before paring gains in New York trading, according to Bloomberg prices. That takes the digital currency’s surge this year to more than 1,500 per cent […]
ANZ announces Garmin Pay partnership
ANZ has today introduced Garmin Pay to its customers after signing a partnership with the wearable tech giant. ANZ customers will now be able to load their credit and debit cards on the Garmin app and use their Garmin smartwatch to make purchases anywhere they go without having to take out a wallet or phone. ANZ’s Managing Director of Products, Bob Belan, was excited to announce the latest partnership today. “At ANZ we are determined to bring our customers new payment experiences so they can pay the way they want to,” Mr Belan said. “We’re pleased to be partnering with Garmin to bring our customers a payment option with one […]
Fingerprint payments to be ‘commonplace’ within a year: Visa
Shoppers will soon be able to take a scan of their fingerprint or face to authorise a credit card purchase, instead of entering a PIN, as part of a crackdown on payment fraud. With online card fraud rising quickly as stolen card details are used for website purchases, payments giant Visa is rolling out a suite of new changes aimed at stopping fraudsters. In a bid to counter fraud, it has issued new standards that will remove the need to enter a personal identification number (PIN) when making purchases in-person. It is also beefing up its systems for detecting fraudulent transactions made online. Instead of using a PIN for purchases […]
Australia’s stock exchange is moving to a blockchain style system for trade settlements
Australia’s equity market the ASX has decided to replace its CHESS system to record changes in shareholding with distributed ledger technology found in blockchain. The global equities exchange community has been watching the ASX as it develops and tests a system to cut the cost of transactions, and make them faster and more secure. Blockchain uses computers with advanced encryption to keep track of transactions, giving confidence to both buyers and sellers. Transactions of the cryptocurrency Bitcoin are tracked used blockchain. Dominic Stevens, the ASX managing director and CEO, says the exchange has been carefully examining distributed ledger technology for almost two-and-a-half years. “We believe that using DLT (distributed ledger […]
