Australian fintech starts exporting to the world
When Australia starts exporting more than just iron ore and coal to the world, it’s hard not to get excited. While these two exports alone carry the Aussie economy a long way – in 2015/2016 they made up 26.4 per cent of all exports at $82.3B – they certainly have a finite life. Once it’s all dug up, the party’s over. With this inevitability looming on the horizon, it’s evident Australia needs to start harnessing its brains a little more, instead exporting its ideas to the world, rather than just its dirt. So imagine how exciting it was to hear that two Australian fintech companies in the lending space are […]
Australia’s Alternative Finance Future goes from strength to strength
Australia is emerging as a regional leader in the $300bn global Alt-Fi market. Alternative finance (or Alt-Fi) is a catch-all phrase used to describe emerging, digital financial services models such as peer-to-peer and marketplace lending (business and consumer finance), crowdfunding and invoice lending. However, for Australia to stay ahead greater consumer and business awareness is needed as well as policy and regulatory settings that continue to evolve with the development of this nascent sector. Globally this market is expanding quickly, up 100 percent year-on-year, with China the dominant world market (in terms of absolute volume), accounting for 85 percent of the total market. A staggering US$243.28 billion was raised through […]
One-month P2P investments popular with Millennials and Gen X
Data has revealed Millennial and Gen X peer-to-peer lending investors utilise the one-month market more than any other. Analysis of the $150 million invested in peer-to-peer lending (P2P) platform RateSetter since its 2014 launch shows over 70% of Millennial and Gen X investors on the platform have invested in the one-month market. For the one-year market, this figure was only 40% for Millennial investors and 42% for Gen X investors. CEO of RateSetter Daniel Foggo said the one-month market provides a “stable, attractive return of around 4% p.a.” with ready access to money. “Far from wasting money on avocado toast, these young investors are seizing the opportunity to make their […]
Waddle expanding into New Zealand
Sydney-based fintech outfit Waddle has announced an expansion into New Zealand, as it looks to further capitalise on Australia’s $64 billion invoice finance and factoring industry. Founded in 2014 by high school mates Simon Creighton, Leigh Dunsford and Nathan Andrews, Waddle is a cloud funding software and addresses what Mr Creighton says was an opportunity its competitors, including Scottish Pacific and banking providers, were failing to address. “The current process has been done the same way for decades and no one was building software to solve it,” Mr Creighton said. “Our technology is world-class and is transforming the approach of other lending businesses and banks, by removing how manual and […]
PledgeMe joins Equitise in eyeing Australian market
PledgeMe, the equity crowdfunding and peer-to-peer lending platform, has joined rival Equitise in signalling plans to enter the Australian market ahead of a law change coming into effect across the Tasman this month. Co-founder Anna Guenther will relocate to Brisbane for six months to establish the Wellington-based company’s Australian arm, according to a PledgeMe blog post. PledgeMe will participate in the Queensland government’s HotDesQ programme, which provides networks, support, and funding for companies to relocate to the state. “There are over 2.1 million SME’s in Australia (compared to just under 500,000 here in New Zealand), so the opportunity is pretty clear,” she says. The Australian Corporations Amendment (Crowd-sourced Funding) Act […]
Prospa appoints Rebecca James as Chief Marketing and Enterprise Officer
Prospa, Australia’s leading online lender for small businesses, continues to build on its growth with the appointment of Rebecca James as its new Chief Marketing and Enterprise Officer. Rebecca joins Prospa from ME Bank, where as CMO she led the transformation of the ME brand, simplifying the product offering and step-changing customer experience, which saw the bank increase its customer base by 40% as a result. She drove the establishment of a business-wide customer centric culture to transform the bank into a digitally led business. Rebecca has a wealth of experience in marketing and advertising, having held key marketing and leadership roles with challenger brands and strategic enterprise channels. Prior […]
Picking your peer-to-peer platform provider to invest
Disruption is not just happening to retail, hospitality and taxis. It’s also happening in financial services, especially banks, where borrowers and lenders are finding ways to engage, cutting traditional players out of the picture. At best, in this scenario, both investors and borrowers can end up winning, with better lending rates and higher returns. This sector is worth investigating for investors comfortable with debt, but be prepared to do your homework. The sector is expanding rapidly with a range of new businesses, offering differing features. But for most investors the field can be split into peer-to-peer lenders and corporate bonds. The lenders Funds are available for personal commitments such as […]
P2P lender reaches 2,000 brokers
Peer-to-peer lender RateSetter has accredited 2,000 brokers on its lending platform, amidst a rise in P2P popularity within the general public. Lending volumes through the broker channel, especially in auto and home improvement loans, are doubling every six months, according to the lender’s most recent settlement figures. Across the direct and broker channels, RateSetter has also passed $150m in lending facilitated since 2014. In the last five months alone, lending grew 50% across both channels, passing the $100m milestone in March. “Our brokers tell us that having access to RateSetter’s low-rate personal and business loans gives them a great way to help their clients achieve their goals, whether that is […]
