Blog

Jul
25

Former Wallabies captain Stirling Mortlock makes the jump to robo-advice

Robo-advice is the new black – or the new gold as the case may be – with former Wallabies captain Stirling Mortlock jumping ship from NAB to join former UBS fund manager Chris Brycki at Peak Advisors. There is little detail on Peak’s website about its business or its staff: “We work with high-net-worth individuals and families providing expert advice, personalised service and tailored financial outcomes,” it says. But we know that Brycki is the founder of automated investment adviser Stockspot, and that Peak – like Stockspot – is a bet on robo-advice. This is the catch-all phrase for the new wave of digital investment services that are expected to […]

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Jul
25

Prospa’s Telstra Business Award win puts the fintech sector ‘on the map’, says co-founder

Online small business loan provider Prospa has become the first fintech company to win Telstra’s NSW Medium Business Award, with co-CEO Beau Bertoli stating that the accolade shows fintech is “no longer just some startup idea”. Bertoli, who founded Prospa with Greg Moshal in 2011, spoke to Dynamic Business about the five-year-old company’s victory at the 2017 NSW Telstra Business Awards. DB:What does the win mean for Prospa and how useful was the experience? Bertoli: We were a Telstra Business Awards finalist in 2015 and 2016, which was very encouraging but it meant there was room for improvement. We’re pumped to have taken out the crown this year – third […]

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Jul
24

Government paves the way for open banking

Third parties could soon be given greater access to banking data under a proposed open banking system regime. The regime, announced for review by Federal Treasurer Scott Morrison yesterday, will seek to open up consumer and third party access – with consumer consent – to customer and product data traditionally held by banks. In a statement, Morrison said that giving Australian consumers greater access and has the potential to “transform the way in which Australians interact with the banking system.” “Greater consumer access to their own banking data and data on banking products will allow consumers to seek out products that better suit their circumstances, saving them money and allowing […]

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Jul
24

Ignition Wealth to open in Ireland

Ignition Wealth CEO Mark Fordree has announced two significant appointments, with a view to opening Ignition Wealth Ireland.   Irish fintech expert Peter Oakes has joined the Ignition Wealth executive team as a member of the Advisory Board. Peter Oakes is renowned in the Irish financial services industry for his astute knowledge and innovative attitude. As a former senior executive at both the Central Bank of Ireland and Bank of America Peter holds an excellent international banking pedigree. As an early adopter, and advocate of financial technology and ‘regtech’ Peter will provide guidance to Ignition Wealth globally and advise on the current capital raise in Ireland.   In addition, leading […]

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Jul
24

Stone & Chalk to open in Melbourne, backed by AustralianSuper, NAB, ANZ

Fintech hub Stone & Chalk will open in Melbourne next month with the support of new corporate backers including AustralianSuper and National Australia Bank, in a move that will establish a centre of gravity for fintech in Victoria. Alan Tsen, who will become Stone & Chalk’s general manager in Melbourne, having stepped down as chief executive of Fintech Victoria, says the new location at 459 Collins Street, alongside agtech acclerator SproutX, will be its first base in the city. The space will open in mid-August and expand to accommodate about 15 start-ups (the space has room for 60 desks) before expansion into a bigger hub. The second centre for Stone […]

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Jul
20

More than $600 million in funding went into Australian startups last quarter, and fintech took the most cash

Startup tracking service Techboard has compiled its first national numbers on capital raised in the Australian startup community, finding $625 million had been raised for the quarter ending June. The amount includes equity, debt facilities, acquisitions and grants for more than 100 startups and “young” tech companies less than 10 years old (or had a significant “pivot” in the past decade). “We put together our funding reports based on the data collected in the course of running the monthly Techboard Ranking, supplemented with intel from Techboard’s many investor contacts across the country,” co-founder Rafael Kimberley Bowen said. NSW led the states for most money raised, although if fintech ZipMoney’s massive […]

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Jul
20

CoinJar is the Aussie enterprise bringing Bitcoin into the everyday realm

Although Bitcoin is one of the most widespread Internet currencies, it can seem intangible compared to EFTPOS or cash. CoinJar is a Bitcoin platform based in Melbourne which offers users a seamless way to pay for anything with digital currency. Making use of an EFTPOS card means that CoinJar isn’t only for online purchases, but can give consumers more choice about their daily purchases. With the core intention of transforming the way money flows within and between communities, CoinJar is used by 70,000 customers worldwide. Techly spoke to Asher Tan, the co-founder and CEO of CoinJar, about what makes the Aussie Bitcoin biz tick. Explain what CoinJar does, and why […]

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Jul
19

BRICKX busts into Balmain with bricks from $140

BRICKX is offering Bricks in a house in Balmain from $140 from this Thursday.   CEO Anthony Millet expects BRICKX’s 13th property to be popular with investors looking for exposure to the sought-after residential real estate market in Sydney’s inner-west.   “BRICKX strives to make property investment affordable and we’re thrilled to provide access to this architect-designed freestanding cottage in Balmain at an entry price of $140 per Brick,” Mr Millet said.   CoreLogic figures show median house prices in Balmain have increased by 13 per cent per year over the five years to the end of April 2017.   The three bedroom, one bathroom house on Clayton Street has […]

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