SocietyOne shifts from edgy start-up to $100m lender
The nation’s biggest peer-to-peer lender, SocietyOne, is growing up fast, and not in the same way as its renegade US cousin Lending Club. An ASIC search has revealed the stranglehold of the so-called media consortium (News Corp, Kerry Stokes and James Packer’s media-free Consolidated Press Holdings) over SocOne after the recent $25 million Series C capital raising. The consortium, through its vehicle S. One Holding, holds a commanding 37 per cent stake, with the News and Stokes interests believed to be dominant in the S. One Holding structure. Not only that, but Westpac’s in-house venture capital fund, Reinventure, speaks for a further 17 per cent of SocOne. Put the two […]
Xero Passes Quarter Billion Annualised Revenue
Managing to cash flow break-even with cash on hand Trillion dollars of transactions recorded on Xero platform in last 12 months Performance highlights (All figures in NZ$) Strong global revenue and subscriber growth Paid subscribers hit 717,000 globally, with 242,000 subscribers added in the 12 months to 31 March 2016 Annualised committed monthly revenue of $257.9 million, a year-on-year increase of 62% Operating revenues of $207.1 million, an increase of 67% on FY15 Global year-on-year revenue growth of 95% in international markets, and 57% in Australia and New Zealand Improvement in operating metrics Gross margin increased by 6 points year-on-year to 76% Net loss of $82.5 million for the year, […]
Blockchain is useful for a lot more than just Bitcoin
Blockchains can be used for a wide variety of applications, such as tracking ownership or the provenance of documents, digital assets, physical assets or voting rights. Blockchain technology is not just useful for creating digital currencies such as Bitcoin or developing new financial technologies. Blockchains can be used for a wide variety of applications, such as tracking ownership or the provenance of documents, digital assets, physical assets or voting rights. Blockchain technology was popularised by the Bitcoin digital currency system. But, essentially, a blockchain is just a special kind of database. The Bitcoin blockchain stores cryptographically signed records of financial transfers, but blockchain systems can store any kind of data. […]
Next Bank Brisbane presents Brisbane’s first FinTech showcase
The Financial Services and Insurance Industry is Australia’s largest and fastest growing sector. It’s no surprise that the Prime Minister’s office is looking to foster the growth of Fintech to protect its greatest asset from the increasing threat from global disruptors. The Fintech industry is home to some of the best talent in Australia. Following the launch of multiple Fintech hubs in Sydney and emerging startup success stories from both Sydney and Melbourne you could be forgiven for thinking that Fintech in Brisbane doesn’t exist. Admittedly, the Next Bank Brisbane team felt the same way, until they started digging beneath the surface. “When we started searching from the Sunshine Coast […]
OFX launches weekend trading
MEDIA RELEASE – Customers can now make international money transfers 24/7 OFX (formerly OzForex), one of the world’s largest international payment businesses, has today launched 24 hour, 7 day a week trading, giving customers the convenience to transact on weekends. The 24/7 international payments service is part of OFX’s strategy to focus on its customers and will increase the company’s operating leverage against its competitors. The service will enable customers to make international transfers at the same great rates, speak to an OFX customer representative and check current exchange rates 363* days of the year, 24 hours a day. Instead of waiting until Monday to speak to a representative, customers […]
How banks are running the economy
Alan Kohler, The Australian Two quite innocuous things happened on Tuesday: the federal budget and an RBA rate cut. Neither of these events will do much good, but nor will they do much harm, which is about as much can be hoped from both politics and monetary policy these days. Even RBA Governor Glenn Stevens has been constantly talking about impotence of monetary policy, so it’s likely to be true. Why won’t the budget or the rate cut have much impact? Because the RBA and the government don’t run the economy — the banks do, and there is something much more significant going on in banking land. There is always […]
Fintech a $US1 trillion fight
Consultants Oliver Wyman has been talking to banking clients all around the world over the past few months about the concept of “modular financial services”. It’s the coverline adorning one of the firm’s latest research pieces on the impact of information technology on the future of banking. Even as the equity prices of US fintech poster children like Lending Club and OnDeck are pummelled as capital markets reassess valuations, incumbent banks around the world show no sign of losing interest in fintech. Indeed, if the interim results of three of Australia’s big four banks last week were any guide, thinking about fintech in the C-suite is only accelerating. The earnings […]
P2P lender SocietyOne eyes growth in market share
SocietyOne, the nation’s biggest marketplace lender, has forecast it will be cash-flow positive within two years, confirming it had raised an extra $25 million to support its growth plans. Completion of the Series C raising, revealed by The Australian last month, came as new chief executive Jason Yetton committed to a five-year goal to build a 2-3 per cent share of the $105 billion consumer finance market. “The opportunities that lie ahead of us are immense,” said Mr Yetton, a former senior Westpac executive. SocOne’s raising had a number of notable features, including a powerful consortium of billionaire shareholders taking a tighter grip on the company. Mr Yetton said Kerry […]
