AFG ties up with US fintech to roll out SME lending platform
Small-business lending, not wealth management, will be the mortgage broking industry’s next growth engine, according to Australian Finance Group, which is busy trying to sign up lenders to its new technology platform powered by US fintech company Biz2Credit. In August, AFG quietly formed an alliance with Biz2Credit to use the company’s patented analytics and financial services technology to give its army of 2650 brokers the ability to better offer small business loans alongside traditional mortgages. AFG plans to roll out the platform early next year with a “panel” of 15 lenders that customers can choose from, including the major banks and new fintech lenders. This contrasts with the strategy of […]
Worldpay heads down under with Australia licence
Worldpay, the global leader in payments, is expanding in Australia after winning its licence to process payments in what is one of Asia Pacific’s largest eCommerce markets. The company’s expansion in Australia comes at a time of sustained growth for Worldpay, which processed 13.1bn transactions in 2015 with transaction value of £401.9bn. A number of global companies, including ASOS, Expedia, Cathay Pacific Airlines, Digital World International and Freelancer have already turned to Worldpay for payment processing in Australia. They have been attracted to Worldpay both by the company’s extensive international reach, as well as its ability to process a wide range of alternative payment methods such as eWallets and bank […]
An Aussie fintech startup is helping financial advisers fight back in the war against robots
It’s not exactly bleak, but the future for financial advisers – humans ones – is a littler cloudier now than it has been in the past. Cheap roboadvice products are infiltrating the market, offering easy-to-use products, advice and even investing money on a user’s behalf. The key word is “cheap”, as the traditional perception of having a financial adviser is linked to earning a higher than average wage. With more and more people responsible for managing their own retirement funds, roboadvisers give lower wage earners some sense of security about what to do with their savings. But recent studies show roboadvisors are also gaining popularity with high-net-worth investors. They’re not […]
SocietyOne shuffles senior ranks as volumes accelerate
Peer-to-peer lender SocietyOne is looking for a new chief marketing officer following the departure of star recruit Mitch Harad while co-founder Matt Symons has been shifted to non-executive director, as the high-profile fintech upgrades its lending forecasts and attracts more institutional capital on to its internet platform. Mr Harad was hired with fanfare mid-last year after guiding Lending Club, also a P2P lender, to a public listing in the US. It is understood his departure is amicable and he will stay in Australia to establish his own start-up. Mr Harad was lured to SocietyOne by co-founder Matt Symons, who will relinquish his executive duties and move to the boardroom as a non-executive director. His management role will be taken up by former […]
Adviser Ratings Expands Business with String of New Appointments
Financial services technology company, Adviser Ratings has recently expanded its business with the appointment of two new senior staff members and a full service PR agency to manage its B2B and B2C communications activity. Following a successful launch to market in 2015, the expansion comes as a result of increased demand in the business’ personal finance offering, as its advisory and consumer member base continues to thrive. Joining Adviser Ratings as Chief Operating Officer, Jaime Brands brings with her 10 years of industry experience, six of those spent at Google Australia & New Zealand as the Head of External Telesales Operations for the entire region. With expertise in team leadership, […]
Class releases SMSFs benchmark report for June 2016
The developer of Class Super and Class Portfolio has now released its June 2016 SMSFs report, publishing an overview of data about SMSFs and administrators and analysis of smaller balance funds. The report analysed statically 110,000 plus Self Managed Super Funds, which is administrated by Class Super, that represents 19.2% of the estimated 577,236 in Australia today. The data used is compiled using a selection of de-identified data extracted from across the Class Super user base. Class CEO, Kevin Bungard, commented that the first SMSF Benchmark Report published last quarter was “extremely well received across the industry” and includes informative analysis of lower balance funds was “an informative exercise, with […]
finder.com.au launches inaugural Innovation Awards
finder.com.au launches national awards to celebrate excellence in innovation Entry deadline is Friday 7 October 2016 Winners to be announced at event in Sydney on Thursday 10 November 2016 Australia’s most visited comparison website, finder.com.au, is inviting Australian businesses to celebrate their groundbreaking achievements of 2016 by entering the inaugural Finder Innovation Awards. Featuring seven categories, the Awards are designed to celebrate excellence, creativity and revolution in the technology, retail, insurance and financial markets, with winners to be revealed at a Sydney ceremony in November. Fred Schebesta, co-founder and director of finder.com.au, says the Awards are about providing industry recognition and raising awareness of the achievements of technological and financial innovators in Australia. “It […]
HotCopper lists on ASX
Australia’s most popular stock market and investment forum, HotCopper, today announced its successful listing on the ASX. Chairman Steve James said the business was already performing strongly with significant potential upside due to its large subscriber base of self-directed investors. “We have around 550,000 unique visitors per month, and 250,000 members who are predominantly retail, sophisticated and SMSF investors,” he said. “Our membership base represents a big percentage of the 605,000 Australians who invest through an online broker[1], and numbers are growing every month. We plan to maximise this growth opportunity and make HotCopper an indispensable part of investing in Australia.” Mr James said plans for new revenue streams included […]
