Pull together for the Aussie Drought Row-lief
The entire state of NSW has been declared in drought after a drier than ever June and July. As a result, the state’s farmers are experiencing one of the toughest winters they have seen. With failing crops, water shortages and a diminishing supply of fodder to sustain stock, farmers are struggling just to keep their stock alive, let alone make ends meet. Companies nationwide have been doing their part to help out, donating money to help the families living on the land with necessities, or donating hay bails to help keep their herds alive. As a small business with a big heart, Brisbane-based lender, Jacaranda Finance has decided to jump […]
The $4b buy now pay later startup built on a legal loophole
“I’m pretty bad when it comes to shopping,” Amanda*, a 23-year-old disability worker based in Melbourne tells Fairfax Media. “If I liked it, I’d Afterpay it”. It’s been said that the ultimate goal for a tech startup is to become a verb. If that’s the case, then Sydney-based Afterpay has well and truly made it. Amanda started using the buy now pay later service in 2016. She used it to purchase clothes, electronics and Christmas presents. But when her financial circumstances changed, she quickly ran into trouble. “When I started using it I was getting good money from work. I could afford the repayments, I always made sure I would […]
Wall Street has helped eliminate one of bitcoin’s biggest problems, and it could fulfil ‘Satoshi Nakamoto’s original vision’
Many crypto enthusiast long for a day when bitcoin will replace the entire financial system. But in the meantime, Wall Street might actually be helping the digital asset’s long term adoption, one firm says. New data from SFOX, the cryptocurrency trading technology firm, shows that 2018 has witnessed a drop-off in price variations on digital asset exchanges. The firm argues that trend is tied to the entrance of large Wall Street firms into the market, which makes it more stable. “Before institutional firms were actively trading crypto or heavily involved (before 2018) bitcoin price differences between exchanges varied as high as 4.5%,” said Danny Kim, head of growth at SFOX. […]
Neo-lender raises $4m in capital
A neo-lender has raised more than $4million from shares, saying the investment acknowledges the transformation of the business. Wisr, which has also released its figures for the last financial year, provides personal loans and technology products to help borrowers. It will use the funds to take a more innovative approach on how loans are funded and to potentially increase margins. The capital will also assist in helping the company’s ongoing growth initiatives as part of its customer acquisition and retention strategy. Commenting on the capital raise, Anthony Nantes, chief executive officer, said, “We are delighted with the strong support we received from the capital raise. “This investment acknowledges the transformation […]
GetCapital appointed to PLAN Australia aggregator panel
GetCapital, Australia’s award-winning specialist lender to small and medium sized businesses (SMEs), has announced its appointment to the lending panel of leading aggregator PLAN Australia from 20 August. PLAN is one of Australia’s largest mortgage aggregation groups, with over 1,650 members and a total loan book value close to $70 billion. The aggregator’s commercial and asset finance volumes reached $990 million in the six months to March 2018. The partnership will see GetCapital’s innovative multi-product offering of business loans, equipment finance and trade finance become available on PLAN’s extensive broker network across Australia. “We welcome the opportunity to work with PLAN as part of our commitment to support the growth […]
Why Brisbane is the cryptocurrency capital of the country
Queensland is banking on cryptocurrency to boost tourism in the state, with a sizeable grant given to a Brisbane-based start-up that will enable visitors to pay for every aspect of their travel using digital currencies like Bitcoin. The local start-up, TravelbyBit, has received two rounds of funding from the state government and, in turn, has transformed its hometown of Brisbane into one of the most crypto-friendly cities in the world. TravelbyBit’s digital currency point-of-sale system has been deployed to over 200 merchants across Australia, with at least 60 per cent of those located in Queensland. In May, Brisbane Airport became the first in the world to accept cryptocurrency, enabling travellers […]
Australia just lost one of its most promising fintech startups, Airwallex, to Hong Kong
Tencent-backed payment operator Airwallex has become the latest fintech company to show interest in joining Hong Kong’s virtual banking push. Airwallex co-founder and chief executive Jacky Zhang said the company will team up with a traditional bank and other local partners as part of the application process, although he declined to reveal their identities. “We believe Hong Kong to be an ideal location to be our headquarters. Hong Kong is an international financial centre where we can serve our global clients worldwide,” Zhang said in an interview with the South China Morning Post in his newly installed office in Quarry Bay. Another reason for the relocation to Hong Kong is […]
Future Hub: ‘one-stop shop for blockchain expertise’
Australian technology company Lakeba Group’s blockchain division has set up Future Hub, “a one-stop shop for blockchain expertise,” according to Lakeba chief growth officer and Future Hub head Darren Younger. The idea behind Lakeba’s Future Hub is to combine the company’s technology skills with expertise from financial, legal and other relevant specialisms. A number of projects are already underway in various industries, said Younger, but not many are at the stage where the parties can be identified. Examples include financial services (using blockchain to avoid pay-slip fraud), health (attesting to the authenticity of laboratory results), agriculture (protecting data from IoT devices), supply chain (validating goods or services), energy (to provide […]
