WA Fintech business doubles following major acquisition
WA Fintech Fair Go Finance doubled in size from 1 July following the acquisition of Capfin Money, to create one of the largest non-bank personal loan lenders in the Australian small loan market. Fundco Pty Ltd which trades as CapFin Money (previously Spot Loans) was purchased by Fair Go Finance, providing an exciting opportunity to scale the Australian operations and access a wealth of data. The combined operations of Fair Go and Capfin now establishes the business as one of the largest non-bank personal loan lenders in the Australian small loan market. With this scale there are significant advantages as Artificial Intelligence (AI) becomes a reality in the risk management […]
Woolworths Rewards available through Google Pay
Shoppers at Woolworths can now earn reward points by using Google Pay. The retail giant’s launch of Google Pay marks the first of the Australian supermarkets to implement the mobile payment service in-store while providing its 11 million Rewards members with a more convenient way to earn and redeem loyalty points. In justifying Woolworths’ decision to offer Google Pay in-store, Ingrid Maes, the Director of Woolworths Loyalty program posts, “We’re seeing digital wallets grow in popularity because they offer quick, seamless and hassle-free payments for customers”. RFi Group data reinforces Maes’ assertion finding, 39% of consumers who are aware of mobile payment services have used a mobile payment service to […]
Victorian Government signs on as FinTech conference major sponsor for two years
FinTech Australia announce that the Victorian Government will increase its support for the startup and FinTech communities by signing on to be the major sponsor of Intersekt for both 2018 and 2019, as tickets for this year’s event go on sale today. FinTech Australia Chief Executive Officer, Brad Kitschke said, “The Victorian Government and Minister Dalidakis continue to demonstrate their leadership and support for startups and the FinTech ecosystem, through the sponsorship of this important conference for the next two years. Intersekt is a must-attend for anyone involved in FinTech and we are extremely excited that our partnership with Minister Dalidakis and the Andrew’s Government will Melbourne the home of […]
Praemium doubles profit, SMA hits $5.6bn
Australian and UK domiciled SMA provider Praemium has posted a net profit after tax of $1.4 million, up 106 per cent on 2016-17 figure of $688,000. The company’s core service, namely SMA administration, has grown well in the past year. Praemium’s Australian SMA is up 45 per cent to $5.61 billion, and the international SMA is up 20 per cent to $2.68 billion. Praemium has also added 23 new fund managers and a further 88 model portfolios, for a total of 72 managers and 336 managed models. The company recorded gross asset inflows of $3 billion, an increase of 50 per cent on the previous financial year. Overall funds under […]
Bendigo Adelaide launches “all-in-app” digital bank
Bendigo and Adelaide Bank has become the latest institution to launch a new pure play digital bank. Dubbed ‘Up’, the separately branded neo play will come in the form of a dedicated and separately branded app, as Bendigo attempts to snatch younger customers disillusioned with the offerings of the Big Four. Australia’s fifth largest retail institution claims the the new mobile-centric service, now in beta, will be Australia’s first fully licenced “all-in-app” mobile banking platform. It will come with native phone payment and mobile wallet functionality in what is essentially a plastic-free play. Global payments scheme mastercard has come along for the ride and gets to bolt its mobile debit […]
Xinja selects SAP to power its digital bank
SAP SE today announced that Xinja has selected SAP Cloud for Banking to power its planned ‘neobank’ – an independent digital bank designed entirely for mobile. Aiming to revolutionise customers’ banking experience, Xinja is partnering with SAP to implement its SAP Cloud for Banking platform to drive a simple, agile solution that delivers rapid customer onboarding and real time risk and financial assessment, as well as enabling open banking capabilities. This SAP core banking solution will underpin Xinja’s journey to become licensed as one of Australia’s first independent start-up neobanks. Seeking to make banking quick, easy, helpful and even fun – allowing customers to make more out of their money […]
After CBA scandal, Australia’s regtech sector is ready for take-off
The local regtech scene is ready for take-off. There were two indications last week that regulatory technology’s engines are revving up. One was the corporate regulator securing an extra $6 million in funding from the federal government to market Australia as a global centre of regtech excellence. The Australian Securities and Investments Commission chairman James Shipton is on board with the potential for new technology to help regulated entities meet their complex legal obligations. The second was the filing of a prospectus by a promising Sydney-based regtech start-up known as Identitii. Based in a terrace house in Potts Point, Identitii plans to list on the ASX in September, with the […]
OnDeck passes US$9 billion benchmark globally in online lending
Australian FinTech adoption outpacing most global markets; sector reaching maturity faster than US experience Development of quality online lending industry key to growing Australia’s small business sector; closing credit gap The OnDeck Group, representing the subsidiaries of the US-listed OnDeck Capital Inc., has announced that it has lent more than US$9 billion to more than 80,000 small business customers in just over ten years of lending. This figure includes the Group’s businesses in the US, Canada and Australia. Comparatively, the Australian market is estimated to reach over A$2 billion in annual originations by 2020. According to Mr Cameron Poolman, Chief Executive Officer OnDeck Australia, while Australia has been a relatively […]