Sydney Fintech Market Update
At Tier One People, we get to work with some amazing startups in FinTech and InsurTech. 2018 has got off to a flier, so here is the first Tier One People FinTech jobs update of 2018. There is an air of optimism that FinTechs are finally in a position to challenge banks, not just partner with them. Scott Morrison recently announced plans to legislate open banking, essentially customers will own their data and have far greater control. Great news for consumers and for FinTechs. And with the NPP (New Payments Platform) set to go live any day now, the landscape is set for more competition to enter the Australian Financial […]
Prospa named as #1 high-growth company in APAC on FT 1000 list
The Financial Times, in partnership with Statista, has identified Asia-Pacific’s top 1,000 high-growth companies. With high growth a signal of underlying demand, the FT 1000 list, which was published this week, highlights the major players driving economic growth within the APAC region. Sydney-based online small business lender, Prospa, has been identified as the top high-growth company in Asia Pacific. The list is dominated by technology companies, suggesting innovation and disruption are key drivers of growth across the regions key markets. Countries included in the research are Japan, South Korea, India, Australia, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, New Zealand, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines. 138 companies from Australian and New Zealand make […]
What’s coming for Fintech lending in 2018
Continued Growth The alternative finance industry had a strong period of growth last year as borrowers become increasingly aware that there are financing options outside of the banks. The 2nd Asia Pacific Region Alternative Finance Industry Report conducted by The University of Cambridge in conjunction with Monash University and Tsinghua University released in September 2017 showed 53.3% growth from 2015 to 2016 in the Australia Alternative Finance market. The largest market sub segment was balance sheet business lending, followed by peer-to-peer (Marketplace) consumer lending, and invoice trading. Discussions with lenders across both consumer and SME sectors indicate higher growth rates for 2016-2017. The loan enquiry levels across the sector have […]
Crypto hype drives new partnership
An SMSF administrator is teaming up with a cryptocurrency brokerage firm to help investors achieve greater portfolio diversification. A new partnership between Xpress Super and Bitcoin Trader will provide SMSF investors with access to five of the top cryptocurrencies in the market: bitcoin, ethereum, bitcoin cash, DASH and ripple. Xpress Super chief executive Olivia Long said the new partnership is in response to growing investor demand for digital currencies, saying the administrator has been inundated with inquiries from trustees. “Our role as SMSF compliance specialists isn’t to give advice to self-directed investors on whether this is the right investment option for their fund, but to ensure they are compliant if […]
Despite bitcoin crash, initial coin offerings attract Aussies to make money online
Warren Stokes knew nothing about bitcoin until his son began receiving yellow postal bags filled with $50 notes in the mail. The cash was from cryptocurrency trading when his son was still in high school — about seven years ago. “He explained to me he was on a group on reddit — 1,000 people were joining their computers together to mine, and again, honestly, I had no idea what he was talking about.” Mr Stokes, 58, is now a casual “crypto” investor himself. At a recent cryptocurrency meet-up in Sydney, he was there to learn about the latest craze: initial coin offerings (ICOs). An ICO uses blockchain technology to issue […]
Sharesight now has an Amazon Alexa Skill
For anyone with an Amazon Echo, you can now ask Alexa how your shares are doing by adding the Sharesight Alexa Skill. The team at Sharesight love technology, so we were excited to hear from a developer who wanted to build an Alexa Skill using the Sharesight API to allow investors to check their investment portfolio performance using Amazon Alexa voice commands. If you own an Amazon Alexa device (such as the Echo or Echo Dot) – it’s easy to add the skill to your device and connect your Sharesight account. How to use the Sharesight Alexa Skill To get started, you’ll need a Sharesight account (sign up for free) […]
CBA blocks credit card purchases of Bitcoin, other digital currencies
Commonwealth Bank customers will no longer be allowed to use their credit cards to purchase Bitcoin and similar digital currencies. The bank announced the new policy today. “Due to the unregulated and highly volatile nature of virtual currencies, customers will no longer be able to use their CommBank credit cards to buy virtual currencies,” the bank said. CBA customers will still be able to purchase and sell Bitcoin and its ilk through their transaction accounts and debit cards. “We have made this decision because we believe virtual currencies do not meet minimum standard of regulation, reliability, and reputation when compared to currencies that we offer to our customers,” the bank […]
Spendher bitcoin buying app launches in Australia
You don’t see instant verification, quick transfers and no daily limits, even for new customers, too often. A new cryptocurrency app called Spendher has launched in Australia. Unusually, it offers instant customer verification and no limits other than a whopping $100,000 per transaction. Unless you’re a big spend(h)er aiming to plonk down more than $100,000 on bitcoin, you won’t run into any limits at all. This is made possible with a fortuitous combination of timing, including the changing of rules around the InstantID system which Spendher uses. To get instantly verified, users can simply enter their details for on-the-spot verification rather than uploading photos, writing out statements or dealing with […]
