Archa joins list of new neobanks aiming to transform Aussie banking
Australian banking is changing rapidly and a new wave of digital banks are hitting our shores, with companies like volt, Xinja and 86 400 set to launch this year, but there is another player coming to town soon that may be worth your attention. Archa is a new Melbourne-based neobank that is scheduled to launch in the near future, offering a state of the art online banking app that is connected to a pre-paid debit card. Oliver Kidd, Archa’s founder and CEO doesn’t come from a banking background, but “he hopes by founding Archa, his friends and colleagues have access to a totally refreshed relationship with their money,” – according […]
ASIC gets tough on ‘regtech’
Banks will have to explain why they aren’t using the latest technology to improve their compliance, as the corporate regulator takes a “bolder” approach after the shortcomings revealed by the banking royal commission. Australian Securities and Investments Commission executive director of financial services Michael Saadat said an “if not, why not” approach would be adopted to force banks to explain why, when they aren’t using the latest technology including systems offered by start-ups. Commonwealth Bank told The Australian Financial Review Banking & Wealth Summit it was talking to ASIC about its roll out of artificial intelligence technology to help it understand its legal obligations. “In the past, we have probably more […]
Australian banking giant ANZ fails to understand Blockchain Technology
Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Limited (ANZ) — Australia’s third-largest bank by market cap — doubts blockchain technology’s ability to provide trustless transactions, at least for now. Additionally, the firm acknowledges the benefits of the technology but claims banks don’t need to make the switch. Could ANZ be any more wrong? After curiously examining distributed ledger tech, ANZ associate director of trade and supply chain product Maria Bellmas, stated the futuristic technology is far from becoming the main method of executing trusted payments. Taking another jab at blockchain, Bellmas claimed most of the hype surrounding the technology is created by “crypto fanatics” trying to find comfort in the ongoing bear market. […]
Future of banking is personal and personalised
The future of banking will involve delivering a “goodie bag” of solutions tailored to Millennial customers. Steve Weston, chief executive of “neobank” Volt Bank, said banks traditionally helped customers by dealing with them face to face but provided no additional help on a day-to-day basis. “From the moment you walked outside of the door of the branch, you were left to your own devices. “Neobanks and banks of the future will understand what customers are trying to achieve … often just by asking but also by data analytics.” He said neobanks will be able to provide a “goodie bag of solutions” so customers can achieve their financial goals in a […]
RBA warns the banks ‘don’t be stingy’
The Reserve Bank of Australia has warned banks to loosen up their lending practices when approving home loan applications. Following the Royal Commission banks have become cautious and their frontline lending staff are knocking back home loan applications which usually would get approved. Speaking at a function in Perth, Reserve Bank assistant governor Michelle Bullock said, “we are out there telling banks, and asking banks to tell their frontline staff, don’t be too stingy here.” Loans.com.au CFO James Austin tells Ross Greenwood staff need to be more consistent when granting credit. “It’s a lack of consistency in a credit application of the policy, it’s not the policy itself. To read […]
What Apple’s credit card means for Fintech
To the traditional financial sector’s dismay, nightmares have become reality and Apple is now a banking player. After years of discussion about whether Big Tech corporations will enter this domain, details of a payment card were unveiled, threatening to blow all other newcomers out of the water. Apple Card, launched in partnership with Mastercard and Goldman Sachs, will leverage the success of Apple Pay and will be available as a built-in feature within the Apple Wallet application on iPhone. Boasting the promise of a “healthier financial life,” the new credit card will also offer 2 percent cashback on all transactions – which they will receive on a daily basis, making […]
Australia’s Consumer Data Right to open banking
by Doug Morris, CEO, Sharesight In collaboration with Fintech Australia, Sharesight has officially endorsed a submission on the Treasury Laws Amendment (Consumer Data Right) Bill 2019 that seeks to create the Consumer Data Right (CDR) with an amendment to the Competition and Consumer Act 2010. The Consumer Data Right (CDR) will mandate that banks and financial institutions (before later extending to telecommunications and utility providers) make it easy, safe, and practical for consumers to share their data with third parties — including competing services. It’s one of several critical ingredients needed to improve the financial outcome for Australians. Open Banking initiatives are already in place in the UK, and progress […]
RepuCoin secure blockchain defends against attackers
In what its originators have billed as a ‘world first’, a secure blockchain has been developed that they claim can defend against malicious activity. Monash University researchers are part of an international team that created the system, which, it is claimed, can successfully block malicious activity by attackers who possess more than half of the system’s computing power. The system, RepuCoin, introduces the concept of ‘reputation’ to blockchain, supposedly making it thousands of times more expensive to attack than Bitcoin. Its creators claim it has the potential to be applied in a number of global sectors including fintech, energy, food supply chains, health care and future 5G telecommunications networks. RepuCoin’s […]
