Millions looking to leave major banks
New research has found that over two million Australians are currently seeking new banking providers, with many currently customers at one of the big four. The research produced by Nielsen found that 2.1 million Australians are seeking new providers and 67 per cent of them are currently customers at one of the big four. The research found that Australians were increasingly looking away from the established banks and instead looking at digital banks, with a five-percentage point increase in Australians looking to change to digital banks in the past twelve months. Nielsen’s head of financial services and insurance Jo Brockhurst believed that the open banking legislation would see this number […]
How businesses will pivot AI strategies to align with human-centric goals
Trends like Digital Transformation, Internet of Things, Blockchain and Artificial Intelligence have beset the tech and finance industries for some time now. But what was now yesterday’s buzzwords will be tomorrow’s reality. The question is, how will these buzzwords evolve into real solutions in 2019? Jayajyoti (JJ) Sengupta, Head of APAC, Cognizant shared his thoughts on the above topics and how they will change in 2019. 1. Businesses will pivot AI strategies to align with human-centric goals: The majority (92%) of executives see AI playing an important role in their business within the next three years, according to a recent Cognizant study. But in 2019, the implementation of AI will […]
Australia’s banking regulator grants Xinja a restricted banking licence
Xinja said today it is ready to revolutionize the way Australians think about banking after receiving a restricted banking licence from the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA). Xinja said it has now become a bank, a digital ‘neobank’ designed entirely for mobile, which is already challenging Australia’s entrenched major banks by showing people how innovation can make banking work in their interests. APRA earlier confirmed it has granted Xinja a restricted authorised deposit-taking institution licence (RADI), allowing Xinja to conduct restricted banking business. “We are super excited and this announcement confirms our belief that Xinja represents the new way of banking in Australia. It brings us one step closer to […]
Wealth scandals open door for new entrants
A global data provider believes neobanks and robo-advisers stand a good chance of gaining traction in an industry where incumbents are plagued with scandals. Following the news that troubled wealth giant IOOF could face several class action lawsuits, GlobalData believes the damage to public trust in the financial services industry will have significant long-term implications for how Australians invest. Andrew Haslip, head of banking content for Asia Pacific at GlobalData, said superannuation has a prized place in the heart of many Aussies and allegations of misuse of client money in this area are particularly damaging on top of a string of other banking and wealth-related scandals. It has given the […]
The rise of non-banks
Non-bank lending reached an 11-year high in September 2018, and the share of broker originated loans with non-majors and their affiliates increased by almost 3% in the January to March quarter. Capitalising on the trend private equity firms from across the world are now looking for a foot in the door, with a number of major acquisition deals confirmed since 2017: KKR took over Pepper Money; Blackstone became a majority stakeholder in La Trobe Financial; and Cerberus Capital Management acquired Bluestone. Royden D’Vaz, head of sales and marketing at Bluestone APAC, says, “This acquisition enabled us to pursue aggressive growth targets via mass rate cuts and strategic growth across all […]
CBA to turn on Apple Pay in January
Commonwealth Bank of Australia will share a slice of its transaction revenue with the world’s largest company, Apple, after relenting to customer demand and agreeing to turn on Apple Pay in January, a move which indicates the technology giant has the upper hand in the battle to control smartphone digital wallets. More than two-and-a-half years after rival ANZ Banking Group made Apple Pay available, CBA’s move will put pressure on National Australia Bank and Westpac Banking Corp, who continue to prevent their iPhone-carrying customers from using them or their Apple watches to make tap-and-go payments. After sustaining a year of intense pressure at the banking royal commission, CBA’s group executive […]
Temenos acquires Australian banking fintech Avoka for US$245m
Temenos, the banking software company, today announces it has agreed to acquire Avoka, a leader in digital customer acquisition and onboarding, subject to regulatory approvals. The acquisition further strengthens the Temenos Digital Front Office product, which has over 300 banking clients and has been recognized as a leader by top analyst houses such as Forrester and Ovum. The Avoka platform will be integrated with the Temenos Digital Front Office product, providing banks with a comprehensive single solution for their omni-channel digital banking needs. Temenos has agreed to purchase Avoka for USD 245 million. Through this acquisition, Temenos continues to bring innovative capabilities to its Digital Front Office product that includes […]
Fintech joins express loans partnership
A digital mortgage service fintech has announced it will join a partnership to create fast, paperless home loans. Tic:Toc and Bendigo Bank announced recently they would be teaming up to offer “express” loans. Now, legal fintech LeadPoint, which specialises in providing automated home loan documentation, has announced it would join them. The group has generated more than 50,000 home loan contracts through its platform since it launched in 2013. LeadPoint’s involvement in Bendigo Bank Express is the next phase of LeadPoint’s partnership with Tic:Toc loans, which already offers ‘webmortgages’ loan documentation as part of its instant home loan assessment and approval platform. LeadPoint uses its proprietary platform to produce digital […]
