Fintech start-ups threaten mortgage broking old guard amid royal commission heat
The emergence of fintech disrupters to the lucrative mortgage broking industry is being driven by three key dynamics. First, banks pay $2 billion a year in commissions to mortgage brokers for the delivery of home loan borrowers – but want to pay less. Second, the Hayne royal commission is investigating whether current broker pay structures create conflicts of interest and exploring better ways to serve customers. Third, technology is making self-service easier, and “open banking” will put customers in control of their data, including all the information required to make a mortgage application. So enter the mortgage broking entrepreneurs and a bunch of start-ups ruffling the feathers of the powerful […]
Fintech numbers causing a revolution
According to sources at disruptive Real Estate platform Next Address, the implementation of Fintech equity crowdfunding has sent their chatbots into overdrive with record enquiries and investors jumping on board. Julie O’Donohue, founder of the Australian company says it’s all about opportunity and empowering people. “People are loving the concept of helping us grow, investing directly with us from just $250 with a few perks that are making everyone smile. It has taken hard work by our entire team to make our platform the best, and now we are getting validation from everyday Aussies wanting to get on board. We made Next Address for the people, and now those very […]
The future of money relies on digital
by Carlo Lacota, Head of Banking and Financial Services, ANZ at Cognizant The era of digital disruption has brought new challenges involving security, privacy, and technology access. It is therefore imperative for financial services providers to take stock and consider how to deepen their customer relationships. The inability to capitalise on the opportunity that digital brings to attract and retain customers will increase churn velocity and further increase cost as customer retention costs far less than acquisition. Our relationship with money is broken A recent global study by Cognizant revealed that people’s relationship with money is broken, with over half of the study respondents saying money and […]
NAB launches Google Pay across its debit and credit cards
This adds to NAB’s existing contactless payment options of NAB Pay and NAB PayTag, Samsung Pay, and Fitbit and Garmin smartwatches. NAB has today announced the launch of Google Pay across both its debit and credit cards, enabling customers to securely make contactless payments with their smartphone or compatible device. Google Pay allows customers to make tap and go payments with their smartphone in store and online, instead of using their physical credit or debit card. Just like when using your debit card to tap and go, when using Google Pay customers won’t need to enter a PIN for their transaction unless it’s more than $100. Google Pay is Google’s […]
CashDeck releases software to help brokers and borrowers prepare for tougher lending measures
There’s no doubting that the Hayne Royal Commission will bring about changes to the way borrowers, brokers and bankers behave. As lenders are required to more carefully scrutinise loan applications and living expenses, it is expected that home buyers borrowing power will be greatly reduced. A recent UBS report suggests that credit availability could be cut by 21 to 41%, depending on income. While nobody can tell exactly what measures will come about, change is certain, and smart brokers will already be making changes to their business processes. Compliance will be top of the list, and for brokers this will mean more accurately assessing living expenses—an onerous task. Technology must […]
Australia lags on digital banking revolution: Oracle survey
Would you be prepared to give a little-known business access to your most sensitive financial data, if it meant getting a better deal on your home loan? This type of question is set to become increasingly relevant in the coming years, as the big data revolution joins forces with a push for greater competition in banking. Data is one of the most valuable assets in the financial world, and there’s a clear trend towards policies that put more of this value back into the hands of consumers, rather than large corporations. The only catch is that often, the way for consumers to squeeze more value from their data it to […]
How to find out what those strange charges are on your credit card
Credit card bills, with lists of charges from businesses you’ve sure you’ve never heard of, are sometimes harder to translate than an alien message left on a moon circling a distant sun. Stuart Grover founded a company, Look Who’s Charging, in 2016 after puzzling over expenses at his previous business, 3D Printing Studios. He was wasting hours of time trying to reconcile and categorise the often cryptic transactions within the bank feed of his accounting software. “The more research we did the more we realised that this wasn’t just a big problem for small business owners and bookkeepers but that it is also a significant problem for consumers and financial […]
Westpac CEO Brian Hartzer says cashless society is just round the corner
Plenty of intriguing insights about fintech were delivered at The Australian Financial Review’s Banking & Wealth Summit last week. So, here’s a selection of highlights, in no particular order. Brian Hartzer says cash is disappearing from the economy “faster than any of us anticipated”. A recent trip to Copenhagen by the Westpac chief revealed the decline of cash in Denmark is being driven by customers. Danske Bank’s MobilePay is being used by more than 80 per cent of Danes to pay each other, after five years in the market. Hartzer reckons 95 per cent of Westpac transactions will be online or mobile within a decade. Other Westpac bankers are also […]
