Westpac invests $25m more in Uno in mortgage broking play
Westpac Banking Corp has doubled down on the digital mortgage broker Uno Home Loans, investing another $25 million to ramp up the start-up’s brand marketing and sales teams in a deal that reflects a concerted drive into the broking industry by the nation’s second-largest lender. Westpac is keen to win some share of the $2 billion-plus in annual revenue which flows to mortgage brokers, who currently advise on nearly half of the $380 billion in mortgages written each year. Westpac now owns around 81 per cent of Uno, which wants to win a 10 per cent share of the highly fragmented broking market over the next 10 years. “The broking […]
Australian banks are hunting for deals and partnerships with fintechs
The majority of Australia banks seeking deals and investments with fintechs in the next 12 months as they continue their transformation as digital businesses. The Australian findings from EY’s 2018 Global Banking Outlook show 80% of Australian banks looking to set up new partnerships or joint ventures in both core and new strategic markets over the next year. “With the pace of technological change and the speed at which new innovations are hitting the market, it’s not surprising that banks are increasingly focusing on their digital agendas,” says Tim Dring, EY Oceania Banking and Capital Markets Leader. “Australian banks have already made significant progress in this space and we are […]
NAB to allow payments through Xero
National Australia Bank is preparing to cede some control over its business customers to accounting software giant Xero, by allowing payments to made from within the accounting platform rather than through its internet banking site. The deal could be the first one globally that allows core banking activity to be conducted inside cloud accounting software, and comes after the World Economic Forum predicted banks will face more competition from technology platforms for customer relationships. NAB and Xero are on a national roadshow this week to brief Xero customers on the innovation, ahead of a closed beta trial in February and roll-out to the broader market mid-year. Xero’s managing director in […]
Banks shift priorities toward digitalisation and innovation for future growth
Eighty percent of Australian banks and 85% globally cite implementation of a digital transformation program as a business priority for 2018, with investment in technology to drive efficiency, growth and manage evolving risks increasingly seen as critical for sustainable success, according to the EY Global Banking Outlook 2018. The survey of senior executives at 221 banking institutions across Asia-Pacific, Europe, North America and emerging markets, found that globally just 19% of banks surveyed currently view themselves as being either digitally mature or a digital leader, while in Australian none of those surveyed did. However, it also showed there is an obvious recognition among banks of the urgency of continuing […]
Bank-based blockchain projects are going to transform the financial services industry
Cryptocurrencies are constantly evolving, with popular currencies such as Bitcoin and Ethereum maintaining their popularity despite recent market corrections. At the core of both technologies is the cryptographically secure digital ledger known as the blockchain. It’s a digital ledger where cryptocurrency transactions are recorded chronologically and publicly. Indeed, as the popularity of cryptocurrencies has grown, so has the banking industry’s interest in blockchain for fintech, with an increased and focused push on bank-backed blockchain projects. Some of the largest projects underway include the IBM-backed Hyperledger Fabric project, the Utility Settlement Coin, and R3’s blockchain consortium, signifying a growing acceptance in institutional policy to support blockchain growth. How does it work? […]
Bank disrupter Prospa readies first pitch to fund managers
Privately-owned small business lender Prospa will start its search for new investors in coming weeks, when it fronts local and offshore fund managers ahead of a planned initial public offering. It’s understood Macquarie Capital and UBS’s equities desks have been booking fundies to meet Prospa management in Sydney, Melbourne, Auckland and Hong Kong during the first week of February, for a non-deal roadshow. Prospa’s expected to be pitched as the first true major bank disrupter in small business lending. It’s expected to tell fund managers it is the biggest unsecured lender to small business and also the biggest online lender to small business, with loan originations of more than $500 million. The meetings come ahead of […]
Tatts CEO Robbie Cooke joins fintech firm
A small business banking and payment services company has snared the services of outgoing Tatts chief executive Robbie Cookie. Mr Cooke will leave Tatts in March after five years as CEO, following the lotteries and gambling firm’s recent $11.3 billion merger with Tabcorp. He will then take on the role of chief executive of Tyro, which began as a provider of EFTPOS services in 2005 and has recently begun offering lending and deposit products to more than 20,000 small and medium businesses. Mr Cooke, who was chief executive of hotel booking website Wotif.com prior to joining Tatts, said he will lead Tyro through the next stage of its growth. “I […]
Australia leads the way when it comes to Digital Banking
When it comes to cashless banking in Australia, Sydney and Canberra lead the way according to a report by card company Visa. The report recognises both cities as being digital leaders in large part as a result of Australia’s advanced digital banking payments system. Aussies are already very accustomed to online banking and there are a large number that make use of the system. 100 cities were looked at The report looked at more than 100 cities around the world and analysed their development in terms of cashless payments and banking. The report showed that 18 cities spread across Asia, Europe and the United States were deemed to be “digitally […]
