Turnbull’s banking royal commission welcomed by fintech
Malcolm Turnbull has announced plans to establish a royal commission into the banking sector, and one fintech is hopeful it will bring more competition and trust to financial services in Australia. The announcement comes following a letter from ANZ, Commonwealth Bank, Westpac and NAB to the Treasurer asking for an inquiry to restore public faith. Alternative finance and peer-to-peer lender MoneyPlace’s CEO Stuart Stoyan told Canstar a banking royal commission “has been a long time coming”. “It’s important to re-establish trust with banks and financial services more generally,” he said. “I’m hopeful it will allow us to review policies that enable fintech to provide great products and services to all […]
Bendigo Bank customers can now shop with Apple Pay
After battling with Apple earlier this year, Bendigo Bank has now partnered with all three major digital wallets. Bendigo Bank is the latest Australian institution to join the Apple Pay ranks. From today, Bendigo Bank Mastercard customers can use their iPhone, Apple Watch or iPad to make contactless payments. This means lighter wallets, faster transactions and even more secure payments. To link your Bendigo Bank credit or debit card with Apple Pay, you just need to open the Wallet app and tap the plus symbol in the upper-right corner. Then follow the prompts to enter your card’s security code to add your credit or debit card from your iTunes account. […]
ANZ tech chief heralds its Apple advantage in bank tech revolution
Australia and New Zealand Banking Group’s top technology executive has claimed its decision to move ahead of its big four rivals with Apple Pay has led to big advantages in both customer and skilled staff acquisition as it seeks to position itself as a bank that operates like a tech giant. Speaking with The Australian Financial Review after addressing a Trans Tasman Business Circle lunch event in Sydney on Friday, ANZ’s group technology executive Gerard Florian said he was surprised that no other of the big four banks had sacrificed a slice of payment revenue to sign on with Apple Pay, and that ANZ was delighted it took the plunge […]
Fintech start-up Douugh scores partnership with US mutual bank Choice
Sydney-based fintech start-up Douugh has scored a partnership with US mutual bank Choice Financial, as it readies to launch its smart banking personal assistant, Sophie. As part of the open banking partnership, Douugh will launch an integrated bank account and debit card with the bank, giving it the ability to accept deposits. Choice Financial has also invested in Douugh, as part of a $2.5 million seed round. Founder and chief executive Andy Taylor, who was also a co-founder of successful peer-to-peer lending platform SocietyOne, told The Australian Financial Review he wanted to reduce society’s reliance on credit cards and help people save money. “I’ve always been quite passionate about the […]
Facebook’s Messenger payments looms over Australia’s big banks
Facebook’s challenge to Australia’s big banks is coming as early as next year, when the social media giant is expected to introduce peer-to-peer payments within its Messenger service, hot on the heels of local banks’ expected launch of their own P2P payments network. In July, The Australian Financial Review revealed Facebook had been awarded a patent to allow it to launch Messenger payments in Australia, which will allow users to pay family, friends and groups once they have linked up a bank-issued debit card to their social media account. More than 13 million people use Facebook Messenger in Australia each month, a figure that will have local banks – who […]
Wary banks to enter fintech waters
While larger financial institutions have traditionally stayed out of the fintech space, this could soon change, according to some of Australia’s leading experts. “To date I’ve actually taken the view that I don’t think the banks have really played much in this space because it’s disruptive and it’s easier for them to not necessarily add fuel to the fire or to accelerate that disruption,” said Anthony Millet, CEO of BRICKX, in a panel discussion at the Millennial 20/20 conference in Sydney (14 November). This is now changing with new legislation being introduced in Australia that makes it easier for start-ups to enter the market, he said. “I think we’re going […]
ANZ and CUA among first to offer eftpos on Android Pay
ANZ and Cuscal-sponsored credit unions including CUA today announced their eftpos cardholders can now make payments using Android Pay. The nine institutions, including People’s Choice Credit Union, Sydney Credit Union, Woolworths Employee’s Credit Union, Nexus Mutual and FCCS, are the first in Australia to officially offer this payment method to eftpos cardholders, enabling almost two million people to pay using their Android mobile devices. This follows the announcement Commonwealth Bank, Westpac and NAB are collaborating to launch a mobile payments platform, Beem, to make instant contactless payments with eftpos cards. Canstar’s Group Manager of Research and Ratings Mitch Watson said the new offering meant ANZ customers would have access to […]
Global Corporates chasing technology innovation in banking
Some of the world’s largest enterprises are prepared to switch financial providers should their banks not keep up with technological innovation, new research from East & Partners has found. According to the exclusive report, titled Financial Technology and the Corporate, around 13 percent of corporates have either partially or fully switched banks in direct response to newly released financial technology solutions, with a further 20 percent currently considering doing so. The research is based on direct interviews with 737 corporate treasurers and chief financial officers (CFOs) from the Top 100 firms across eight key markets including Australia, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Singapore, the UK and USA. […]
