Waddle expanding into New Zealand
Sydney-based fintech outfit Waddle has announced an expansion into New Zealand, as it looks to further capitalise on Australia’s $64 billion invoice finance and factoring industry. Founded in 2014 by high school mates Simon Creighton, Leigh Dunsford and Nathan Andrews, Waddle is a cloud funding software and addresses what Mr Creighton says was an opportunity its competitors, including Scottish Pacific and banking providers, were failing to address. “The current process has been done the same way for decades and no one was building software to solve it,” Mr Creighton said. “Our technology is world-class and is transforming the approach of other lending businesses and banks, by removing how manual and […]
PledgeMe joins Equitise in eyeing Australian market
PledgeMe, the equity crowdfunding and peer-to-peer lending platform, has joined rival Equitise in signalling plans to enter the Australian market ahead of a law change coming into effect across the Tasman this month. Co-founder Anna Guenther will relocate to Brisbane for six months to establish the Wellington-based company’s Australian arm, according to a PledgeMe blog post. PledgeMe will participate in the Queensland government’s HotDesQ programme, which provides networks, support, and funding for companies to relocate to the state. “There are over 2.1 million SME’s in Australia (compared to just under 500,000 here in New Zealand), so the opportunity is pretty clear,” she says. The Australian Corporations Amendment (Crowd-sourced Funding) Act […]
Prospa appoints Rebecca James as Chief Marketing and Enterprise Officer
Prospa, Australia’s leading online lender for small businesses, continues to build on its growth with the appointment of Rebecca James as its new Chief Marketing and Enterprise Officer. Rebecca joins Prospa from ME Bank, where as CMO she led the transformation of the ME brand, simplifying the product offering and step-changing customer experience, which saw the bank increase its customer base by 40% as a result. She drove the establishment of a business-wide customer centric culture to transform the bank into a digitally led business. Rebecca has a wealth of experience in marketing and advertising, having held key marketing and leadership roles with challenger brands and strategic enterprise channels. Prior […]
Picking your peer-to-peer platform provider to invest
Disruption is not just happening to retail, hospitality and taxis. It’s also happening in financial services, especially banks, where borrowers and lenders are finding ways to engage, cutting traditional players out of the picture. At best, in this scenario, both investors and borrowers can end up winning, with better lending rates and higher returns. This sector is worth investigating for investors comfortable with debt, but be prepared to do your homework. The sector is expanding rapidly with a range of new businesses, offering differing features. But for most investors the field can be split into peer-to-peer lenders and corporate bonds. The lenders Funds are available for personal commitments such as […]
P2P lender reaches 2,000 brokers
Peer-to-peer lender RateSetter has accredited 2,000 brokers on its lending platform, amidst a rise in P2P popularity within the general public. Lending volumes through the broker channel, especially in auto and home improvement loans, are doubling every six months, according to the lender’s most recent settlement figures. Across the direct and broker channels, RateSetter has also passed $150m in lending facilitated since 2014. In the last five months alone, lending grew 50% across both channels, passing the $100m milestone in March. “Our brokers tell us that having access to RateSetter’s low-rate personal and business loans gives them a great way to help their clients achieve their goals, whether that is […]
Can home loans be approved in 22 minutes?
South Australia-based fintech firm Tic:Toc recently launched the world’s first complete online home loans platform. It will be the first online home loan platform to offer customers home loan approval in 22 minutes, as opposed to the customary 22 days. Aside from expediting the loan approval process, Tic:Toc will also pass on the cost savings of digitisation to their customers via competitive interest rates, as well as no application, settlement, or valuation fees. Backed by Bendigo and Adelaide Bank, this new fintech venture promises to bring new jobs and investment to South Australia. Moreover, the Weatherill government has approved a $900,000 grant to Tic:Toc via Investment Attraction South Australia’s (IASA) […]
Broker channel needs to be ‘undercut’, says fintech boss
The founder of an online mortgage marketplace says there is too much “fat” in the home loan value chain and believes there is space for a non-advice model in mortgage distribution. Joust managing director Mark Bevan, who worked at CBA and Westpac before launching the online mortgage bidding platform in 2015, said that Joust is focused on lowering the cost of origination for lenders and borrowers. Joust targets Australian borrowers with good credit scores and simple needs. While he understands that customers with more complex needs will require the services of mortgage brokers, Mr Bevan believes that his model offers a cheaper alternative to traditional third-party distribution. “The mortgage broker […]
Fintech launches broker version of ‘Fitbit’
HashChing has introduced a Fitbit-like service which allows brokers to “dig deeper” into analytics, track performance and hold themselves “accountable to customers”. The upgrade is centred on a new performance analytics function that measures each broker’s personal metrics, including the number of reviews, the average response time and success rate. By allowing brokers to track their performance indicators and understand how those indicators impact overall ratings, HashChing hopes that the dashboard will act as a “powerful motivator” for brokers to improve service. Atul Narang, chief information officer of the fintech, said that the update was made in response to industry discussions around driving positive consumer outcomes in the mortgage industry. […]
