Morrison government fund offers $2b boost for SME loans
The Morrison government will inject $2 billion into the small business loan market in an unprecedented effort to boost lending to cash-starved firms which have complained of a worsening credit squeeze.The creation of a taxpayer-backed securitisation fund to invest in small and medium enterprise (SME) credit will also potentially expand an asset class for institutional investors such as superannuation funds to invest in. Treasurer Josh Frydenberg and Small Business Minister Michaelia Cash will announce the small business funding policy on Wednesday, promoting the soon-to-be-established Australian Business Securitisation Fund as a way to overcome banks typically only lending to the self-employed when they pledge their personal home as collateral. The government […]
New breed of savvy Australians embrace digital and choice in pursuit of home ownership
The Lendi Home Loan Index Q3 2018 (LHLI) unveils key trends among Australians searching for a home loan online*. The LHLI suggests that more consumers are taking financial matters in their own hands by embracing a digital-first approach in lieu of the traditional bank or broker model. While the wider home loan industry is dominated by the big fours, the LHLI shows that Australians using Lendi are brand agnostic. In fact, 82.9 per cent of Australians don’t have a preference for settling their loan with a major lender. The LHLI data also signifies Australians’ positive intentions when it comes to their own debt management. An overwhelming 85.5 per cent […]
Ord Minnett readies online consumer lender MoneyMe for fund raising
Fast-growing consumer lending company MoneyMe knows plenty about writing cheques, and now it is asking potential investors to do the same. Street Talk understands MoneyMe will front institutional investors and family offices in coming days, seeking support for a pre-initial public offering funding round. The raising is expected to be worth as much as $15 million and structured as a convertible note issue. Stockbroker Ord Minnett has been lining up investor meetings in Sydney and Melbourne, fund manager sources said. If successful, it would be the first (quasi) equity raising by the personal lender. The company made headlines when it secured $100 million from global credit investor Fortress Investment Group […]
Wisr tech upgrades lower average interest rate, drive growth and creditworthiness
Wisr, Australia’s first neo-lender (ASX: WZR), saw continued strong loan growth and customer acquisition in the first quarter of the 2019 financial year. Between July and September 2019 the company saw loan origination value grow by 49% when compared to the previous quarter, as well as 22% increase in overall loan volume. The result is the third consecutive quarter that Wisr has recorded quarterly loan growth in excess of 45%. The company also announced it had surpassed $50 million in loan originations since beginning operations, almost half of which were written from the beginning of 2018. Anthony Nantes, Chief Executive Officer, Wisr said borrower shift away from traditional lenders, brand […]
uno Home Loans appoints Anthony Justice as CEO
Online mortgage broker uno Home Loans has appointed Anthony Justice to the role of Chief Executive Officer. Anthony joins uno having spent the last decade in senior management roles in the financial services industry, including CEO of IAG’s Australian Consumer Division. uno Home Loans Chairman Abi Cleland said: “Anthony has extensive financial services experience; an impressive track record of leading and transforming customer-focused businesses; and strong alignment with uno’s values.” “We are delighted Anthony has come onboard to lead the charge as uno ramps up its growth trajectory and continues to shake up the home loan industry.” Anthony Justice said: “Getting a home loan is one of the biggest financial […]
Australia’s ‘first’ blockchain lender sets sights on mortgages
Australia’s “first” blockchain lender, which is set to launch next year, is offering a crowdsourced funding equity to brokers. Australian Mortgage Marketplace (AMM), co-founded by industry stalwarts Graham Andersen (CEO) and Kym Dalton (COO), has pledged to “overhaul” the Australian mortgage market with the “biggest change since the GFC” by funding prime loans on “Australia’s first mortgage securitisation blockchain”. According to the wholesale lender, which aims to be backed by major investors and industry super funds, its “Carbon” securitisation platform will leverage distributed ledger technology to deliver the benefits of increased transparency, security and automation. Its operating efficiencies will also reportedly present “pricing benefits” for Australian borrowers, enabling partner brokers to […]
uno cracks the formula for 10-minute home loan recommendations
Online mortgage broker uno Home Loans has introduced technology that delivers refinancers a credit proposal for a cheaper home loan in the time it takes to drink a coffee. Watch the video here. The new refinancing pathway on uno’s platform digitises the process to combine a property valuation; ID verification; instant credit check; collection of current loan details; verification of income, expenses and liabilities; and assessment with credit policies from nine lenders. This expedited process – which would take days with a traditional broker – addresses a major barrier to more Australians refinancing and saving. uno Home Loans Founder and Chief Innovation Officer Vincent Turner said, “Many Australians know they […]
Afterpay’s shares recover as the fintech backs greater regulation of buy-now-pay-later consumer lending
Payments fintech Afterpay, whose shares were hit hard after a Senate inquiry was formed to investigate consumer lenders not covered by the financial services royal commission, says it supports “appropriate regulation” and oversight by corporate regulator ASIC. The company says its buy-now-pay-later model is different to traditional credit, a fact recognised by the New Zealand Government when it recently decided not to include products such as Afterpay in local credit regulations. “Afterpay welcomes the opportunity to participate in any review to ensure an informed discussion takes place in an appropriate forum and that the differentiated nature of Afterpay’s service is clearly understood,” the company said on a statement. The fintech […]
