Digital mortgages offer great promise, says KPMG’s Pollari
There’s a tech for everything these days: MedTech, EdTech, FoodTech – you name it. Which may make fintech sound like just another portmanteau. But what makes fintech different from the other “-techs” – besides the fact it deals in money – is just how varied it is. According to a map put out by KPMG, there are more than 11 different types of fintech companies. These include: regtech, for regulation; insurtech, for insurance; wealthtech, for asset management – and many more. This wide definition – as well as a lot of optimism and entrepreneurial energy – has meant there are now around 600 Aussie companies that fall within the fintech […]
SMEs trading banks for fintechs, poll suggests
Fintech and other non-bank lenders are set to overtake banks as the preferred source of growth funds for Australian SMEs, the latest Scottish Pacific SME Growth Index suggest. The twice-yearly poll was informed by interviews with more than 1250 SMEs with annual revenues of up to $5 million. Scottish Pacific found that between 2014 and 2018, the proportion of SMEs intending to use banks for funding dropped from 38% to 24%. Meanwhile, 22% of SMEs identified non-bank lenders as their preferred source of growth funds, up from 11% in 2014. In addition, it was revealed that amongst SMEs that have not used non-banking lending options in the past 12 months, […]
1 in 4 are financially stressed, but Australia just got Wisr
Wisr (formerly DirectMoney) launches new brand with new financial wellness focus. ASX-listed Wisr today launched a major rebrand of the personal lending company, following its official name change from DirectMoney. Wisr is Australia’s only ASX listed marketplace/p2p lender and is one of the very first to emerge in Australia. Now entering its fifth year, the company is going through a phase of rapid growth and expansion, and the new brand reflects the company’s repositioning into a technology-led, customer-focused company with a vision to “bring financial wellness to the world”. Research has shown that 1 in 4 Australians are financially stressed, and the number one cause is high interest debt (typically […]
ASX-listed US fintech Credible shrugs off recent share drop with US mortgage play
The founder and chief executive of ASX-listed US fintech start-up Credible has shrugged off a declining share price since its December initial public offering and pointed to a strong financial performance and new plans to target the US mortgage market as a sign that investors can expect significant growth in the long term. Credible, which was founded by Australian Stephen Dash, was the largest ASX tech IPO of 2017, raising $67 million, having built up a significant niche in the US market by creating an online marketplace for student loans. However, despite posting full-year results that beat the important metrics laid out in its IPO prospectus, the shares have slowly […]
Reckon smashes $10 million loan milestone for Aussie small businesses
Australian cloud accounting provider Reckon’s (ASX:RKN) strategic partnership with leading fintech outfit Prospa has hit yet another milestone for the burgeoning non-bank finance sector, delivering over $10 million in funds to small businesses across the country within its first 18 months. The continued growth of the Reckon Loans platform further cements the role of small businesses – the engine room of Australia’s economy – in fuelling the nation’s fintech revolution. Launched late-July 2016, Reckon Loans empowers small businesses with swifter loan processes and easier access to capital, with the approval of funds from $5,000 to $250,000 available within one business day and no security required to access up to $100,000. […]
Fintech business lenders to self-regulate
A lack of transparency around fintech borrowing costs for small businesses has prompted the industry committing to adopt a code of conduct and standardised interest rate and fee disclosures. The fintech sector hopes moves to self-regulate will help start-ups win trust and avoid concerns that helped prompt the royal commission into the banks. The Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman, FinTech Australia and the Bank Doctor, an SME advocate, will drive start-ups to improve disclosures that will allow small business customers to compare total costs, understand obligations and penalties if payments are missed, and ensure disputes are dealt with quickly and fairly. The moves come after a survey of […]
Peer to Peer lending increasingly popular in Australia
Australian investors and borrowers are increasingly adopting peer to peer lending platforms according to the results of survey undertaken by ASIC. The results of the survey suggest that as much as $300 million of personal and business loans were underwritten by peer to peer lenders over the course of the last fiscal year. That represents a doubling in the amount that was lent on such platforms during the 2015/2016 financial year. Peer to peer will continue to grow John Price ASIC Commissioner says the results of the survey suggest that growth of such lending marketplaces will continue to grow as Australians seek out the best deals and interest rates on […]
Digital bank startup Xinja can now offer housing loans, and getting one will take ‘about 20 minutes’
Digital bank startup Xinja is planning to offer home loans soon after winning an Australian Credit Licence from ASIC (Australian Securities and Investments Commission). It’s an important step forward for Xinja which is raising money under new equity crowdfunding legislation and aims to become a full-service digital bank built in Australia but without the legacy structures and costs associated with more traditional financial services companies. “This allows use to give mortgages, to lend and give credit,” Xinja chief executive Eric Wilson told Business Insider. “We are raising our very first mortgages in late March early April. By May-June we will bring our first fully digital product online. “We are bringing […]
