Pelikin: Is this Aussie fintech about to shake up millennial travel?
It’s no secret that young Australians love to travel. Ask any millennial and they’ll likely be hard pressed to name a friend that hasn’t recently travelled overseas or isn’t planning to do so in the near future. In fact, according to research from Roy Morgan released in May, millennials are the most likely cohort in Australia to have travel plans in the near future – 73.6% of those surveyed indicating that they intended to travel in the next 12 months. And with so many young Aussies heading overseas, one local fintech is not only banking on the travel bug sticking around, they’re hoping to completely change the way Australian travellers […]
Bitcoin: Ten Years On
A mysterious, anonymous entity known as “Satoshi Nakamoto” posted a white paper on October 31 2008 entitled “Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System”. It was the first time that the concept of Bitcoin entered the world. But outside of the cypherpunk mailing lists – those promoting the use of privacy-enhancing technology – this event was hardly noticed. Ten years on, who hasn’t at least heard of the cryptocurrency? On just nine pages, the white paper explained how the Bitcoin system would work. Many attempts at electronic cash had already been made going right back to computer scientist David Chaum’s “Digicash” developed in the 1980s. Using an intricate dance of cryptography, […]
Why Bitcoin is here to stay
The real game changer of Bitcoin is the underlying network of highly secure computers that support it. These computers run a new form of database called “blockchain.” Blockchain technology enables money and data to move without having to rely on a trusted middleman. It’s truly revolutionary. Already more than $3 billion a day is transacted across the Bitcoin network without the need for a central clearing authority. That has never happened before and it makes Bitcoin a unique asset. Software developers across the world are building applications designed to piggyback off this network. Over the next few years we’ll begin to see a host of new applications emerge for Bitcoin and the network […]
Bitcoin seems indestructible but another cryptocurrency might be about to take its place
Bitcoin was born out of the global financial crisis of 2018, but on the eve of its 10th anniversary the world’s first cryptocurrency may be facing a crisis of its own. Uncertain regulation, technological failings and infighting within its developer community mean another cryptocurrency could be on the verge of taking its place as the world’s leading digital currency. With a market cap of over $100 billion, bitcoin has established itself over the last decade as the world’s leading cryptocurrency, yet since its inception more than 3,000 other cryptocurrencies have since come into existence – each attempting to offer something that bitcoin can’t. After a decade of dominance, experts tell […]
Novatti to become an AUD Utility Token Anchor on the Stellar Network
ASX-listed Novatti Group Limited announce that it will launch the Novatti AUD Utility Token, the first Australian Dollar-Backed Utility Token. As an Anchor for the Stellar Network, consumers and institutions will be able to use the Novatti platform to instantly accept and settle payments in AUD, as well as easily access foreign exchanges via a lightning-fast global network. The Novatti AUD Utility Token, a token on the Stellar Network is one-to-one backed by the Australian dollar (AUD). Held in trust by Novatti, one Novatti AUD Utility Token will always be equivalent to one Australian dollar. With the Novatti AUD Utility Token, consumers and institutions, once KYC’d, will be able to […]
No need for national digital dollars: RBA
The Reserve Bank of Australia and a global investment bank say the speed of payments innovation will fend off any threat from cryptocurrencies, and creating digitised versions of central bank money will make bank runs much more likely during a crisis. After last year’s speculative bitcoin bubble, the potential for the Australian central bank to issue digital dollars to allow money to move through distributed ledgers is fading. RBA assistant governor Michelle Bullock told a global audience at Sibos that while it’s still open to considering wholesale applications for a digital Australian dollar, it hasn’t yet been convinced of the need to create one, and the RBA does not want […]
Apollo Capital becomes an advisor to Melbourne Mint’s digital currency project
Enhanced Society has announced that Apollo Capital’s Henrik Andersson has joined as an advisor to Australia’s pre-eminent precious metals retailer, Melbourne Mint, to support the development of MELD, a gold backed stable coin. Apollo Capital’s Henrik Andersson, who contributes 17 years experience in global financial markets, with almost a decade on Wall Street, joins the MELD project as an advisor. His expert knowledge in the field of tokenomics, cryptocurrency applications, and knack for identifying the long term viability of projects is an invaluable asset to MELD. With over 100 years of precious metals expertise, Melbourne Mint and their partners are leading the way with a product that digitises gold, making […]
Cross-border payments set for ‘unprecedented change’
The cross-border payments industry is seeing levels of “unprecedented change” globally, including in regulation, where Australia is struggling to keep apace despite the competition watchdog’s probe into the $9 billion foreign currency transaction market. That’s the view of OFX chief executive Skander Malcolm who identifies three themes dominating cross-border payment, including that a larger number of small and medium businesses are utilising global payments to tap into new customers or for their supply chain, and that rapid technological change is spawning a rash of new products and services. He says the third trend is a higher level of regulatory scrutiny and change that is facilitating new models, an area where […]
