Australian Fintech companies amongst 2017 Finder Awards
Once again the 2017 Finder Awards was dominated by Australian Fintech companies, like they have done in previous years. Congratulations to all the Fintech winners: Best Investor Home Loan (PI 3-Year Fixed) UBank UHomeLoan Best P2P Personal Loan RateSetter 2 Year Personal Loan Best Personal Loan Pepper Money Unsecured Variable Personal Loan Best Personal Finance App Acorns Best Online Customer Service UBank Best Banking Innovation Spriggy Most Innovative Team Mario Hasanakos & Alex Badran, founders of Spriggy
Australian fintech startup HCash just revealed it raised $53 million through an ICO in July
Initial coin offerings (ICOs) are polarising the business world at the moment, but one Australian company has made hay while the sun shines, raising 21,000 Bitcoins worth of capital. Blockchain security startup HCash, which is developing its technology in conjunction with Melbourne’s Monash University, has revealed to Business Insider that the round closed on July 15. Based on that day’s exchange rate, the 21,000 Bitcoins were worth $53 million. ICOs are a method of raising funds where a startup sells electronic tokens or “coins” to buyers that are betting that the business will do well in the future, thereby raising the value of the token. Unlike traditional venture capital, no […]
Supplying services to business the new growth area
Australia’s fintech sector is firing on all cylinders. More than 400 fintech companies are jostling for shoulder room in the market right now, and 72 per cent of these companies are supplying services to businesses. The upsurge in fintech companies can be attributed to the speed of business today, which places a greater premium on business readiness. Fintech companies are typically new financial services entrants providing genuine alternatives in areas such as wealth generation, lending, payments, insurance, cyber security and regulatory management. By global comparison, Australians are big fintech adopters. A recent report reveals that we have among the strongest fintech market penetration in the world, ahead of other advanced […]
Venture capital tax incentives extended to fintech
The federal government has released exposure draft legislation that will remove restrictions for venture capital investors to access tax concessions when investing in fintech. Treasurer Scott Morrison has announced the government will seek to reform Treasury laws in order to make it easier for fintech firms to receive early stage investment. In the 2016-17 federal budget, Mr Morrison announced a number of new tax incentives for venture capital and angel investors aimed at boosting innovation in the economy. The fintech sector, however, was exempted from those incentives – a decision the government is now looking to reverse with its draft legislation. “The proposed amendments highlight the Turnbull government’s commitment to […]
Finch raises $2.25m for Gen Y finance app after ‘proving it can rival’ Silicon Valley fintechs
CommBank, Westpac, NAB to launch new mobile payment app Beem
Three giants of the Australian banking sector are collaborating to create a new mobile payments platform for consumers and businesses. The application is called Beem and will allow users to store their debit card information and make instant contactless payments using the same technology as applications like Apple Pay and Android Pay. Beem will also allow users to request payments and split bills, making it useful for both personal use and for businesses. Although being created by Commonwealth Bank, Westpac and NAB, the app will be open for use by all Australians regardless of which bank they use. Like regular online transfers, Beem will include built-in encryption of payment details […]
The changing landscape of crowdfunding in Australia
When Aussie start-up, Nura, wanted to raise funds to help launch its hi-tech, self-adjusting headphones onto the global market, it turned to crowd-funding platform Kickstarter. The groundbreaking Nuraphones attracted the support of over 7,000 ‘backers’ who pledged money in return for early access to the product, netting Nura over US$1.8 million and breaking records for an Australian crowd-funding campaign. Recent decisions by the Australian Government to expand the use of crowd-funding for equity raising, initially by public companies and now potentially by SMEs and start-ups, could make a huge difference for companies seeking capital for growth and expansion. The first round of legislation came into force last month, allowing licensed […]
Biggest winners from fintech are customers
The biggest winners from fintech are the customers as it revolutionalises customer engagement and removes institutional, bureaucratic impediments, according to Federal Treasurer Scott Morrison. Addressing the Financial Services Council’s (FSC’s) and BT’s breakfast event in Sydney on Monday, the Treasurer said fintech was not just transformational for financial services but for all businesses around the country. “The technology is exciting. It can be distracting, it can sometimes over promise and under deliver. But at the same time it’s hard not to appreciate the potential,” he said. “And like any new sector where innovation arrives, there are misfires, there are misstarts. But it’s important that we don’t lose sight of the […]
