NSW startups head to heart of Israeli innovation
Ten NSW fintech and cyber security startups are headed to the epicentre of Israel’s startup ecosystem next month for a ten-day global innovation masterclass. Minister for Innovation Matt Kean said the final startups (listed below) now had a unique opportunity to harness the Austrade Landing Pad in Tel Aviv, after a competitive application process. “NSW has some incredible startup talent, particularly in the fintech and cyber security sectors, and this is a fantastic opportunity to showcase that talent on a global stage,” Mr Kean said. “The opportunity for the state’s best startups to visit Tel Aviv and learn from some of the world’s top innovators is absolutely the chance of […]
SelfWealth, winners of Software Innovation at the Australian Business Awards second year running
SelfWealth Ltd has been recognised as an ABA100 Winner in The Australian Business Awards 2017 for Software Innovation. The Awards, now in their twelfth year, are an annual all-encompassing awards program which recognises organisations that demonstrate the core values of business innovation, product innovation, technological achievement and employee engagement via a set of comprehensive award categories. The award recognises SelfWealth’s achievements in the research and development of SelfWealth Premium and SelfWealth TRADING. SelfWealth is a community of investors partnering to achieve one common goal – greater returns. We allow members to crowd source investment information; by tracking the moves of top investors our members can make more informed investment decisions […]
Crowd-sourced equity funding to open up for DIY funds
DIY super funds and other investors will soon be able to invest in start-ups and small companies through “crowd-sourced” equity funding platforms. These are the minnow unlisted companies of which some, at least, if only they had access to capital, could go on to great things. From September 29, this year, crowd-sourced platforms will be able to apply for a licence that will enable small investors to invest up to $10,000 per company per year through the platforms. These platforms must perform some basic checks on companies and their directors, as well as on offer documents. Public unlisted companies that are limited by shares with less than $25 million in […]
Perth’s Power Ledger readies first Australia’s first Bitcoin IPO
Power Ledger, the Perth-based peer-to-peer energy trading company, is preparing to launch Australia’s first virtual currency IPO – an “initial coin offering” or ICO. The company, which is trialling community trading of solar energy over a custom private blockchain platform in Western Australia and New Zealand, aims to host a “token generation event” in early September. The amount they are seeking is uncapped and will be determined by demand for Power Ledger’s “POWRS” tokens. Chief executive Dave Martin said that, while they would be satisfied with $5 million, they could raise $10 million or $20 million if demand is strong. POWRs will be tradable on the Ethereum public blockchain platform […]
TruePillars secures $5m in Series A capital raise
TruePillars, the online marketplace lender allowing everyday Australians to fund loans to small businesses, today announced it has raised a total of $5 million in a Series A funding round. The funding round was led by a long-term Melbourne-based private investor, and includes both equity and commitments by shareholders to fund loans to Australian businesses on the TruePillars platform. Further commitments from additional investors are expected to be finalised by 30 September. The business will now commence a recruitment drive to more than double its number of employees over the next 12 months. “This investment will give us the means to further innovate and build on our service, including our […]
ClearView selects Prime for scaled advice
IRESS today announced that ASX-listed wealth management, financial advice and insurance group, ClearView, has selected XPLAN Prime as its objectives-based, scaled-advice solution. XPLAN Prime allows financial advisers to deliver objectives-based scalable advice to meet a range of client needs and save significant time, by leveraging the advice capabilities of the XPLAN platform. IRESS Managing Director for Wealth Management, Tizzy Vigilante, said: “We are delighted to be delivering Prime for ClearView. XPLAN Prime is available and suitable for all businesses providing financial advice. “We know consumers everywhere are increasingly seeking more options in what financial advice they receive and how advice is accessed for specific or comprehensive needs. […]
You can use Bitcoin, Ethereum and Litecoin to BPAY your bills
Yes, this will be old hat to some, but you can definitely do more with cryptocurrency than letting it sit in a digital wallet. And you don’t even have to use a chain of different websites to do so. Online, local services exist that let you spend Bitcoin and its progeny directly, including playing bills. The strangely-named Living Room of Satoshi is one service that allows you to pay your bills via BPAY using various cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin and Ethereum. Amounts are limited to $1000, though you can issue multiple payments for bills greater than the limit. What’s interesting (or disturbing, depending on your point of view) is that LROS […]
What directors need to know about fintech
Since all organisations rely on financial services in some way, directors will need to be cognisant of the changes fintech is bringing as it enters the mainstream. Until relatively recently fintech had been perceived as the esoteric domain of cryptocurrency enthusiasts, but two stories in Australian markets this week highlighted the increasing prominence and mainstreaming of the industry. Big four bank Westpac invested $40m in ASX-listed zipMoney, according to a stock exchange announcement on Monday (7 August). As part of the investment in the Fintech small cap, the bank committed to exploring the rollout of zipMoney’s ‘buy now, pay later’ services across its payments network. On the same day The […]
