Business-only bank Tyro in deal with China’s Alipay
Australian business-only bank Tyro has entered into an agreement with the world’s largest online payment platform, Alipay, to become the first Australian bank to offer an all-in-one Eftpos solution with the Chinese outfit. The partnership, which will be live from the second quarter of 2019, is designed to improve Australian business access to the Chinese visitor market. “Based on requests from several of our merchants to accept Alipay, Tyro and Alipay entered discussions to explore the best way we could work together,” Tyro CEO Robbie Cooke told The Australian. “With Tyro’s in-house engineering team, we were able to deliver Alipay in an agile way which allows for rapid market delivery.” […]
Australian start-up to take world-first small business insurance technology global
Dynamic Australian insurtech, Evari Insure, has announced the establishment of a London office as it prepares to take its game-changing small business insurance product global. The international expansion into the world centre of insurance was announced on Monday by the Hon Julie Bishop MP as she officially opened Evari Insure’s national headquarters in Perth. It’s another significant milestone for the company that in under two years has gone from the three founders working around a kitchen table to a 20 plus workforce, premises in the heart of the Perth CBD, a partnership with RAC Insurance and acknowledgement as one of MYOB’s fastest growing partners for 2018. There’s also strong international […]
Is the future of banking Fintech or Techfin?
The banking industry is experiencing disruption at an increasing pace. Over the past few years, traditional financial institutions and non-traditional fintech firms have begun to understand that collaboration may be the best path to long-term growth. At the same time, big tech firms are offering financial services, creating techfin solutions. The rationale for collaboration is the ability to bring strengths of both banks and fintech firms together to create an stronger entity than either unit could bring on their own. For most fintech organizations, the primary advantages are an innovation mindset, agility (speed to adjust), consumer-centric perspective, and an infrastructure built for digital. These are advantages that most legacy financial […]
RMIT Online moves to meet high demand for blockchain skills with two new Australian university first courses
New courses provide a deep dive into blockchain infrastructure, design and build teaching industry-relevant skills to give professionals and students future work opportunities. Designing Blockchain Solutions will help students further their understanding of the technology solutions through various blockchain platforms and Developing Blockchain Applications will teach students how to design blockchain infrastructure for their own business needs. RMIT’s first short course on blockchain, Developing Blockchain Strategy, launched 19 March and sold out globally within 48 hours. Created in partnership with Accenture, Stone & Chalk and Flex Dapps the courses are the only Australian university-backed courses and are part of RMIT Online’s short course portfolio. After the successful launch of Australia’s […]
Xinja first to use innovative IRESS home loans platform in Australian market
Xinja has moved a step closer to delivering speedy, paperless home loans with the confirmation of its ongoing engagement with IRESS to process Xinja home loans. IRESS specialises in building technology for the financial services industry and the partnership provides Xinja with a home loan workflow platform that delivers fast decisions for consumers supported by IRESS technology. IRESS is a market leader in the UK, where one in every four home loans are processed using IRESS technology. Xinja is not yet a bank, but is building an independent, 100% digital bank – or ‘neobank’ – for Australians, designed entirely for mobile. It will offer a radically new banking experience built […]
APRA prepares to approve three new banks
There’s a prospect of there will be three new banks in the Australian market by Christmas, operating under unrestricted, full banking licences. That these could be held by three start-ups less than a year old – Volt Bank, 86400 and Judo Capital – shows just how fast the regulatory environment is changing under policy leadership of new Prime Minister Scott Morrison. As Treasurer, he championed the need for more competition to pressure incumbent banks to become more customer-centric. Before Morrison’s 2017 budget paved the way for new entrants to enter the deposit market by streamlining application procedures, APRA had granted only one new banking licence to a local player in […]
Fintech slashes loan rates
A fintech lender has announced a reduction in its fixed home loan rates by up to 0.10%. Tic:Toc’s one-year fixed live-in rate is now 3.59% and its two-year fixed home loan will match its standard variable rate at 3.64%. According to the lender, the rate cut increases Tic:Toc’s standing as holding the lowest one and two year fixed rates in the market due to the cost efficiencies in its automated assessment and approval platform. Tic:Toc founder and CEO, Anthony Baum, said the decision to reduce fixed rates was great news for home loan customers and new home buyers looking for stability for the foreseeable future. He said, “We recognised there […]
Cryptocurrency regulation in Australia: Pains and Gains
We start this analysis with an unusual positive: cryptocurrency regulation in Australia is moving in the right direction, and the latest legislative developments regarding cryptocurrencies should be welcomed by the general public as a step in the right direction. Offering protection to crypto consumers and investors, and providing legal certainty to blockchain-related businesses – without extinguishing the fire of blockchain innovation and adoption – is an incredibly hard thing to do, and the Australian authorities seem to be very active and willing to achieve this balance. The Land of Plenty may not be the biggest player in the game, but it sure is a significant one. Let us take a […]
