DIY smart contracts and customisable crypto derivatives on demand
If everything’s going on the blockchain, the blockchain needs a derivatives market. Blockchain development is tough. Unlike other systems, someone who wants to build an entire platform of their own has to get their heads around the multi-faceted nature of decentralisation, and balancing technical foundations and economic theory. Even building on an existing platform is tough work and experienced blockchain developers can now pull seven figure signing bonuses from prominent companies. Ethereum in particular poses a unique challenge. Thanks to the complexities of its own unique Solidity programming language, thousands of Ethereum contracts end up being flawed or even outright broken when they go live. Projects around the cryptosphere are […]
London fintech delegation reveals deeper Australia-UK tech links
Ten Australian fintech start-ups are in London this week on a trade delegation arranged by the Australian British Chamber of Commerce, a sign of deepening ties between the two nation’s technology scenes. While England’s game against Columbia in the World Cup and the tennis at Wimbledon offer potential distractions, so excited is the chamber about its official program it has coined a new acronym for it: The “ABFCC”, or “Australian British FinTech Cyber Catalyst”. The start-ups in the group are Everproof, Trade Ledger, TRAction FinTech, Adviser Ratings, InDebted, CYDARM Technologies, HyperIntel, Airlock Digital, Aleron and Randtronics. There’s a regtech and cybersecurity flavour, and the group is being led by Law […]
Australian FinTech company PokitPal and Booking.com sign global agreement
Australian FinTech company PokitPal, and Booking.com, the world leader in booking accommodation online, have signed a global agreement which gives PokitPal consumers cash back when they complete a transaction with Booking.com to further engage with the millennial and mobile-first markets. The new global agreement means PokitPal users can receive five per cent cash back on more than 28 million accommodation listings as well as flights, car rentals and airport transfers in 228 countries. Users simply need to book via the PokitPal App to receive the cash back reward. PokitPal CEO Gary Cobain said offering cash back to a PokitPal user’s bank card simply by using their app is a new […]
Fractional investing platform DomaCom expands into rural property
ASX-listed DomaCom has taken its fractional property investing platform to the bush after tying up a partnership with rural start-up Cultivate Farms. Under the arrangement, Cultivate Farms will source appropriate properties from farmers looking to retire and match these to aspiring or next generation farmers with DomaCom providing the investment capital through its crowdfunding platform. To help get the project off the ground, AFL great and farming sector advocate Kevin Sheedy has come on board as ambassador. “The idea behind this project is to enable young farming families to get their foot on a property they can farm commercially, while at the same time enabling a retiring farmer to sell […]
Adelaide fintech startup Joust seeking to raise $2m in Equity Crowd Funding
Adelaide fintech startup Joust is launching an equity crowdfunding campaign via OnMarket and is hoping to raise $2 million to rapidly scale the business. The Joust platform, launched in 2016, links borrowers with more than 20 lenders who compete against each other to offer the lowest interest rate via a reverse auction process. Using equity crowdfunding platform OnMarket, the company plans to spend a large portion of the money raised on advertising, with the remaining funds to go towards product development, potential entry into overseas markets and building out the Joust team. A minimum $700,000 is being sought as part of the capital raise, which allows retail investors to invest between $500 […]
Fintech business lenders sign code to lift transparency
Six fintech start-ups that lend to small business have signed a ”code of lending practice”, a move the small business ombudsman says will improve transparency and protect SMEs by requiring the online lenders to disclose standardised pricing and fairly resolve disputes. Prospa, which pulled an ASX float this month on concerns about its transparency, is a signatory to the code, along with Spotcap, Capify, GetCapital, Moula, OnDeck. They will be compliant by the end of the calendar year. The code will be enforced by an independent committee to be set up by the Australian Finance Industry Association. AFIA has helped write the code, alongside the Australian Small Business and Family […]
What the HODL? Your guide to cryptocurrency slang
Cryptocurrency slang can seem a little bit mystifying to those on the outside, so here’s a useful guide to some of the words you might encounter. Cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin, Ethereum, Ripple and countless others have barely left the news cycle in the last year or so. Bitcoin, arguably the most popular cryptocurrency, hit an all-time high in December 2017 as more and more members of the public jumped on the bandwagon. Digital dictionary What many people don’t know is that there is a rich vocabulary in the world of digital currencies. Forums and subreddits are littered with terminology that can often seem bewildering to outsiders. What are ‘whales’ if […]
AstuteWheel launches new Astute Insurance Planner solution
AstuteWheel has today launched its latest fintech solution, Astute Insurance Planner, which enables advisers to provide better risk advice more efficiently. The solution, which reduces the time taken to prepare risk advice to about an hour integrates three FinTech software systems to provide one seamless solution. It includes an online mini fact-find and risk needs analysis calculator, created by AstuteWheel; a risk research and quoting tool, which is an integrated OmniLife App; and a Workflow, Statement of Advice wizard and CRM provided in Seido. Seido is an integration hub designed by YTML to solve the connectivity challenges advice businesses face when delivering advice. Hans Egger, Managing Director of AstuteWheel, said, […]
