Australia publishes draft laws for relaxed fintech regulation
The Australian government published draft laws on Tuesday that would let financial technology companies operate without a full licence, a measure it said would encourage innovation without compromising existing levels of consumer protection. The draft laws would let companies test “a broad scope of activities…without the need to meet all the existing licensing requirements of the Australian Securities and Investments Commission,” Treasurer Scott Morrison said in a statement, referring to the corporate regulator. Financial technology companies would be able to test products involving non-cash payments, crowdfunding, consumer credit and provide financial advice on pension funds, life insurance and domestic and international securities. The draft laws, which Morrison has opened for […]
Verrency announces Series A funding round and global expansion Innovative fintech to launch operations in US and Asia
Payments platform Verrency has announced a $US 15 million Series A funding round as it continues to expand internationally. The growth-stage fintech provides payments innovation-as-a-service that enables issuers to deliver the latest payment capabilities, fast and cost effectively, through their existing payments infrastructure. By giving consumers unprecedented flexibility and control over how they pay, Verrency’s cutting edge features ensure that their issuer’s brands are top of wallet and top of mind, driving revenue. The Australian-based startup has recently completed an oversubscribed pre-commercialisation funding round raising $US 4 million and is looking to raise a further $US 15 million to expand into key international markets. Verrency aims to close the […]
Link4 unveils new PDF invoice feature
Link4 have released a new feature that allows business owners to process PDF invoices into their cloud accounting system. Link4 was created to deliver an invoice from a supplier to a buyer, instantly. The amount of businesses using cloud accounting solutions continue to grow, but some invoices are still being sent via mail and email. Link4 have seen this gap and are now pleased to announce a new PDF feature as a part of their eInvoicing solution for businesses. This new feature is a collaboration between Link4 and Squirrel Street. “Both teams have been working together in order to offer the users a smooth experience and increase […]
Fintech to link banks, brokers and regulators
Australian fintech MoneyCatcha has partnered with global bank HSBC in a trial of its two blockchain platforms with the aim to improve loan turnaround times and reduce compliance spending for the banks. MoneyCatcha has developed loan processing platform Homechain and regulatory risk review tool Regchain which are both powered through the same internal blockchain engine. The fintech has partnered with HSBC Bank to trial the use of its Regchain software which helps regulators capture and review information from lenders through regular reports detailed at a level that each lender is comfortable with, CEO and founder of MoneyCatcha, Ruth Hatherley told Australian Broker. “We are completely agnostic in terms of how […]
PayPal launches a payments product designed for marketplaces, platforms and crowdfunding sites
PayPal today is beginning the rollout of a new product designed for customers operating larger online marketplaces, like ride-sharing platforms, crowdfunding portals, peer-to-peer e-commerce sites, room rentals platforms, and others. The solution, called simply PayPal for Marketplaces, is designed to be tailored to the business’s needs, based on how much risk they want to manage with regard to their transactions. That means the businesses can decide if they want to handle the payment disputes and chargebacks themselves, or if they want to turn over that responsibility to PayPal to manage instead. Additionally, the new service allows the businesses to customize their implementation of PayPal to fit their needs. For instance, […]
Lakeba’s disruption potential attracts global investor
Sydney tech firm Lakeba Group has welcomed a heavyweight global investor to its board. The man responsible for taking global investment manager T. Rowe Price global, Todd Ruppert, is now part of the team. Lakeba has positioned itself as a start-up studio focused on the development and rapid commercialisation of digital solutions and the company’s co-founder and chief executive, Giuseppe Porcelli, said Mr Ruppert’s international experience would be a key asset. “Todd’s real-time global insights and his experience with start-ups around the world in smart securities, on-demand insurance and crowd-funding will be invaluable as Lakeba grows,” he told The Australian. Mr Ruppert, who was chief executive of T. Rowe Price […]
Bitcoin: Tulip bubble or financial market revolution for young Australians?
You are in your late 20s and live in an east coast capital city. You have a stable career and a bit of spare money, but it’s unlikely you will be able to buy a house in an area where you can hold on to your job. Wages are going nowhere. Yours has been falling behind the cost of living. You’d like more money, but you don’t even have enough to start a share portfolio. You know nothing about how to start a small business, but you do understand the internet and you’ve worked out that something is making your friends rich, very quickly. Suddenly Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies like it […]
Australia a target for international fintechs
Australia’s wealth management industry is an attractive prospect for foreign technology firms and will likely see international players enter the market in coming years, a Microsoft report has found. The Moving Past Prosperity report, which the tech giant conducted in conjunction with Harvard Business Review, said that while payments and lending dominate the Australian fintech landscape, wealth management technology is growing rapidly, according to KPMG data. “Australia hosts the world’s sixth largest pool of funds under management, substantially filled by its compulsory superannuation scheme,” the report said. “With its potential for scale and cost savings through robo-advice, wealth management is expected to attract many international entrants.” Added to this is […]
