Emerging technologies will ‘blur lines’ between humans and machines
Business and technology leaders are faced with rapidly accelerating technology innovation as emerging technologies like artificial intelligence blur the lines between humans and machines, according to a newly published global report. According to global analyst firm Gartner, the accelerating tech innovation will profoundly affect the way business and technology leaders engage with their workforce, collaborate with their partners, and create products and services for their customers. “CIOs and technology leaders should always be scanning the market along with assessing and piloting emerging technologies to identify new business opportunities with high impact potential and strategic relevance for their business,” says Mike Walker, research vice-president at Gartner. The 35 “must-watch” technologies represented […]
Financial business management platform PractiFI raises $3 million to establish North American headquarters and take on US
PractiFI, a revolutionary business growth management platform for forward-thinking financial advice firm announced a AUD$3 million investment led by Microequities Venture Capital Fund. The financing will be used to rapidly accelerate PractiFI’s global strategy, establishing a North American headquarters in Chicago, expanding the US customer success team and building a range of new product integrations with other financial apps and tools. Since winning its first US client earlier this year, the Sydney-based company has gone from strength to strength and this international investment marks a significant milestone in its exponential growth. Following the investment, Howard Leibman of Microequities and Equity Venture Partners will join the PractiFI board. Mr Leibman says, […]
How a Single Mother and First-time Entrepreneur is Helping People Get Loans in Five Days Using Blockchain
Founder Ruth Hatherley says the technology is a component of Australian fintech start-up Moneycatcha’s overall technical architecture. In 2015, few things happened in Ruth Hatherley’s life that put her “at a bit of a crossroads”. The single mother-of-one then decided to invest all her life savings into creating a prototype of Moneycatcha. Today, Moneycatcha is one of Australia’s leading fintech startups that uses blockchain to make the process of getting home loans quicker and cheaper. The finance industry was a familiar space for the Perth resident, long before Moneycatcha, but she “never really liked it per se”. “Counting money or reading financials didn’t excite me—I have a strange relationship with […]
Why this un-banked Kiwi crypto startup has relocated to Sydney
Kiwi cryptocurrency broker startup Cryptosaver has relocated from its Auckland birthplace to Sydney, with the founders claiming they have been unable to open a bank account for the business in New Zealand. Founded a year ago by James Viggiano, Denym Bird and Jack Daffron, Cryptosaver is an investment platform for Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, designed to make it easy for users to purchase cryptocurrency and track gains on their investments. Co-founder James Viggiano, who is now based in Sydney while his co-founders work out of Auckland, tells StartupSmart the startup was initially able to open an account with one of the New Zealand banks, but that bank soon closed their account. […]
Home grown BTC Markets exchange adds home grown Power Ledger
BTC Markets is one of Australia’s relatively few home grown cryptocurrency exchanges, and it’s now listed Power Ledger (POWR), one of Australia’s relatively few home grown cryptocurrencies, as its eighth token. “At BTC Markets, our mission is to support the growth of innovative Australian projects, connecting them to Australian investors who understand the transformative potential of blockchain technology,” said BTC Markets co-founder Jarrod Crane. Power Ledger saw early international success with its ICO being the largest in Australia at the time, bolstered largely by overseas investments. It’s also one of relatively few cryptocurrencies to appreciate beyond its ICO price and continue growing. It’s quickly pushing towards real world adoption, with […]
Record payday for EML teases bigger year ahead
EML Payments (ASX: EML) had a big year in FY18 and the company has no plans to slow it down anytime soon. The payments solution provider posted a record year of earnings in FY18, up 43 per cent to $20.8 million. Revenue also increased to $71 million, up 23 per cent, and the company recorded a net profit of $4.83 million, up by a staggering 200 per cent on FY17. While these results speak to the company’s achievements in FY18, EML Payments’ recent acquisitions and new international partnerships could suggest an even more impressive financial year is on the horizon. The company recently acquired 100 per cent of Presend, a […]
eToro adds IOTA cryptocurrency
IOTA is now the most technically distinctive cryptocurrency on eToro. IOTA is now available on eToro as the social trading platform’s 12th crypto-asset, so users are able to buy and sell it. IOTA has also been added to eToro’s Crypto CopyFund – a contract for difference (CFD) set-up which lets users diversify across a basket of cryptocurrencies, weighted by market cap, with one click. As a social trading platform, eToro also lets users set up systems to automatically copy each other’s trades across cryptocurrency, as well as forex, stocks and other instruments. The full range of cryptocurrencies now available includes bitcoin, Ethereum, Bitcoin Cash, XRP, Litecoin, Ethereum Classic, Dash, Stellar, […]
Banks and fintechs lock horns on consumer data
If you’re interested in the design of policy to put data into the hands of customers, there’s three weeks to provide Treasury with a response to its draft bill that will introduce a “consumer data right” into the Australian economy. Banking will be the first sector to which the new right will apply – and fintech innovation is set to proliferate as a result. It will then extend to energy and telecommunications, meaning the law will stir competitive forces across some of the most important industries in the country. The Treasury Laws Amendment (Consumer Data Right) Bill 2018, released for comment last week, is being closely scrutinised by banks, fintechs […]
