Bitcoin: Ten Years On
A mysterious, anonymous entity known as “Satoshi Nakamoto” posted a white paper on October 31 2008 entitled “Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System”. It was the first time that the concept of Bitcoin entered the world. But outside of the cypherpunk mailing lists – those promoting the use of privacy-enhancing technology – this event was hardly noticed. Ten years on, who hasn’t at least heard of the cryptocurrency? On just nine pages, the white paper explained how the Bitcoin system would work. Many attempts at electronic cash had already been made going right back to computer scientist David Chaum’s “Digicash” developed in the 1980s. Using an intricate dance of cryptography, […]
Fintechs: a partner, not a predator
The rise of financial technology – or “fintech” – firms is often characterised in terms of “disruption” and “displacement,” as though the fintechs are destroying incumbent business models and putting traditional businesses to the sword. Technology is one of the key drivers impacting large financial institutions today. The reality is that instead of being threatened by emerging fintechs, firms have an opportunity to leverage fintechs to increase their existing technology capabilities to ensure the service provided to their clients remains relevant. By partnering with the right technology service providers, opportunities for both new business and expanded client offerings, will prepare companies for the future of investing. Developing technology in-house has […]
Neobanks are about to explode onto the Australian market
A number of restricted banking licences are expected to be issued to aspiring neobank startups by Australian authorities in the next few months. A raft of fintech players, including Xinja and Up, have already completed detailed applications to the prudential regulator APRA. The first licence went to Volt in May this year, creating another bank in Australia for the first time in 28 years. Since then, key players have been working to complete the regulatory hurdles to be able to call themselves a bank. APRA hasn’t a timetable for an announcement of new restricted authorised deposit-taking institution (RADI) licences but several startups expect an announcement shortly. The new restricted licence […]
“Profitability can come later on”: Aussie fintech growing into a huge opportunity, despite ongoing talent pool challenges
Australian fintechs are on average a little older, a little more mature, and generating a lot more revenue than they were this time last year, but there are still challenges in the sector according to the EY FinTech Australia Census 2018, released this week. Following a survey of 151 fintechs across Australia, and a series of in-depth interviews, the report shows a maturing fintech market in Australia, with 43% of fintechs over three years old, compared to 31% in 2017 and 20% in 2016. While it’s clearly a good thing these companies are surviving — even thriving — this could also be indicative of a lack of early-stage fintechs following […]
How cryptocurrency is disrupting the global economy & the financial system
For the longest time now, cryptocurrency has been slowly rising and increasing its powers in the background. Though not a lot of people have been paying attention to it lately, it’s still going strong with no signs of stopping. Because of the technology behind it, cryptocurrency has the potential to be one of the biggest disruptors in the global business process. As for the financial sector, here are some of the ways cryptocurrency can change it. Fewer barriers to entry One of the best things about cryptocurrency is that just about everyone can get involved. There are little to no barriers to investing or trading cryptocurrency. And as more people […]
Financial planners should focus on money management
Financial planners should embrace technology to help their clients focus on money management as a central component of financial advice, according to Moneysoft. Although the technology was out there, only a minority of financial planners offered money management or budgeting advice to their clients, citing concerns about the time it would take to offer such services and how to charge clients for this, the firm said. At the same time, the lack of advice on budgeting was named as one of the top unmet advice needs for an average Australian, alongside with retirement planning, according to research house Investment Trends. However, budgeting and money management should be offered as a […]
Young, male and educated: Australian fintech has a type
Australia’s typical fintech founder is a bloke in his 40s with a postgraduate degree. That’s one of the findings of the 2018 EY Fintech Australia census, which shows 72 per cent of Australia’s financial technology startup employees and 81 per cent of founders are men. FinTech Australia chairman Alan Tsen says the sector is focused on boosting the participation of women, noting female fintech staff numbers are up 4 per cent in the past 12 months. “The Fintech Australia board, which is 50:50 gender balance, remains committed to driving tangible actions and initiatives to help further increase female participation in the sector,” he said in a statement when the census […]
The business case for blockchain is often bigger than one organisation, says ASX CIO
Developing a business case for blockchain is inherently more challenging than other technology projects, because the cumulative value of the distributed network technology is often broader than one individual organisation. That’s the view of Dan Chesterman, CIO of the ASX, which is currently replacing its aging Clearing House Electronic Subregister System (CHESS) with a blockchain solution. During a Q&A session at Gartner Symposium on the Gold Coast yesterday, David Furlonger, distinguished VP Analyst Gartner, cited a lack of a viable business case as a key challenge for advancing blockchain proofs of concept to “full blown deployment and development”. Chesterman said there is a much harder piece, which involves “building the […]
