Keeping up with the customer in the digital age
Demanding customers, increasing regulation and clunky IT systems are proving serious speed bumps for Australian companies who want to grow in the digital age. Lending is facing a particularly sensitive atmosphere because of the banking royal commission, with many disruptors investing heavily in “regtech” – technology that simplifies compliance. These were some of the views aired by participants at a recent business roundtable event hosted by Fairfax Media and KPMG Enterprise which discussed Australia’s digital transformation. Anthony Baum, the CEO of Tic:Toc, which provides home loans that can be fully approved within 22 minutes, says technology is “way better” than traditional manual loan approval methods. “40 per cent of people […]
Zip targeting $1b of sales and 1m customers
More than half a billion dollars of sales went through credit card disrupter Zip Co’s payment system over the latest financial year, more than twice the volume of the previous year but only a quarter of that spent on competitor Afterpay. But as the popularity of “buy now, pay later” offerings continues to surge among Millennial shoppers, Zip – of which Westpac Banking Corp owns 17 per cent – is targeting $1 billion of sales over the coming year. “We are only just beginning and are well positioned for a bumper 2019 financial year,” said CEO Larry Diamond. Zip announced a $1.2 million loss at the cash earnings level for […]
Fintech start-up QPay gets $1M in funding from Angels and Sharks
Student marketplace and payments app, QPay, has secured a $1 million cash injection after funding from the Sydney Angels Sidecar Fund 2 was supplemented by a $380,000 combined investment by Steve Baxter and Naomi Simson in exchange for 8.4 per cent of the firm’s equity during last night’s episode of Shark Tank. Funds were also received from American Express, and from the Chairman of the Australian British FinTech Cyber Catalyst, Andrew Chick, to make up the total $1 million. The funds will primarily be used to extend the reach of QPay’s recently launched student-targeted MasterCard to the 4,000-plus students on its waiting list, as well as to build a sales […]
Stake drops minimum funding to $50, giving every Australian direct access to $31 trillion US share market
Australia’s fastest growing stock broker Stake has today made it even easier for Aussies to invest directly in the $31 trillion US share market, lowering its minimum investment amount from $500 to $50. The lower entry point gives even more Aussies direct access to more than 3,000 game-changing companies and shares listed in the US, including Apple, Tesla, Google, Disney, and Amazon. The move to lower its minimum investment to AU$50 is part of Stake’s dedication to remove barriers to global trading, adding to the work it’s already done offering $0 brokerage, fractional investments, and same day money transfers. The announcement follows the launch of Stake’s iOS app on 4 July, which […]
IRESS opens software design to users through IRESS Labs
Financial technology business IRESS today announced a new initiative, IRESS Labs, that means more users of its software will be able to input directly into the design and development process and use future functionality in advance of general release. IRESS Labs is now available to users through the latest version of XPLAN and will be used in additional IRESS products over time. Through IRESS Labs, more users are actively sharing their opinions, experience and insight on what matters to them and their clients. This feedback is being directly used to create functionality for all users. Financial advisers test and provide feedback on prototypes during a development phase, before co-designed features […]
Finder co-founder Fred Schebesta plans to create Australia’s first crypto-bank
He became one of the country’s youngest self-made millionaires at the age of 26 — and now he’s revealed his next “multibillion-dollar” idea. The co-founder of one of Australia’s biggest tech success stories has revealed his next “multibillion-dollar” idea — to create the “first crypto bank of Australia”. Fred Schebesta, who became one of country’s youngest self-made millionaires at the age of 26 with the sale of his first business before founding comparison website finder.com.au, describes himself as a “time traveller” who looks into the future in order to make it a reality. His bet on the online comparison space paid off. From a simple credit card blog called Creditcardfinder.com.au, […]
OFX’s UK e-money licence shows up relatively sluggish Aussie fintech laws
ASX-listed online foreign exchange provider OFX will issue a trading update alongside its annual general meeting on Tuesday, and it is part of its aspirations to be a fintech player of global scale. A central element to this vision is the ability to expand its range of payment services. And so its announcement last week that it has acquired an “e-money licence” from the Financial Conduct Authority, the UK regulator, was significant for OFX (formerly known as OzForex). It also reveals how progressive UK regulators are about encouraging fintech innovation in the payments system. Ride sharing company Uber applied for an e-payments licence in the Netherlands in March. The regime […]
Fintech Skippr scores $16m funding from fintech heavy hitters
Small business financing start-up Skippr has shrugged off concerns that the indefinitely delayed IPO of its venture-backed peer Prospa could put off investors in the sector, by attracting some of the local fintech scene’s biggest hitters to a $16 million debt and equity financing round. Pepper group co-founder and former chief executive Patrick Tuttle and SocietyOne and Douugh co-founder Andy Taylor have both invested in the round, which is comprised of $1 million in equity from high net worth investors, and $15 million in debt. Skippr was founded two-and-a-half years ago by former NAB senior corporate agribusiness senior associate and MarketInvoice team lead Alistair Lamond alongside former fund manager Patrick […]
