Cross-border digital payments company InstaReM receives US$13m investment
The latest round of investment brings the total amount raised to over US$18M from a consortium of some of the largest funds in the region. InstaReM, one of the leading digital cross-border payments companies, has received a US$13 million investment led by GSR Ventures, with participation from SBI-FMO Emerging Asia Financial Sector Fund (SBI-FMO Fund), Vertex Ventures, Fullerton Financial Holdings (FFH), and Global Founders Capital (GFC). To date, InstaReM has raised over US$18 million in the last 18 months. InstaReM, who lists Australia as its biggest market, will use the investment to build its global payment infrastructure, which has grown eight times in volume since its March 2016 funding. The […]
Opportunities being lost as crowdfunding debate rumbles on
The ongoing debate regarding the introduction of crowd-sourced funding legislation appears to have lost sight of the essential point. Start-ups, investors and the economy continue to miss out on valuable opportunities while people argue. While other countries, including New Zealand and the US, already permit companies to raise capital under a crowd-sourced offer, the Australian legislation allowing public companies to do so has not yet come into effect. The government is now proposing to also allow proprietary companies to raise capital by means of a crowd-sourced offer, with draft legislation currently under consideration. Once implemented, these new measures will expand the scope of the legislation and allow more start-ups to […]
Prospa named as finalist in Telstra Business Awards for third year in a row
For the third year running, Prospa, Australia’s leading online lender to small business, is proud to have been named as a finalist in the Telstra Business Awards. Prospa is a finalist in the NSW Medium Business category, having grown significantly since 2015 when the company was first shortlisted for the Small Business Award. Over the past five years, Prospa has transformed the way small business owners experience finance, injecting more than $350m into the Australian small business economy through over 10,000 loans to small business owners. Alongside this growth, Prospa has maintained extremely high customer satisfaction of over 90%, as well as forming strategic partnerships with Westpac, Reckon and IAG, […]
Fortnum Financial Advisers partners with Moneysoft
Moneysoft will provide its digital money management solution to Fortnum Financial Advisers under a new partnership set to boost client engagement and provide greater insights across the advice process. Fortnum will provide the co-branded Moneysoft tool to advisers across its full network, enabling them to empower clients and bolster their financial wellbeing. Fortnum’s Practice Technology Manager, Cassandra Mackay, said Fortnum are excited to provide our Adviser Network with a tool to engage their clients in budgeting and cash flow.” “This is a great opportunity for an adviser to partner with their clients to achieve their financial goals.” Moneysoft Pro and Lite are both cloud-based digital solutions offered by the company, […]
Singapore based fintech investment platform Fundnel establishes Australian headquarters in Adelaide
Singapore fintech investment portal Fundnel will establish an Australian headquarters in Adelaide. The private investment platform, which has helped investors invest $75 million in businesses since it launched two years ago, will work with Adelaide University’s Thinc-Lab incubator, Health SA, TechinSA and InvestSA to connect Australian investors with local opportunities to accelerate growth. The Australian operations will be headed by Dr Steven Fang, co-founder and former chief executive of Singaporean-based CapBridge. He has more than 28 years of experience in the private and public investment sectors. He will be supported by a local team of business development specialists and core members of the Fundnel team. “I’m excited to be on […]
Privacy fears fuel a fintech pioneer
A rebellion is stirring against our digital overlords, as seed and venture capital investors place bets on new business models that feed on privacy concerns in the post-Snowden era. Perversely, large-scale data breaches only benefit fintech companies like the Stone & Chalk resident Meeco, which aims to disrupt the likes of Google and Facebook by enabling consumers to regain control of their personal data and turn it into a valuable asset. Until about five years ago, Meeco founder and chief executive Katryna Dow’s privacy mission was falling on deaf ears — she was out of step with a seemingly manic desire by people to share everything online. In 2013, a […]
Re-listed fintech hopeful comes back to the market after merger
ASX investors reacted positively when the newly minted post-merger Afterpay Touch Group hit the ASX boards last Thursday, pushing the stock 8 per cent higher on its first trading day. The listing is a result of the combination of two digital payment companies: Afterpay and Touchcorp. Australia has a long way to go to catch up to its global counterparts when it comes to technology and innovation. According to a 2015 study on global innovation Australia ranked 17th in the world, well behind the US, Germany or the UK. More importantly, “the lucky country” also lagged regional counterparts Singapore, South Korea and our neighbour New Zealand. Despite its impact, information […]
Lendi breaks the fintech mould
It’s arguably one of the oldest fintech start-ups in Australia and is now likely to play an important role in guiding the fortunes of Fairfax’s real estate business Domain. However, Sydney-based Lendi isn’t keen on the oft-repeated disrupter tag. Company co-founder and managing director David Hyman told The Australian the idea behind the start-up was to untangle the vast volume of data home buyers have at their fingertips when it comes to getting a mortgage. According to Mr Hyman, while there’s a lot of information out there for existing and aspiring home owners the overall process of getting a mortgage remains grossly overcomplicated. “The experience is poor,” Mr Hyman said. […]
