Investing

Feb
20

Raiz Invest partners with UNSW to power rewards with machine learning

Raiz Invest Limited, the mobile-first micro-investing platform, has partnered with UNSW and with support from the NSW Government to develop a machine-learning recommendation engine for its Raiz Rewards. The new technology will recommend to Raiz customers more relevant offers and brands. It’s designed to provide a more seamless, personalised experience for customers when navigating more than 165 brands on Raiz Rewards. With a customer base of more than 179,000, skewing towards the under-35 demographic, the intuitive experience provided by machine-learning will better address the demands of this millennial audience. “Millennials have grown up with technology at their fingertips. They expect all their interactions to be easy to navigate and, above […]

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Feb
20

Techboard data shows the startling growth of the Australian fintech sector

US-based data company CB Insights recently reported that VC investment in Australian Fintech had grown from $67m in 2017 to $343 million in 2018. While this does show massive growth in funding for Australia’s fintech sector, data from Australian Startup Data Company Techboard indicates that this represents a significant understatement of the sector’s growth. Techboard has recently released its Report for the December quarter 2018 which revealed another $1.066B in funding for Australian Startups and young tech companies. This was the second consecutive quarter of over $1b funding across all sectors and took the total amount of funding for the 2018 Calendar year to over $4b, up around $1/2b revealed […]

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Feb
20

Google-backed fintech GoCardless eyes Aussie ‘subscription economy’

Australia’s fast-growing “subscription economy” is among the key markets being targeted by fintech firm GoCardless, which has secured more than $100 million to fund its global expansion plans. GoCardless, based in London, on Monday said it had raised $US75 million ($106 million) from investors including Google’s venture capital arm, to roll out a global direct debit payment collection system, which it offers to business clients. The company on Monday announced a series of new backers, including GV (previously known as Google Ventures, and owned by Google’s parent, Alphabet), Adams Street Partners, and Salesforce Ventures. Director of international expansion Pranav Sood, who is visiting Australia, said the funding round meant the […]

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Feb
20

Macquarie signs up for the OpenInvest platform

OpenInvest, the online marketplace and platform giving investors access to a diverse range of Australian and international investment managers, has added an important string to its bow with the decision by Macquarie Investment Management to join up and add its portfolios to the menu. OpenInvest, which was launched last November with SMSF trustees the primary target, gives investors a platform from which to choose from a range of highly credible and experienced investment managers. As well as Macquarie, other managers include Schroders, Shaw and Partners, SG Hiscock and JBWere. Co-founder and CEO of OpenInvest, Andrew Varlamos, welcomed Macquarie to the platform, saying: “The investment management industry has the expertise and […]

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Feb
18

Just $82 will buy you a slice of this Perth house

A Perth house is going on sale, with investors able to buy a small bit of it for just $82. Australian fintech BrickX buys up investment properties and allows investors to purchase a slice of them by dividing it into small units called “Bricks”. While the idea, dubbed fractional real estate investment, is not new, Sydney-based BrickX took it to retail investors in 2015 at the height of Australia’s property boom when many ordinary folks were priced out of the market. The startup already has properties in Sydney, Melbourne, Ballarat and Adelaide — but this is the first time it has ventured into the Perth market. “It’s no secret that […]

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Feb
18

How Blockchain crowdfunding could soon kill off the ICO

The words Blockchain and ICO might go together like sausage and mash but there’s a good reason, it generated nearly $8 billion in funds raised in 2018. Impressive but still only a tiny fraction of the global crowdfunding industry and already this year we’re seeing a sharp decline. Whereas in the traditional crowdfunding arena the odds are better, the industry is expected to hit $300 billion by 2025, with over $34 billion raised to date. Besides the staggering money raised, crowdfunding promotes product innovation, provides access to capital to founders, and leads to job creation. However, there are downsides in the industry. It is reported that nearly 78% of all crowdfunding campaigns fail to […]

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Feb
18

Five Steps to Being a Confident and Smart Bitcoin Investor

The crypto-economy may seem like a dangerous place with little to no guarantees and many traps one can potentially fall into, but that’s actually not true at all. Everyone can choose what kind of investor they want to be and how much risk they’re willing to accept. In this article, we explain how you can become a confident and smart Bitcoin investor in just a few simple steps to give you an early start on your cryptocurrency journey.   To read all about it, please click on the link below… Source: Digital Surge – Five Steps to Being a Confident and Smart Bitcoin Investor

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Feb
15

What is micro-investing and is it worth exploring?

Back in the day, if you were looking to save up your spare change, you’d look to the ol’ faithful piggy bank. But, nowadays, as cash is slowly becoming obsolete, some are turning to micro-investing as the modern-day answer to the piggy bank. And with micro-investing apps, not only can you save up your chump change but you can invest it. How does micro-investing work? Micro-investing is about making small and irregular investments from everyday transactions. Micro-investing apps round-up your purchases to invest your spare change. For example, a large cappuccino at $4.50 will be rounded-up to $5 and the 50 cents would then be invested. Depending on how frequently […]

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