ETFs could be the ticket to portfolio diversification
One of the major advantages of an exchange traded fund is the ability for investors to gain instant diversified exposure, writes State Street Global Advisors’ Meaghan Victor. With one trade, ETFs can provide investors with the easiest way to achieve instant access to a broad base of companies and stock markets across different industries and even countries. The hunt for diversification Without a doubt, diversification has been a driving force behind the massive adoption of ETFs both in Australia and abroad. In fact, it could be said that in the age of the ETF, well-informed investors are learning what institutional investors have known all along. Asset allocation, not security selecting, […]
Xplora invests US$1m into BLOCKLOAN
Xplora Capital has announced the purchase of USD $1 million (AUD $1.35 million) worth of tokens from BLOCKLOAN – a new blockchain peer-to-peer lending marketplace. Blockchain and crypto are triggering a societal and economic shift before our eyes. Financial institutions are failing to address the market needs. It’s time for a new solution to old problems. Mark Finch, Managing Director of Xplora Capital stated, “As an early investor into BLOCKLOAN and working in the Financial Services space for 20 years we believe in Co Founder’s Michael and Bill’s vision and roadmap for providing the ability for people to access credit on a global scale and better rates than the banks. […]
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 […]
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 […]
Grounds, Paradice dive into blockchain software float Identitii
The big end of town is piling into a small payments security firm’s initial public offering in the expectation they may have unearthed the next big thing. Street Talk understands UBS Australia chief executive Matthew Grounds, veteran fund manager David Paradice and Sydney-based institutional investors KIS Capital, Terra Capital and KTM Ventures are among the names lining up for a piece of ASX-hopeful Identitii. Identitii is a blockchain software company founded by Australians Nick Armstrong and Eric Knight. Its software is aimed at helping banks and other international payments providers comply with anti money laundering policies by attaching messages to each transfer saying exactly who is making the payment and why. Identitii is an add-on to the SWIFT payments […]
Australia’s first index-style cryptocurrency fund launched
Fintech start up CoinJar, has launched Australia’s first index-style cryptocurrency fund, allowing wholesale investors to gain exposure to digital currencies without holding and trading the assets themselves. Investing in cryptocurrency to date has been notoriously difficult with limited investment options for wholesale investors. The CoinJar Digital Currency Fund (The Fund)1 takes on the management and security of the assets on behalf of the investor. The underlying cryptocurrency assets will be secured safely in multi-signature digital wallets which provide an additional layer of security for investors. The Fund has two classes; Bitcoin Class, which provides exposure to Bitcoin (BTC) only; and Mixed Class, which aims to track the performance of four […]
