Global fintech investment hits a record high with Australian funding continuing to grow
Investment in Australia’s fintech sector followed the upwards tick of global growth patterns in the first half of 2018, with US$63.7 mil invested, up from US$56.1 mil in 2H’17 and US$56.0 mil in 1H’17, though remained lower than the highs recorded in 2H’15 and 1H’16 according to KPMG’s Pulse of Fintech report. Much of the investment in Australia, however, is concentrated across a small number of deals. Australia saw just seven deals during the period, down from 12 in 2H’17 and 16 in 1H’17. Total VC, PE and M&A investment amounted to US$171.5 mil, across 14 deals. “Significant outliers still dominate the Australian fintech ecosystem, propelling the majority […]
Australian fintech Tic:Toc closes successful Series B funding
Australian fintech Tic:Toc, the world’s only fully digital home loan platform, today announced it has closed its Series B round, raising $11.5M in funding. The Series B funding, led by Genworth Mortgage Insurance Australia Limited (Genworth Australia) and Blackstone group entity La Trobe Financial, includes both new and existing investors and adds significant depth to the Tic:Toc share register, which also includes Bendigo and Adelaide Bank. The funding will allow Tic:Toc to further advance the capability of its platform as well as build greater brand awareness. It will also partially fund Tic:Toc ’s pending expansion into offering its automated assessment platform as a service to partners, as well as exploration […]
The one ASX company Bronte Capital thinks could be a $100b global tech giant
Bronte Capital’s John Hempton, one of the country’s most vocal and aggressive short sellers, owns just one ASX-listed company in his fund: Xero. And he says the accounting software group, which has a $5.4 billion market capitalisation, has a shot at being a $100 billion company. “If any Australian company has the potential to be a $100 billion tech giant, it’s Xero,” Mr Hempton told The Australian Financial Review. “In order to pull that stunt, they need to succeed in what the global ambition of Xero should be – we are the backbone accounting system all round the world and everyone plugs into us.” Xero, bought at much lower levels, […]
Aussie fintech Coinnup is making a $US32 million pitch
Perth-based fintech Coinnup has launched the second round of its cryptocurrency token sale on a quest to raise $US32 million from “PMZ” tokens. Coinnup started with the aim of developing a range of crypto tools, including a listing platform for Initial Coin Offerings (ICO) and a cryptocurrency exchange. An ICO is like an initial public offering — but instead of offering shares, an issuer offers digital tokens that can be traded on cryptocurrency platforms or swapped for services. Cryptocurrency refers to digital money such as BitCoin. Coinnup is registered in Australia but earlier this year launched its own ICO in Hong Kong for the issue of PMZ tokens. The project it’s developing […]
Sharesight data now available in myprosperity
Leading wealth portal myprosperity today announced a partnership with premier share portfolio tracker, Sharesight. Clients who use Sharesight to track their investments will now be able to view them from within their myprosperity wealth portal. The direct integration of Sharesight portfolio data within myprosperity is the latest milestone in the company’s ambitious journey to create a comprehensive shared data platform for accountants, advisers, and consumers. Chris Ridd, CEO of myprosperity, said “Sharesight tracks over AUD $10Bn worth of investments and are one of the leading share portfolio trackers in Australia. myprosperity clients have more than $80M in shares which they’ve entered into their wealth portals. This partnership with Sharesight is another step towards giving Australians a full view of their wealth portfolio and empowering their accountants and advisers to provide […]
Does this bitcoin rebound have longevity?
Bitcoin has been rallying sharply over the past two weeks, gaining around 40% from the USD$6000 mark. However, with the creation of lower highs throughout 2018, there is a risk that we will see another turn lower in the near future. Bitcoin has been on the rise over the past fortnight, with the price pushing through trendline resistance to reach the 61.8% retracement. That rally through the trendline certainly signals a slowdown in the decline of the cryptocurrency, yet the question over whether this marks the bottom remains to be answered. The downtrend that has been in place throughout 2018 remains, despite this trendline break, yet it is clear that […]
Bitcoin just hit $8,000 – Here’s what’s pushing it up
The bitcoin price has today climbed above the $8,000 mark for the first time since mid-May — leading many to predict a return to the bull run that last year powered bitcoin to almost $20,000. The latest boost for bitcoin comes after a week that saw it add almost 20% to its price on the back of news that established financial giants are looking to get in on bitcoin and cryptocurrencies, and a raft of positive regulatory news around the world.Meanwhile, the so-called bitcoin dominance rate — a measure of how much of the total cryptocurrency market is controlled by bitcoin — rose to 47% this week, the highest level […]
How to stop your assets going to the grave with you
Have you made plans to protect or pass on your digital assets – financial and personal – after you die? If not, you’re in good company. Most Australians don’t know they are at risk of losing all their online chattels if they are killed or incapacitated. That’s because they could take their secret passwords to the grave, have their assets locked away in perpetuity by social media networks or exhumed by digital grave robbers and sold on to the dark web, an online “netherworld” for trading illegal and stolen goods from identification to drugs and guns. An estate planning report last year by Charles Sturt University and The University of […]
