Meet the brains behind Raiz Invest research and insights
Raiz Invest Limited, the mobile-first micro investing platform, improving financial confidence for over 164,000 Australians, is strategically using research and insights to continuously garner understanding and awareness of their customer needs, with the help of Dr. Jake An, Raiz Invest Research Phd and in conjunction with major Sydney Universities. Dr. Jake An applies his PhD theories to Raiz customers to improve the user experience and is now the brains behind the continuing research program of Raiz. His role is to merge his two passions, academia and research applying them to real world of financial literacy and behaviour. Working with Raiz since 2016, Jake identifies business problems and works directly with […]
Can Afterpay’s magic run continue?
As Elon Musk and Tesla have shown us, when dizzy valuations and high short interest collide, the results can be spectacular. If the Australian stock market has a battleground stock to rival Tesla it is the buy now, pay later juggernaut Afterpay, which has doubled to a market capitalisation of over $3 billion in just six weeks. In that time, the shorts have been decimated as Afterpay successfully kicked off its US adventure. As it stands, Afterpay which closed on Friday at $14.57 is now valued at 100 times forward earnings and at 50 times based on fiscal 2020 earnings forecasts. So is the run done? Not even close, if […]
UNSW team launching the ‘Spotify of the fintech world’
Investors daunted by the stockmarket will soon be able to choose investment options in the same way as songlists, says a UNSW team of entrepreneurs. It could be music to many young investors’ ears to hear that two UNSW students have co-founded ‘the Spotify of the fintech world’ – making the stock market accessible to aspiring investors.’ Recent UNSW graduate Hayden Smith (B. Computer Science) and current final year student Kurt Walkom, along with Nick Nicolaides, are the brains behind Pearler Investments. The investing platform is essentially an app that suggests investment opportunities in ready-made portfolios, in the same way that Spotify playlists suggest music. The trio at the company […]
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 […]
