Bitcoin shakes off bubble warnings in race past $US16,000 mark
Bitcoin touched $US16,000 for the first time on Thursday, extending its advance this month to almost 70 per cent as concerns mounted the cryptocurrency’s rapid rise masks risks. The world’s biggest cryptocurrency is surging on expectations that new bitcoin derivatives products expected to begin trading this month will boost mainstream demand. Some of the world’s biggest brokerages criticized those plans on Wednesday, telling regulators the contracts have been rushed to market without enough due diligence. Bitcoin jumped as much as 23 per cent to $US16,374, before paring gains in New York trading, according to Bloomberg prices. That takes the digital currency’s surge this year to more than 1,500 per cent […]
Advice industry must think bigger: Netwealth
Netwealth joint managing director Matt Heine said the advice industry is not thinking big enough, putting itself at risk of being left behind.
Commonwealth Bank to deliver ‘world-first’ issuance of a bond on the blockchain
The bank’s head of blockchain has revealed the Commonwealth Bank is currently implementing with a large world issuer in what will be a ‘world-first’ issuance of a bond on the blockchain that it hopes to bring to market in 2018. The Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) is expecting to be the first to implement the issuance of a bond on the blockchain, and hopes to launch it into the market early next year with help from a “very large” world issuer. Although the details are limited, the bank’s head of blockchain Sophie Gilder told the GMIC Sydney conference on Tuesday that the launch will be the culmination of CBA investing […]
TruePillars launches innovative automatic investment capability
TruePillars, the online marketplace lender allowing everyday Australians to part fund loans to small businesses, today announced the launch of their automated investment capability, AutoInvest. AutoInvest is their new automated investment tool and the next chapter in a long line of innovations added to their 100% owned technology platform. The tool, which they believe is a unique innovation in Australian marketplace lending, offers investors the opportunity to establish standing investment instructions in accordance with their specific individual requirements. These instructions will then be automatically executed by the TruePillars platform without the investor having to log into the system, subject to the investor having sufficient funds available. “This innovation was driven […]
Aura Venture Fund backs fintech Integrated Portfolio Solutions as it targets SMSF and investors
Integrated Portfolio Solutions, a start-up that has built a platform to help investors keep control of self-managed super and investments, has raised $3 million to fuel ambitious growth plans, which it says will lead to it having $5 billion in funds under administration within the next five years. Aura Group’s $30 million venture fund led a syndicate of investors in the $3 million raise, which will support IPS’ development of an integrated customer resource management, self-managed superannuation fund reporting and investment platform. IPS deals directly with all third parties (banks, fund managers and stockbrokers) on a client’s behalf and enables advisers and investors to minimise the cost of portfolio administration, […]
Australian fintech launches alternative fund
Australian fintech and fully licensed marketplace lender, Zagga has launched its Alternative Growth Fund aimed at wholesale investors, including self-managed super funds (SMSFs), which will target net returns of 6.5 per cent per annum. The fund, which would have the minimum investment for wholesale investors of $50,000, was designed to add scale to the Zagga business model which uses a bespoke algorithm to match wholesale investors with borrowers, the firm said. The fund would aim to offer wholesale investors an exposure to a range of loans secured by registered mortgages over real property located across Australia. Also, the fund would be entirely invested in the firm’s approved marketplace lending deals. […]
Bitcoin now bigger than Buffett, Boeing and New Zealand economy
Bitcoin’s extraordinary price surge means its market capitalisation now exceeds the annual output of whole economies, and the estimated worth of some of the world’s top billionaires. With the debate over its bubble status still raging, the flagship cryptocurrency continued its march higher on Monday, solidifying above $US11,000 and bringing its climb this year to more than 1,000 per cent. With market tracker Coinmarketcap.com putting the total value of all bitcoins in circulation at $US190 billion ($250 billion), it’s come a long way from August, when one coin could buy you a hefty supply of avocados. Here are five things that have been eclipsed by bitcoin in terms of market […]
Banking gap widens as tech-savvy consumers look to new products
They’re called peer-to-peer lenders or fintech companies and they’re shaking up the world of consumer loans and bank deposits. Here’s why. The gap between what people pay for consumer loans and what they get from bank deposits is widening, prompting them to look to new financial technologies for better interest rates. Peer-to-peer lender RateSetter has examined big bank profit margins and found that while they are paying record low rates on deposits their lending rates for personal loans and credit cards continue to climb. “You can drive a bus through the spread between bank deposits and consumer lending rates,” said RateSetter CEO Dan Foggo. “Publicity stunts such as dropping fees […]
