Praemium expands SMA model options
Platform provider Praemium has added 16 new multi-asset model portfolios to its separately managed account offering, expanding the investment options available to users. The listed fintech company announced today that it has struck deals with a number of investment managers, including the introduction of eight new models from Shaw and Partners, four from Joseph Palmer & Sons, three from State Street and one from Evans and Partners. An additional 27 managed funds and 14 exchanged-traded products have also been added to the SMA, bringing the total number of managed funds available to 301. “The addition of these new models and managed funds to the Praemium SMA is part of our […]
Are fintech companies changing the industry for the better?
FinTech is most commonly known as the abbreviation for the term “financial technology” and the name given to an emerging and rapidly growing financial services sector. Financial technology is often used to describe any technological innovations within the financial industry, ranging from banking and investments, all the way through to Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. With new technologies come new businesses, and so financial technology companies were born. The question is, however, whether these businesses and the technologies on offer through them are changing the industry for the better, or are they simply a disruption to an already functioning economy? How are fintech companies changing the financial industry? One of the […]
Moneysoft launches Round-ups, allowing people to invest spare change into their super and investment funds
Superannuation and investment funds have a new way to boost the engagement of their members and clients with the launch of Moneysoft’s latest digital solution, Round-ups. Round-ups lets people make small, regular contributions to their investment or superannuation account by automatically investing the spare change from their everyday transactions. Whether offered as a stand-alone application or integrated with existing digital platforms, Round-ups is highly customisable for each institution’s individual needs and brand. It’s a turn-key solution that uses enterprise-grade technology and is designed for an optimal mobile experience on smartphones and tablets. “Round-ups is available to superannuation funds, and investment platforms, to help them grow customer engagement and encourage wealth […]
‘We’re getting between 100 and 200 new users every day’: Aussie money boosts Bitcoin’s $7000 surge
Australian money is pouring into Bitcoin, which hit another record high on Friday, swelling the market capitalisation to $US160 billion. The cryptocurrency was fetching $7044 ($US5452) on Friday afternoon, up 75 per cent in under 30 days. The extreme price recovery has emerged in the face of powerful headwinds; China recently banned Initial Coin Offerings [ICO] – a type of internet crowdfunding, Russia pledged to ban Bitcoin exchanges and there is another impending Bitcoin fork. But a key theme underpinning the extreme price action is the widespread adoption by mainstream investors, curious at the blockchain innovation and seduced by the recent price surge. Local exchanges are finding new customers are […]
Bitcoin Gold: The world’s biggest cryptocurrency looks set to split again
Another bitcoin split is in the works, as a group of developers plans to establish an offshoot called Bitcoin Gold (BTG). According to bitcoin developer Jimmy Song, the aim is for BTG to become “a better gold than bitcoin”. The world’s biggest cryptocurrency is commonly compared to the precious metal, as investors debate its merit as a safe-haven store of value. Back in August, analysts at Morgan Stanley made an interesting appraisal of the similarities and differences between the two assets. Bitcoin Gold developers are planning to establish a hard-fork on October 25 and the new version of the currency is scheduled to be in operation by the start of […]
Equity Trustees employs fintech solution
Partnering with a specialist fintech helps in adapting to an ever-changing regulatory environment and boosting capabilities that will attract customer investment, according to Equity Trustees. Equity Trustees announced its own fintech partnership this week with the pControl Oversight solution, with the intention of further expanding its professional funds governance capability. Commenting on the partnership, Equity Trustees executive general manager, Corporate Trustee Services (CTS), Harvey Kalman, said: “We are constantly looking to invest in a way to strengthen our oversight functions and bolster scalability and compliance capabilities.” “We’ve experienced significant growth in our trustee services business for fund clients, which includes taking on the responsible entity role for the funds.” […]
Westpac increases investment in mortgage broker start-up uno Home Loans with $5m
Westpac Banking Corporation has increased its majority stake in digital mortgage broking platform Uno, ploughing another $5 million into the company. The big four bank has now invested about $26.5 million into the venture and owns 92 per cent of ordinary shares, according to Australian Securities and Investments Commission documents. Factoring in shares that are subject to vesting, on a fully diluted basis Westpac still owns more than three quarters of the company. Founder and chief executive Vincent Turner told The Australian Financial Review the funding provided by Westpac had given the fintech start-up a leg up it couldn’t have had otherwise. “If we wanted to move fast, learn fast […]
Netwealth founders say AI, data mining to shape $750b platform market
The founders of financial planning platform Netwealth predict artificial intelligence and data mining will lead innovation in the fast-growing platform market, ahead of an expected $900 million sharemarket listing of the family company later this year, which could catapult its founders onto the Financial Review Rich List. Michael Heine, his brother Leslie Heine and and Michael’s son Matt Heine, founded the company, which provides software and financial products to non-bank aligned financial planners, in 1999. Since then, Netwealth, which now has funds under management, administration and advice of $15.5 billion and employs 220 staff, is among a clutch of increasingly influential companies that have built businesses by signing up advisers […]
