Investing

Jul
04

Opportunities being lost as crowdfunding debate rumbles on

The ongoing debate regarding the introduction of crowd-sourced funding legislation appears to have lost sight of the essential point. Start-ups, investors and the economy continue to miss out on valuable opportunities while people argue. While other countries, including New Zealand and the US, already permit companies to raise capital under a crowd-sourced offer, the Australian legislation allowing public companies to do so has not yet come into effect. The government is now proposing to also allow proprietary companies to raise capital by means of a crowd-sourced offer, with draft legislation currently under consideration. Once implemented, these new measures will expand the scope of the legislation and allow more start-ups to […]

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Fortnum Financial Advisers partners with Moneysoft

Moneysoft will provide its digital money management solution to Fortnum Financial Advisers under a new partnership set to boost client engagement and provide greater insights across the advice process. Fortnum will provide the co-branded Moneysoft tool to advisers across its full network, enabling them to empower clients and bolster their financial wellbeing. Fortnum’s Practice Technology Manager, Cassandra Mackay, said Fortnum are excited to provide our Adviser Network with a tool to engage their clients in budgeting and cash flow.” “This is a great opportunity for an adviser to partner with their clients to achieve their financial goals.” Moneysoft Pro and Lite are both cloud-based digital solutions offered by the company, […]

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Jul
04

Singapore based fintech investment platform Fundnel establishes Australian headquarters in Adelaide

Singapore fintech investment portal Fundnel will establish an Australian headquarters in Adelaide. The private investment platform, which has helped investors invest $75 million in businesses since it launched two years ago, will work with Adelaide University’s Thinc-Lab incubator, Health SA, TechinSA and InvestSA to connect Australian investors with local opportunities to accelerate growth. The Australian operations will be headed by Dr Steven Fang, co-founder and former chief executive of Singaporean-based CapBridge. He has more than 28 years of experience in the private and public investment sectors. He will be supported by a local team of business development specialists and core members of the Fundnel team. “I’m excited to be on […]

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Jul
04

DomaCom reaches crowdfunded property deal

DomaCom has signed an agreement with a property developer to help launch a residential community land project in regional Victoria. The deal with Akuna Lifestyle Estates will involve a $6 million capital raising comprising $1.65 million to acquire the land and $4.35 million for development planning, approvals and construction of the civil works, and common facilities including a clubhouse, sports centre, pool and bowling green, according to a statement. The Cobram-based project is planned to be developed and sold in eight stages over three to four years, starting this year. DomaCom said it will use its fractional property investment platform to offer an attractive yield to investors for acquisition and […]

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Jun
29

Aussie crowdfunding regulation gets an overdue watering down

Aussie financial services regulator ASIC has rejigged crowdfunding regulation, allowing poorer investors to participate. Aussie corporate watchdog ASIC has made it easier for start-ups to raise funds by issuing equity to investors, following up on legislation passed in March in which the Australian government watered down crowdfunding regulations. The new regulation will allow small and unlisted companies to crowdfund up to A$5 million a year, starting late September. It will also allow poorer investors to participate. Previous regulations allowed only those with more than $2.5 million in assets to buy securities through crowdfunding. But the regulator has warned that robust restrictions will be in place, including limitations on advertising and […]

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Jun
27

Australians embrace FinTech as adoption rates double in just 18 months

Digitally active Australian consumers are embracing FinTech at a rapid pace, with Australia now ranked fifth highest in FinTech adoption among 20 markets surveyed globally, according to the latest EY FinTech Adoption Index. China has the highest level of FinTech adoption globally at 69%, followed by India (52%), the UK (42%) and Brazil (40%), with Australia (37%) rounding out the top five. The study, based on 22,000 online interviews with digitally active consumers across 20 markets, including Australia, shows that FinTech services are poised for mainstream adoption on a global scale with an average of one in every three (33%) digitally active consumers now using FinTech. EY FinTech spokesperson, Rowan […]

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FinTech Interviews: GROW Super

by Matthew Parker, The Mitchellake Group   Over the coming weeks, I will have the pleasure of sitting down with many of Australia’s leading FinTech CEOs. Each will be discussing the specific vertical of Financial Services they are looking at and share their insights. For the first interview in this series, I sat down with the CEO of GROW Super, Josh Wilson, to discuss the stream of innovation that is occurring in the Superannuation vertical. Matthew Parker (MP): There have been a few new “disruptive” superannuation businesses launch over the past 2 years. Why is this happening now? What has created the right circumstance for this to occur? Josh Wilson […]

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Jun
27

Bitcoin looks a lot like an early Amazon

by Gordon Scott. You might as well get used to the Bitcoin headlines. They aren’t going away. And that’s because cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin aren’t going away. If history is any guide, this may only be the beginning. Bitcoin may be the most lucrative trading opportunity since internet stocks such as Amazon.com Inc. in the dot-com era. If that notion sounds as scary as it does exciting, it should. While it is true that trading digital currencies holds real risk, there is also a real opportunity for traders right now. Please note that I said traders here, not investors. Even if it were true that investors could multiply their money, they […]

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