Fintech firm GetCapital ties up with China’s Alibaba | The Australian
In its last financial year, Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba generated $US394 billion ($537bn) of transactions on its platforms as businesses around the world sourced and sold a bewildering range of goods. It is the sort of number that has not been missed by the swarm of new fintech (financial technology) companies scouring for partners to increase the number of customers. After flying under the radar since its formation in early 2013, GetCapital, a fintech that lends to small businesses, will today unveil a deal with Alibaba in which Australian importers and exporters can get finance on the platform. The company hopes to help businesses that struggle to get working capital […]
H2 Ventures and KPMG call for established and emerging startups to nominate for the FinTech 100 list – Startup Daily
Australian FinTech-focused investment firm H2 Ventures and KPMG are calling on local fintech startups to nominate themselves for the global FinTech 100 list, which will celebrate 50 established startups and 50 ’emerging stars’, or undiscovered companies. The established startups will be ranked according to criteria including total capital raised, rate of capital raising, and location and degree of sub-industry disruption, as well as the judging panel’s ratings on the degree of product, service, customer experience, and business model innovation. Given global fintech investment tripled in 2014, it’s clear there’s a huge number of startups doing interesting things in the space. Last year’s inaugural 50 Best FinTech Innovators of 2014 list […]
Accel Partners’ Rich Wong: Australian start-up sector now a global player
More fantastic news on the Australian FinTech industry, and this one line sums it up best – “Australia is now on the radar of tech investors globally” The local start-up sector is increasingly being recognised as a player in the global technology arena as competition for Australian companies heats up among international venture capital funds.Accel Partners’ Rich Wong has backed more local technology companies than any other US fund and has wryly welcomed the growing interest from fellow Silicon Valley-based funds. “Australia is now on the radar of tech investors globally,” Mr Wong told Fairfax Media in San Francisco. “It creates more competition for us and we’d like to keep […]
Optus Business behind fintech startup hub Stone & Chalk – ARN
Great to see other big Australian businesses getting behind Australian FinTech Hubs and Companies to help in their growth. Optus Business is the founding communications partner for new fintech startup hub Stone & Chalk, a Sydney-based, not-for-profit Innovation Centre that houses 41 fintech start-ups. The telco will supply ICT services to a 2300 square metre collaborative facility in Bridge Street, Sydney delivering Internet, managed security and managed Wi-Fi technology and services. Optus Business managing director, John Paitaridis, said he was delighted to partner with Stone & Chalk to encourage innovation and entrepreneurship in the Australian fintech sector and support local start-ups. “Innovation and responding to change is a critical challenge […]
Bravura calls for more fintech funding | afr.com
Australian FinTech company Bravura Solutions are definitely right – the government does need to put its money where its mouth is. The government are continually talking about investing but when is it actually going to happen… Technology group Bravura Solutions has asked the government to “put their money where their mouth is” when it comes to funding tech start-ups, after Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said Australia needed to position itself as a “nation that is agile”. Bravura, a financial services technology company that was previously listed on the Australian Securities Exchange, also hinted at a possible return to being a public company after group chief executive Tony Klim flagged improving […]
Super funds back biggest-ever Australian tech venture fund worth $200 million | afr.com
This is certainly great news for the Australian tech start-up industry. It also shows great faith in what is to come out of the Australian tech sector in the coming years. Leading entrepreneurs and two major superannuation funds will combine forces to launch Australia’s biggest-ever technology start-up venture capital fund, with more than $200 million set aside to back growing companies. The new fund will be managed by Blackbird Ventures and has been backed by 96 technology entrepreneurs including Atlassian co-founder Mike Cannon-Brookes, as well as two major superannuation funds, First State Super and Hostplus Super. It will target tech companies that would previously have headed overseas in search of […]
P&N seeks fintech partners – The West Australian
WA’s biggest locally owned lender, P&N Bank, will scout potential partnerships and other investments to keep pace with the technological changes gripping the banking industry. Having dipped its toe in the fintech sector last year by taking a small equity stake in a superannuation software start-up, chief executive Andrew Hadley says the mutual bank “certainly has the intent of partnering, collaborating and potentially taking small equity positions” in other businesses of interest. Source: P&N seeks fintech partners – The West Australian
ANZ vows to take fight to fintech start-ups | The Australian
ANZ has hit back at suggestions that banks only innovate for short-term gains, declaring other industries should be worried about being put out of business by the banking sector. Meanwhile, Westpac chief Brian Hartzer said it was actually important for banks to not get too “mesmerised” by innovation and “inventing cool new stuff”, remembering that customers were at the heart of banking. Last week, Danny Gilligan, managing director of Reinventure Group, said banks and other financial services players would struggle to battle disruptive “fintech” start-ups because their pay packets and investment policies were short-term focused. Source: ANZ vows to take fight to fintech start-ups | The Australian
