Fintech startup InstaReM expands services to the EU
Cross-border payment firm InstaReM has announced a continued expansion across the globe – this time to the European Union. The company has come a long way since opening its very first corridor in Australia in 2014. With the issuance of the Electronic Money Institution license (EMI) from the Bank of Lithuania, InstaReM will be able to provide international money transfer services in Europe from Vilnius, which will be InstaReM’s seventh office globally. Operating out of Lithuania will not only allow InstaReM to grow its customer base exponentially throughout the EU, but will also play a significant part in developing Lithuania’s fintech eco-system. InstaReM aims to invest approximately 3 million euros […]
Real-time payments to be launched after Australia Day
A new payments systems is “on track” to be able to deliver real time bank transfers and the ability to ditch BSB numbers from Australia Day. While most people take a break over summer, banks will be putting the finishing touches on the biggest overhaul in the payments system in years. The new payments platform or NPP is a $1 billion project to deliver real-time payments between customers of different banks, and the company to run the system says it will be rolled out to the public after Australia Day next year. The long-running project has been scheduled to be launched this quarter, and despite industry chatter about some banks […]
What is Bitcoin, and how does it work?
If you find the concept of Bitcoin confusing, you are not alone. The virtual currency has been a constant source of controversy, but it is still not well understood. On Tuesday, one Bitcoin was worth USD$4,394. Are Bitcoins those coins I see in photographs? No. Those coins are novelty items that newspapers used in photographs because they couldn’t find anything else to illustrate their stories about Bitcoin. A Bitcoin is a digital token — with no physical backing — that can be sent electronically from one user to another, anywhere in the world. A Bitcoin can be divided out to eight decimal places, so you can send someone 0.00000001 Bitcoins. […]
Square expands its Australian offering with iconic Square Stand
After 18 months of strong local growth, Square continues to expand its presence in the local market, introducing more products and services to help a wider range of Australian businesses. From today, the iconic Square Stand for contactless and chip is available across the country. Gone are the days of large point-of-sale systems, clunky cash drawers, piles of paper receipts, and cluttered countertops. Square Stand for contactless and chip is the first out-of-the-box solution to turn an iPad into a fully integrated point-of-sale system, allowing businesses to take payments and run their entire operation from their countertop device. With tens of thousands of businesses now using Square across the […]
Peppermint enter lucrative gateway services market
ASX listed fin-tech player Peppermint Innovation’s rollout of its unique technology platform has taken a big step forward after the Perth-based company struck a further deal with UCPB, one of the Philippines’ largest banks. Peppermint, who are currently focused on the commercialisation and development of their mobile-phone based bill payment technology said they had inked a deal with UCPB to roll out internet payment “gateway services” in the Philippines for the giant lender. UCPB’s online mobile banking system is already powered by Peppermint technology and the latest deal relating to gateway services represents an extension of the commercial relationship between the two parties. UCPB’s internet payment gateway, facilitated by Peppermint, […]
Ignore bitcoin at your peril, naysayers warned
It’s taken three weeks for bitcoin to erase the losses it suffered when JPMorgan chief executive Jamie Dimon dismissed the digital currency as a fraud.
Pocket money should be electronic to match kids’ spending
PARENTS are being urged to pay pocket money in a digital form as traditional cash nears extinction. While some advisers still recommend teaching children money skills using dollars and cents, there’s a strong chance that today’s primary school students will rarely — if ever — transact with cash. Many of their most common purchases — such as snacks at school, music and video games — are already bought online, and the trend has sprouted a new breed of digital pocket money options. Claire Morris, co-founder of online gift card marketplace Prezzee, said digital pocket money made it easier for parents to monitor spending and saving. “Cash is harder to keep […]
Fitbit Pay launches with ANZ, CBA and NAB
Forget having to carry your card in your sports bra whenever you go for a run or figuring out where to stash your wallet the next time you go for a swim. Fitbit is the latest company to jump on the contactless payments bandwagon with the recent launch of Fitbit Pay. And today, it has announced a massive partnership with Aussie banking giants ANZ, CBA and NAB that will kick off next Monday. Fitbit has also confirmed that it’s in talks with Westpac, Bendigo Bank, St.George and some other regional banks for future partnerships. Available with the new Fitbit Ionic smartwatch, customers of the three big banks can link their […]
