Anxious and confused: Why many older Australians are afraid of a cashless society
by David Taylor, ABC.net.au Before I became a journo, I worked for a credit ratings agency. It was my duty to work out if our clients (companies) were likely to sink or swim in the future (financially). It was my first full-time job, so I couldn’t wait for pay day. The management team were old-fashioned, so after my first fortnight of work, I actually received a pay cheque. That’s right, literally, a cheque. I suspect quite a few Australians would remember their first “pay cheque”. It’s quite a satisfying moment. You get to hold a piece of paper — effectively a note, saying, ‘thanks for all your hard work this […]
Jost: Pace of reform is too slow
Australia must disrupt its banking regulations or face waking up one day to find a FinTech innovator such as Chinese giant Alibaba becoming the bedrock of our financial system, rather than the Big Four banks. So says Jost Stollmann, a German expat with decades of experience in technology entrepreneurship, government and FinTech innovation. “One day we might not be talking about the Big Four but AT&T Financial Services and Alibaba owning banking services in Australia,” says Mr Stollmann. Mr Stollmann sees Australia at a tipping point, not only with FinTech regulation but also with its overall innovation thrust. In a strengths, weaknesses, opportunity and threat analysis, Australia has great lifestyle […]
eWAY, Australia’s largest payments platform, partners with zipPay
zipMoney Limited announces an Australia-first strategic partnership with eWAY, part of US giant Global Payments. eWAY is Australia’s largest online payment gateway and processes more than 25 percent of all eRetail payments. The partnership will see the roll out of the zipPay and zipMoney ‘buy now, pay later’ digital wallets as core offerings for tens of thousands of online retailers in Australia and millions of Australian shoppers. “The two leading names in the Australian online payments and digital wallet space are joining forces to help merchants sell more and sell better,” said Mark Healy COO at eWAY. “eWAY helped pioneer online payments in Australia and remains at the forefront of […]
Square teams up with leading POS and order management platforms
Square are today announcing integrations that will give business owners across Australia who are using alternative point-of-sale and order management platforms the ability to accept payments with Square. For the first time in Australia, these businesses can access Square’s affordable hardware, fast deposits and online payment solutions that millions of sellers across the world already use to run and grow their businesses. Select larger businesses, such as full-service restaurants or multi-location retailers, have built their operations around platforms to manage orders and run business processes that support their specialised or unique needs. Our list of new integrations with platforms include Vend, TouchBistro, Posboss, Abacus, SalesIn, Mobi2Go and Boppl. Sellers using any […]
Never be caught short after this brainwave
Making a payment is now as easy as tapping your sunglasses thanks to a plucky Australian start-up, Sydney-based Inamo, which is starting to take the world by storm, appearing at South by Southwest in Texas and now embarking on a $6 million Series A funding round. The start-up is the brainchild of Peter Colbert, a former agent for international surfing stars and still a keen surfer. He told The Australian the idea for the sunnies came after a regular surf in Manly with mates. It was his turn to buy coffees, but he had forgotten his wallet. “It was one of those light bulb moments where I wondered what if […]
H2 Ventures announces new startups following fresh funding
The co-founder of fintech accelerator H2 Ventures, Toby Heap, has warned Australia’s big four banks that they are underestimating the wave of digital disruption taking place in their sector, as it announces its next intake of hopeful startups. H2’s next group of entrepreneurs will range from a startup that provides people with their own personal chef, called DishMe, to a social sporting platform that lets sport fans compete against their friends during live matches, called FanTrade. To date 25 startups have gone through the accelerator program, including online marketplace for home loans HashChing, which raised $1 million from Sapien Ventures last year, and crowdfunding platform Equitise, which also raised more […]
Expensify launches expense claim reimbursement in Australia
Expensify, the world’s fastest-growing expense reporting software, announced today expense claim reimbursement capabilities for Australian customers. Rather than reimburse employees via payroll or cheques, Expensify customers can now issue reimbursements from Expensify, making the expense claim process easier than ever for companies of all sizes. Reimbursement will work with all major Australian banks including NAB, CBA, Westpac, and ANZ. This announcement comes during the Accounting Business Expo, Australia’s largest business and technology conference for finance and accounting professionals. “Our vision is for expense management to happen entirely automatically, behind the scenes, without business travelers and employees wasting any time tracking receipts or even opening our app,” says David Barrett, CEO […]
Facebook meets FinTech
Banking has come a long way since the stamped passbook. Social media has come a long way since the simple status update. Can the two intersect? Social media is transforming banking relationships almost as quickly as it has changed our interpersonal communications. With the rise of interfaces such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram as well as fintech start-ups such as Tyro and Coinjar, financial outlets can use social media for everything from improving customer service to allowing users to send money to others via online platforms. Emerging fintech companies like Movenbank are using social media data to help people get access to credit or even simply open a bank account. […]
