Three thousand Bitcoin ATMs to launch across Australia
Almost 3000 Bitcoin automatic teller machines will launch across Australia as part of a venture between an ATM operator and a blockchain service provider. The joint venture between StarGroup and DigitalX will see 2900 existing ATMs across Australia equipped with technology that will allow Bitcoin enthusiasts to buy and sell the digital currency. StarGroup has 500 ATMs and a further 2400 through its StarLink subsidiary nationally. The machines will be “two-way” ATMs, meaning users can acquire Bitcoin as well as convert their holdings to AUD cash instantly. The companies say this will solve a pain point for Bitcoin enthusiasts, who generally need to wait days using existing digital currency exchanges […]
ASIC’s Greg Medcraft says traditional bank accounts may be obsolete in a decade
Bank accounts could become unnecessary within the next decade because central banks will create digital currencies and allow customers to hold deposits directly with them, predicts Greg Medcraft, chairman of the Australian Securities and Investments Commission. The issuance by central banks of digital versions of their fiat currencies onto distributed ledgers would lead to widespread disaggregation for commercial banks, which would be forced to fight much harder to attract funding alongside market-based funds in a radical upheaval of financial markets. Banks and policy makers should be studying the ramifications for the Australian economy given central bank-issued digital currencies could start to appear globally in the next five to 10 years, […]
Mastercard partners with Fitbit for contactless wearable payments
Fitbit and Mastercard have partnered to give fitness enthusiasts the ability to make contactless payments with their wearable. Owners of Fitbit’s new smartwatch model Ionic, will be able to add eligible cards and make payments in Australia later this year. “Consumers today are expecting technology to help them accomplish life’s daily tasks with as few steps or clicks as possible,” said Kiki Del Valle, senior vice president, commerce for every device, Mastercard. “By adding payment capabilities to a Fitbit device, Mastercard cardholders who are already on-the-go can easily buy what they need without having to bring their wallet with them.” According to a PwC report last year, more than half […]
Forbes Fintech 50 call for nominations
For two years, Forbes has published our Fintech 50 list, showcasing the top companies shaping “the future of your money.” (See the 2015 and 2016 lists.) These innovative startups are making it easier for suppliers in emerging economies to get paid, for low-mileage drivers to save hundreds of dollars a year, for your financial advisor to create a tailored-for-you portfolio, and enabling even more technological advances that benefit many of us daily, unbeknownst to us. If the Great Recession shook trust in global finance, these are the firms that are building it back up. We’re about to begin updating the list for the third year — a multi-month process which […]
Visa moves to kill PINs by pushing Aussie banks towards biometric authentication
Consumers will soon be able to forget about PINs and frustratingly long 16-digit card numbers when shopping online and in the real world, as Visa moves to make Australian banks build infrastructure and put in place policies to empower biometrically-authenticated transactions. A new Visa security roadmap outlines a four-year process for Australian banks to adopt new standards for e-commerce transactions, designed to streamline the purchasing process and reduce fraud, while implementing new information-sharing practices and tokenisation technology. Visa Asia-Pacific senior vice-president Joe Cunningham told The Australian Financial Review it aimed to make the purchasing process simpler and quicker for shoppers, while also making it more secure. “What we want to […]
Australians are being ripped off on currency exchange
Australians are being ripped off by poor currency exchange rates and fees, an analysis by researcher Capital Economics shows. The researcher estimates in 2016 Australian holidaymakers and work travellers paid well over $1 billion in fees and poor exchange rates on their currency exchanges. This figure includes more than $110 million in poor exchange rates and fees for cash exchanged before travelling overseas. It includes more than $930 million on dud exchange rates applied to card purchases abroad, and almost $170 million in charges for overseas cash withdrawals. It’s not only individuals who are losing out. Small and medium-sized businesses are forgoing almost $150 million a year in poor exchange […]
The rise of cashless society – is your business listening to your customers?
You will often hear a small business owner complain about the banks ‘taking their cut’ of every transaction. The cost of having a transaction machine can feel like a big expense for some businesses; and many then pass those costs onto their customers in the form of surcharges. However, with the introduction of tap and go technology comes numerous cost-effective options available to the small business owner – and Australian customers are loving them; a recent survey by the RFI Group reveals that 32 per cent of Australians believed they could go cashless. The same survey shows that Australia currently has the highest use of contactless tap and go cards […]
Who is using bitcoin in Australia?
If you’re wondering who are the major bitcoin users in Australia, they are white males under the age of 34 living on the eastern seaboard, according to research undertaken last month. The research, carried out by Bitcoin.com.au, shows millennials are adapting to bitcoin, the peer-to-peer (P2P) digital currency, just like other systems of “collective commons” such as Uber and Netflix, which provide greater savings and efficiency to customers. Most of those Australians surveyed said they were using bitcoin for the purpose of investment. With the price of one bitcoin rising more than 500 per cent in the past 12 months (August 2016: $US600; August 2017: $US3200), it’s historically been a […]
