2 Upcoming FinTech IPOs
For decades financial services in numerous flavours were the exclusive province of the banking sector. To get a loan, pay bills, apply for credit cards, or transfer money, consumers and corporations alike turned to banks. It is hard to imagine the rise of the Internet is little more than 20 years old and the rise of smartphones is even more recent – less than 10 years. As a direct result new industries are emerging, among them FinTech, or financial technology. FinTech companies offer alternatives to the banks and as such stand ready to massively disrupt the way financial services are delivered. Direct peer-to-peer lending and crowdfunding are changing the way […]
1st Annual Australian FinTech Awards 2016
Congratulations to the winners of the 1st Annual Australian FinTech Awards 2016! FINTECH INNOVATION IN PAYMENTS – Afterpay FINTECH INNOVATION IN WEALTH MANAGEMENT (ROBO ADVICE) – Owners Advisory by Macquarie Group FINTECH INNOVATION IN LENDING (FOR FINTECH) – SocietyOne BEST INNOVATION IN CYBER-SECURITY & ANTI-FRAUD – Entersoft BEST FINTECH COMMUNICATIONS CAMPAIGN – Acorns BEST RESEARCH IN FINTECH – Panalitix BEST FINTECH-BANK COLLABORATION OF THE YEAR – OnDeck Capital’s partnership with CBA FINTECH LEADER OF THE YEAR – Daniel Foggo of RateSetter FEMALE FINTECH LEADER OF THE YEAR – Loretta Joseph of the Sydney Stock Exchange FINTECH CTO/CIO OF THE YEAR – Glenn Riddell of RateSetter INSURE-TECH STARTUP OF THE YEAR – […]
Fintech to invest $1b into blockchain this year
Financial and technology firms are expected to invest more than $US1 billion to bring blockchain technology to capital markets in 2016. That’s according to a new survey from Greenwich Associates, where a majority of participants said blockchain has the potential to change markets within the next five years. The 134 interviewees, including executives at banks, exchanges, asset managers and blockchain technology companies, said the main obstacle hindering the technology’s widespread use was a “vested interest” in legacy systems. “The financial sector will continue to put its weight behind blockchain this year,” Richard Johnson, vice president for Greenwich’s Market Structure and Technology group, said in the report. “Blockchain is beginning to […]
Ethereum, rival to bitcoin, gains traction
With a rising market value and a roster of high-profile patrons, Ethereum in recent months has become the next hot thing in cryptocurrencies. Ethereum is an open software platform, comprising a currency called ether, a public “blockchain” ledger for keeping track of transactions and tools for building so-called smart contracts that automatically make payments when their terms are fulfilled. Anyone can develop new applications that make use of its code. More ambitiously, the currency’s inventors and users are revolting against the growing centralisation of the internet under big companies like Google and Facebook by creating financial structures that can run themselves. Much like its older cousin bitcoin, however, ether is […]
OFX launches new online seller service
OzForex Limited trading as OFX (OFX), one of the world’s largest international payment businesses, has today announced the launch of OFX for Online Sellers, a new online merchant solution that streamlines payments from international marketplaces such as Ebay and Amazon into bank accounts in USA, Canada, UK, Eurozone, Hong Kong, and Australia. The new product will offer a faster, more competitively priced transfer option to the millions of merchants that sell on global E-Commerce marketplaces in North America, Asia and Europe. Forty-five percent of the trillion dollar global online retail market is attributed to online marketplaces like Amazon and eBay. Selling on international marketplaces means merchants can lose up […]
Deposits lift on Apple Pay, says ANZ Bank
Almost two months after it signed a deal to provide Apple Pay, ANZ Bank says teaming up with the technology giant is prompting more customers to open accounts, or start using credit cards that had been lying dormant. ANZ became the first major bank to offer Apple Pay in late April, breaking ranks with rivals, which are negotiating over how millions of dollars in fee revenue would be shared if they were to also provide the service. While Australian consumers have generally been reluctant to use “digital wallets” ANZ says the move is having a real impact on its sales of transaction accounts, especially digital sales. Matt Boss, managing director […]
Welcome to the new world of ‘regtech’
During a speech at the Tyro Fintech Hub in Sydney on Friday morning, federal Treasurer Scott Morrison pointed to the promise of “regtech” – a new word that is increasingly rolling off the tongues of the global regulatory community. Regtech (an amalgam of “regulatory technology”) is a subset of fintech (financial technology). While fintech has captured the imagination of banks, entrepreneurs and investors around the world for its ability to enhance how customers experience core parts of banking like lending and payments, banks are interested in regtech because new technologies can be deployed internally to reduce the costs of complying with various regulations. Morrison told about 200 members of the […]
Samsung Pay takes on Apple over tap and go
In an approach that distinguishes it from Apple in the contactless payment market, Samsung says banks are welcome to join its digital wallet and it doesn’t want any of their interchange fees or data. Samsung launched Samsung Pay in Australia on Wednesday. The service is live in South Korea, the United States, China and Spain. In Australia, it is available only for holders of Citi and American Express-issued cards. But Prasad Gokhale, vice-president of the mobile division for Samsung in Australia, is confident that each of the big four banks will embrace the platform in the coming months. He said the world’s largest consumer electronics company did “not want to […]
