Blockchain: Distributed ledger technology still misunderstood
Blockchain may be the hottest technology trend in town, but business leaders run the risk of falling down a rabbit hole unless they are able to separate fact from fiction, according to Gartner’s research fellow Ray Valdes. While industry buzz around the bitcoin blockchain plus a dozen other competitive technologies has grown to deafening proportions, Mr Valdes warns that a dangerous cocktail of wishful thinking, mythmaking and misunderstanding can confuse the long-term transformative potential of the technology. “The thing about blockchain is that you will find businesses using the term in different ways in the same conversation,” Mr Valdes said. Mr Valdes also warns that the rampant interest in the […]
Class partners with peer-to-peer lender
Cloud SMSF administration software provider, Class, has collaborated with peer-to-peer lender, RateSetter, to provide self-managed superannuation fund (SMSF) accountants and their clients with a direct-connect date feed. This would allow for automated data entry and transactions processing within Class. Class chief executive, Kevin Bungard, said the increase in digitisation in the finance sector was appealing to all ages and would allow for a streamlined execution of necessary tasks. “Some industry commentators have previously suggested that peer-to-peer lending may be more attractive to Gen Ys,” he said. “RateSetter experience has shown that a significant percentage of SMSFs, which typically comprise older age groups, are very much on board with the concept […]
The 14 Australian fintech startups chosen for KPMG’s new accelerator program
KPMG Australia today launched mLabs, an accelerator to connect credit unions and mutual banks with some of Australia’s most promising fintech startups. The program follows the successful Energise accelerator run for the energy and natural resources sector last year. The program will initially be used by seven Australian mutual banks and credit unions: Beyond Bank, CUA, Greater Bank, Heritage, IMB Bank, Police Bank and Teachers Mutual Bank. The KPMG Mutuals Review 2015 found that mutuals are well placed to implement new technologies and ideas and to collaborate with fintech startups. “KPMG mLabs is designed to catalyse this process,” says James Mabbott, head of KPMG innovate. “It will be a platform […]
ANZ backs private blockchain, but won’t go public
Like all the big banks, ANZ Banking Group is experimenting and investing in blockchain technologies, but don’t expect it to adopt a public ledger any time soon. The recent hack of the Decentralised Autonomous Organisation (DAO), a cryptocurrency experiment built on the Ethereum blockchain network that raised more than $US150 million worth of cryptocurrency, served as further proof for the bank that public blockchains were still too risky for adoption, and would likely remain so for the forseeable future. “The point about who controls a public blockchain is slightly worrying and what happened with Ethereum two weeks ago is a great test case,” ANZ group strategy executive manager Nicholas Groves […]
Which fintech innovations are really adding value to customers?
Financial services, of all sectors, has seen some of the most significant technology innovations in recent years. Banks and insurance companies have been very keen to leverage technology in such a way that is mutually beneficial to both vendor and consumer, and now even superannuation is getting involved in the technology revolution. While there is a lot of innovation happening for the sake of it, not all of it is useful for the end user. It sounds simple, but what we learned as we developed our automated SMSF solution is a lesson that a lot of other financial services apps seem to forget at times; good design principles that keep […]
Australia’s Small Businesses receive boost to their funding with new credit tool
Australia’s leading peer-to-peer business lending platform, ThinCats Australia, has boosted small businesses’ opportunities for funding through the launch of a new credit assessment tool that makes finance applications easier. Created by local company Othera, the credit assessment tool allows small companies to prequalify for loans on the ThinCats platform, as well as allowing its 300 peer-to-peer lenders make more informed business lending decisions. ThinCats now has access to Othera’s Lender Dashboard to run credit assessments on loans applied for by small businesses on the platform. According to John Pellew, Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Othera, the typical prequalification process takes lenders anywhere from two to four […]
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 […]
