How AI is becoming an asset to the finance industry
As AI transforms an increasing number of domains, players in the finance industry are moving fast to keep pace. While many people are aware of the term artificial intelligence (AI), this is largely in relation to the more extreme use-cases of AI such as flying cars and Sophia the AI robot. Yet, much of our contact of AI – and our understanding of it – revolves around products that affect our everyday lives as consumers. An example of this is within the finance industry. Many key players are leveraging the power of AI to improve their services. Here are three ways AI is disrupting the finance industry: Customer service chatbots […]
Andrew Mitchell accelerating the future of e-Invoicing with Link4
Andrew Mitchell has officially joined the Link4 Australia team, bringing his years of industry experience and leadership to the Link4 sales team.Mr Mitchell is one of the foremost salespeople currently working in the Australian e-Invoicing space and he could see the importance Link4 already has in streamlining the invoicing process for small and medium businesses. Mitchell will be responsible for developing new business opportunities, fostering new partnerships and creating customised solutions for Link4 users.Link4 is well established as an e-Invoicing market leader through important government and enterprise projects. Given this standing, Mr Mitchell will drive Link4’s sales forward making them ready for rapid expansion. Link4 Australia Co-Founders, Robin Sands and […]
Banks face a bigger threat than rival banks as customers seek best experience
Innovation and media specialist Tom Goodwin had some pertinent advice for companies, big and small, during a recent visit to Australia from New York. If banks think they are competing with other banks in terms of the functionality and appearance of their app, they are wrong. Ditto for airlines if they believe they are in competition only with rival airlines. In an increasingly connected world, argues Goodwin, consumers’ expectations are being set by the best experience anywhere. He says: “Increasingly, when we experience something amazing, it sets the bar for everyone. You get off the plane in Shanghai and you can see your Uber driver’s face and his name and […]
Meet the Australian corporate initiative empowering India’s Top Women Entrepreneurs
An Australian-first program is helping a new wave of Indian women break through the cultural glass ceiling to put globally-scalable businesses in front of Aussie Investors. In what is the first Australian initiative of its kind, Sydney-based corporate advisory firm – CEO Strategic has launched a specialist program to support some of India’s most innovative women entrepreneurs raise investment capital directly from international investors. The Project shines a light on some of the best innovators from India where, although the number of women entrepreneurs is on the rise, parity when it comes to the support of female entrepreneurship, is still one of the lowest in the world. The program, […]
Startup ecosystem needs flywheel for growth: former FinTech Australia chief
Danielle Szetho, the inaugural CEO of FinTech Australia stepped down from her post in March this year. Since then, she has been traveling around Asia to meet like-minded individuals who are passionate about changing the world with technology, seeking new opportunities to contribute to the growth of Australia’s startup community. Talking about her past experience, Szetho said that the major factor in helping startup ecosystems to grow is momentum, the so-called “flywheel effect” that gets businesses rolling and also has a spillover effect on the entire industry. “The startup ecosystem in Australia, particularly in the last two years, flourished and many talk about startup ecosystems being very much driven by […]
Brighte set to accelerate growth with $18.5m in funding
Sydney-based home energy fintech, Brighte, closes 18 months of strong growth with a Series B equity round of $18.5m. The round was led by Airtree Ventures and also includes Skip Capital, the Milgrom Family and further investment from Grok Ventures. Brighte is a digital credit platform offering affordable point-of-sale payment solutions for home energy improvements such as solar panels and batteries. In its first eighteen months it has over approved over $50m of applications from 6,000+ Australian homeowners. This stellar growth has been the result of a fully digital, innovative product being brought to the home improvements market as demand surges from everyday Australians for solutions to rising energy costs. […]
Big bank-backed Beem It launches Aussie payments app
The Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA), the National Australia Bank (NAB), and Westpac in October announced that they would be joining forces to create Beem It, an organisation focused on payments, but behaving like a startup. While the project has been in the works for a few months, Beem It quietly launched in both the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store earlier this year, allowing the use of the app since the beginning of May. The app enables sending and receiving money, with an interface reminiscent of a social media app. “We’re going to do pay, request, and split better than anyone else does in the market,” Beem […]
Do you know who you’re getting into bed with?
As new lenders pop up, seemingly overnight, Jacaranda Finance are going back to their roots. With the new financial year looming, Jacaranda Finance has been hard at work re-building its brand, even going as far as designing a brand new logo. By going back to the company’s original roots of stripped down family values, Jacaranda Finance is reminding loyal clients why they’re the lender for every Aussie. Founded in 2013 by Daniel Wessels, the company was lifted to new heights as Daniel brought on his father, younger brother and a close family friend. Since then, they have worked to provide tens of thousands of Australians with much-needed finance in […]
