Verrency boosts commercial offering signing ten strategic Fintech partners
Australian global payments provider Verrency has signed ten strategic FinTech partners in just six weeks as it continues to gain global traction. Founded in 2016, Verrency enables banks to cost-effectively deliver the latest value-added payment capabilities and curated FinTech services – via V+, their FinTech marketplace – to their customers without replacing or heavily modifying their existing payments infrastructure. As part of the recently signed partnership agreements, Verrency enables these signed partners to easily distribute their services to global financial institutions via Verrency’s API platform. Some of Verrency’s newly signed FinTech partners include: UK-based ComplyAdvantage, which provides real-time screening and monitoring technology powered by artificial intelligence to help companies comply […]
The future of money relies on digital
by Carlo Lacota, Head of Banking and Financial Services, ANZ at Cognizant The era of digital disruption has brought new challenges involving security, privacy, and technology access. It is therefore imperative for financial services providers to take stock and consider how to deepen their customer relationships. The inability to capitalise on the opportunity that digital brings to attract and retain customers will increase churn velocity and further increase cost as customer retention costs far less than acquisition. Our relationship with money is broken A recent global study by Cognizant revealed that people’s relationship with money is broken, with over half of the study respondents saying money and […]
Samsung Pay locks up the “big four” after new partnership with National Australia Bank
Samsung Pay has become the first mobile wallet provider to lock up the “big four” banks after today announcing a partnership with the last of the major institutions – the National Australian Bank. NAB customers now join those from Commonwealth Bank, Westpac and ANZ to use Samsung Pay to make payments with compatible Samsung smartphones, Samsung smartwatches and other wearables. Customers can load their Visa credit and/or debit card and pay securely anywhere credit cards are accepted. Apart from the big four banks, Samsung Pay works with more than 45 other financial institutions around Australia. Samsung has made good on its promise to provide its customers with a simple and […]
The data rush is on as start-ups get set for open banking
Paul Chapman believes banking is only going to get more complex. “We like to say Japan is living in the future,” he says. “People have a very fragmented life with three to four banks and several different financial products. There is so much complexity and we think that is happening in Australia.” The Australian co-founder of financial management app Moneytree, which is based in Japan and launched in Australia last year, is one of a number of start-ups jostling for position as the government looks to introduce open banking to Australia. Speaking to Fairfax Media on the sidelines of the Salesforce World Tour in Sydney this month, he said open […]
Is Qantas a cryptocurrency in the making?
Qantas points are already Australia’s de facto second currency. Switching to blockchain would make it a real one. In 2017, Qantas (ASX:QAN) made more money selling points than it did selling international flights. Qantas is an airline; only madmen would call it a tech company. Yet over the past decade, that’s precisely what Qantas has become. In 2007, the company’s loyalty program accounted for 11% of pre-tax profits. In the year to December, that figure has grown to 23%. The Loyalty division earned $369m in pre-tax profits compared to $327m from the International division. Qantas’s Frequent Flyer program has 11 million members – nearly half the Australian population – and […]
Reimagining wealth management for the digital age
David Levi looks at why responding to the digital challenge is not just about defence but about shaping a new era of wealth management. As consumer needs and the financial landscape evolve, major banks are being forced to reconsider their approach to wealth management services. Colonial First State, for example, has predicted that the retirement of Baby Boomers would result in unprecedented transfers of wealth. Similarly, Citigroup announced its plans to triple the size of its wealth management business in Australia by 2020, as it targets customers with more than $1 million to invest. While the Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia (ASFA) reports that private sector forecasts superannuation assets […]
Woolworths & Apple alliance set to increase Aus digital wallet use
Customers of Australian grocery giant Woolworths will soon be able to acquire and redeem rewards points through Apple’s Wallet App. The retailer has made an agreement with Apple to store its loyalty cards within their digital wallet. The decision is tipped to significantly increase the uptake of digital wallets within Australia. With about 10 million members, Woolworths is said to boast the largest customer loyalty reward scheme in Australia. Though not every member will have an iPhone, nor be inclined to use Apple’s digital wallet. Reports state Apple and Woolworth will announce the agreement this week, prior to a launch in mid-October. Paul Monnington, Woolworths’ Head of Digital and Payments, states the decision is […]
SelfWealth, winners of Software Innovation at the Australian Business Awards second year running
SelfWealth Ltd has been recognised as an ABA100 Winner in The Australian Business Awards 2017 for Software Innovation. The Awards, now in their twelfth year, are an annual all-encompassing awards program which recognises organisations that demonstrate the core values of business innovation, product innovation, technological achievement and employee engagement via a set of comprehensive award categories. The award recognises SelfWealth’s achievements in the research and development of SelfWealth Premium and SelfWealth TRADING. SelfWealth is a community of investors partnering to achieve one common goal – greater returns. We allow members to crowd source investment information; by tracking the moves of top investors our members can make more informed investment decisions […]