Fintech player Douugh scores MasterCard partnership
Australian fintech start-up Douugh has scored a new partnership with MasterCard, joining forces to launch a smart bank account with a debit card from the global payments giant. Douugh, which was founded by SocietyOne’s Andy Taylor, has created a personal financial assistant utilising artificial intelligence. But the start-up does not intend to become a bank, rather it claims to want to help people save more and live debt free. Mr Taylor said the partnership with MasterCard would give the company a “big boost of horsepower”, letting it create a product that would be available in three of MasterCard’s major regions – the US, Australia and Britain – by 2020. “MasterCard […]
Australia’s first accredited blockchain courses have arrived
Australia now has a formal, accredited and nationally recognised way of identifying blockchain people. The Advanced Diploma of Applied Blockchain (10747NAT) consists of eight modules, including six core modules and two electives. Developed by Blockchain Collective, it’s the first blockchain course to be accredited by the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA), making it Australia’s first formal, nationally recognised, accredited blockchain course. What you’ll find The course is a deep dive into the technology and is intended to prepare students for experiences such as transitioning an operation to a blockchain network, assessing the performance of a business model deployed on blockchain and more. The course is delivered through registered training organisations, […]
The Fourth Industrial Revolution built on blockchain and advanced with AI
Blockchain technology is so synonymous with cryptocurrencies, and especially Bitcoin that it is almost like the financial sector has usurped its potential. In times like these, where an investing bear market has befallen the cryptocurrency space, it is easy to get down on the revolutionary possibilities of blockchain technology. Since the original Blockchain, that is Bitcoin, emerged, there has been a considerable focus on transactional blockchains which have been at the forefront of the mainstream understanding of the technology. Bitcoin is often the layman’s first point of call with the stories of investing success stories obscuring the view of other possibilities. However, blockchain technology is moving along in an undercurrent […]
Aussie-founded fintech Banked secures $2.7 million in seed funding, to launch open banking data solution
An Aussie-founded fintech, based in London, has secured £1.5 million ($2.66 million) in seed funding, while it’s still pre-product, pre-revenue, and less than a year old. Founded in early-2018 by Australian native and chief executive Brad Goodall, along with co-founders Neil Ambler, Patrick Cox and Ellen Fernandes, Banked aims to open up the possibilities of financial data by providing a trustworthy channel of communication between banks, businesses and individuals. The entirety of the seed funding has come from London-based venture capital firm Backed VC, although Goodall tells StartupSmart he is in talks with other investors regarding a potential secondary seed raise. Open banking came into effect in the UK earlier […]
Sydney commuters can use credit or debit cards to tap on and off trains
Sydney commuters can carry one less card as of today. You can now “tap on and off” at the Opal reader with your Visa, Mastercard or American Express credit or debit card. Or if you’d prefer, you can use the digital wallet on your smartphone or smartwatch to replace how you use your Opal card. This is an extension of trials that have allowed commuters to use their credit or debit cards to tap on the Manly F1 ferry since July 2017 before it was extended to all public ferry and some light rail services in Sydney in March 2018. With Australia’s widespread adoption of contactless payments to make purchases, […]
What is Insurtech and what do I need to know about it?
There’s no doubt about it, technology permeates through almost every aspect of our lives. Think about your morning routine alone. For many that involves waking up to an alarm, checking the news and weather, and perhaps even boiling a smart kettle for that first cup of coffee – all with the help of a smartphone. The point is that technology is not only everywhere, it shapes our behaviour and will, in all likelihood, continue to do so in the future. And the same thing is true of insurance. Emerging insurance technology, otherwise known as Insurtech, is already reshaping parts of the insurance industry, just as Fintech (financial technology) is pushing […]
ASX-backed Digital Asset plans to power banking with new DAML programming language
For fintech entrepreneurs, it might pay to get on top of a new programming language soon to be released by Digital Asset. DAML (the Digital Asset Modelling Language) is a core part of Digital Asset’s plans to roll its private blockchain beyond equities settlement and clearing to other parts of the financial services industry such as insurance. It could also emerge in the health sector and supply chain management. When the ASX confirmed a year ago it would use Digital Asset, the New York-based start-up of which it owns about 8 per cent, to replace its ageing CHESS system, the blockchain world sat up and paid attention. ASX now wants […]
CBA, Data61 claim success on NDIS payments blockchain trial
The use of highly targeted and controlled smart payments across Australia’s health and welfare sector has inched a step closer. Data61 and the Commonwealth Bank claim to have successfully trialled an app that could make blockchain-based programmable money a reality for the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) payments. The pair partnered last month to bring the prototype app to NDIS participants and service providers as a test case for the potential use of ‘smart money’ using blockchain technology. ‘Smart money’ allows for conditions to be attached to payments, making the NDIS’ use of highly personalised participant payment plans ripe for the first case study of the proof of concept. The prototype app […]
