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 […]
New online platform ESIC Hub to accelerate benefits for early-stage companies and investors
A new online platform – ESIC Hub – is the first in Australia for high net worth investors and early-stage companies seeking to secure hundreds of thousands of dollars in new tax relief and funding. From this month, high net worth and sophisticated investors, including SMSFs, are eligible for new tax incentives of up to $200,000 a year when they invest in an early-stage investment. However, under new legislation, the company seeking the funding must qualify as an “ESIC” or “Early Stage Innovation Company”, or the investor will miss out. ESIC Hub founder Stephen Crowe, who has advised multi-national and Australian firms for more than 30 years, […]
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 […]
Blockchain more than hype: Nikko AM
Speaking on a panel at the Bloomberg buy-side forum, Nikko Asset Management managing director Sam Hallinan described blockchain as “the new facilitator”, one that is set to drastically improve efficiency in the sector. “It could be deemed hype, but it could also be the biggest change to asset management in years,” he said. Blockchain’s capacity to list and reconcile transactions and trades represents a marked shift from traditional methods, which rely on several phonecalls and paperwork, Mr Hallinan said. “The current method of reconciling trades hasn’t changed in 40 years,” he added. According to Mr Hallinan, the change to retail market interaction triggered by robo-advice is significant, and he noted […]
Fintech upping the online broking ante
Online trading platforms are offering a slew of new features at lower prices to keep up with financial technology apps that give investors much wider choice – from upcoming IPOs to investing spare change. Investors are demanding education-rich tools and powerful data capabilities to enhance their trading experience and broking platforms have responded with real-time stock widgets, bustling online forums and the emergence of robo-advice services, allowing investors access to different markets and more managed funds. “The rise of fintech has put more powerful tools into the hands of investors in the form of research, reporting and investment ideas,” says Josh Callaghan, wealth general manager at research firm Canstar. “As […]
Cyber security has become an economic imperative
Cyber security is an economic imperative. It is key to the protection of organisations of all sizes, to the personal data of our people, and to ongoing jobs growth and wealth creation. After all, a robust and thriving digital economy is built on trust. The Australian financial services industry, perhaps more than any other, has the most to gain from a strong and innovative national cyber security eco-system. The sector has a more mature understanding of cyber risk than other industries, and with a major shift towards digital and mobile engagement with customers, now more than ever it has the motivation to invest and develop capability in this area. In […]
Blockchain is not just for Bitcoin – it is a digital ledger of transactions
Blockchain sounds like a solution to a 19th-century railway problem, but lately it’s on the lips of every executive who wants to solve the problem of 21st-century digital transactions. As innovator Tim Lea, of Veredictum, says: “It’s a great space we’re in — but getting hotter by the day.” Lea is building a blockchain for identifying videos and he’s running hard to keep up with the express train. The evolution of blockchain is exponential. It may have begun as a system for dealing with (often dodgy) digital transactions six years ago and it may have captured the imagination and budgets of banks last year, but in the months since it […]
Fintech changes the shape of banking
Jesse McWaters is the project lead for disruptive innovation in financial services at the World Economic Forum. So in January, 2014, it seemed logical to bring together about 50 senior global financial services and banking types attending Davos to consider the impact of fintech. The judgement of the experts was clear. “Banks versus fintechs? No contest,” McWaters says. The banks were considered to be protected by their scale, by their levels of consumer trust and by the regulatory complexity of the financial system. The barrier was considered simply too high for fintech start-ups to become a threat. A year later, there had been a sea change in the mood of […]
