Financial business management platform PractiFI raises $3 million to establish North American headquarters and take on US
PractiFI, a revolutionary business growth management platform for forward-thinking financial advice firm announced a AUD$3 million investment led by Microequities Venture Capital Fund. The financing will be used to rapidly accelerate PractiFI’s global strategy, establishing a North American headquarters in Chicago, expanding the US customer success team and building a range of new product integrations with other financial apps and tools. Since winning its first US client earlier this year, the Sydney-based company has gone from strength to strength and this international investment marks a significant milestone in its exponential growth. Following the investment, Howard Leibman of Microequities and Equity Venture Partners will join the PractiFI board. Mr Leibman says, […]
VendorPanel raises $2.35 million to simplify procurement and drive positive social and economic outcomes
VendorPanel, a leading Australian procurement platform, announced it has secured AUD$2.35 million Series A capital led by Microequities Venture Capital Fund, with strategic investment by Aconex founders Leigh Jasper and Rob Phillpot.The financing will be used to accelerate growth, extend product development, and expand into new international markets. With Microequities Venture Capital Fund, Jasper and Phillpot all holding globally successful track records in the SaaS B2B marketplace, the investment is a significant vote of confidence in the Melbourne-based technology company.Following the investment, Justin Lipman of Microequities Venture Capital Fund will join the VendorPanel board. He commented: “VendorPanel’s vision and expertise are helping to simplify procurement. Over 1,000 organisations have seen the benefits so […]
Australian startups selected for Accenture’s FinTech Innovation Lab
Eight leading fintech companies have been selected for the fifth annual FinTech Innovation Lab Asia-Pacific, a 12-week mentorship program created by Accenture. The 2018 program received a record number of applications, from more than 160 companies, and comes at a time when investments into the sector are soaring. According to an Accenture analysis of data from CB Insights, global investment in fintech ventures reached another all-time high in 2017, of US$27 billion, with continued growth in 2018. Launched in Hong Kong in June 2014, the FinTech Innovation Lab Asia-Pacific has received nearly 600 applications since its inception, with 33 companies participating to date. Alumni companies from the Lab have raised US$288 […]
World Bank appoints CBA for first bond deal on blockchain
The World Bank has turned to Commonwealth Bank of Australia to issue a bond using blockchain technology, in a deal that suggests a more transparent and lower-cost process for debt capital issuance is just around the corner. Reflecting its antipodean roots, the innovative security is being referred to as a ‘bond-i’ (blockchain offered new debt instrument). The World Bank says it is a world first for using blockchain to create, allocate, transfer ownership and manage a live bond deal. Commonwealth Bank has been appointed sole lead arranger for the ‘Kangaroo bond’ offer, which will launch on Friday and could raise around $50 million, part of the World Bank’s global funding […]
Australian fintech Tic:Toc closes successful Series B funding
Australian fintech Tic:Toc, the world’s only fully digital home loan platform, today announced it has closed its Series B round, raising $11.5M in funding. The Series B funding, led by Genworth Mortgage Insurance Australia Limited (Genworth Australia) and Blackstone group entity La Trobe Financial, includes both new and existing investors and adds significant depth to the Tic:Toc share register, which also includes Bendigo and Adelaide Bank. The funding will allow Tic:Toc to further advance the capability of its platform as well as build greater brand awareness. It will also partially fund Tic:Toc ’s pending expansion into offering its automated assessment platform as a service to partners, as well as exploration […]
Open banking gains momentum
As open banking gains momentum, the future of the industry will see a move away from product offerings in favour of customer experience and engagement, a panel of industry experts told a Temenos conference. The panel of experts told the conference that technology has placed the industry in a constant phase of reform, and the move to open banking would see a significant shift away from the big four banks to address the needs of underfunded sectors like small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Piers Balmer from business lending funding service for SMEs, Judo Capital, said they no longer used the term ‘product’, and instead opted for terms like ‘engagement’ and […]
WealthO2 passes half a billion FUA
WealthO2, the fintech for financial advisers, has surpassed half a billion in funds under administration, an increase of more than 60% in six months.
What Every Investor Should Know Before Buying Cryptocurrency
by Mary Ann Callahan If you are here, then you have probably grown curious enough to find out more about the next big investment opportunity everyone has been screaming about. Techies call cryptocurrency the money of the future or digital gold, and skeptics refer to it as a bubble that will burst anytime soon or the biggest digital scam ever. Needless to say, beyond the initial noise that surrounded the global rise of cryptocurrencies, there seems to be a growing interest and increasing curiosity about the potentials of these digital coins. New investors are attracted by the fact that cryptocurrency has managed to turn many who have been bold enough […]
