Change Financial looks to shake up the status quo for financial enterprise
US-based yet ASX-listed fintech company Change Financial (ASX: CCA) has announced three commercial deals to assist the growth of its enterprise division ahead of the full launch of its Software as a Service (SaaS) solution. The fintech newcomer has secured variously structured deals with Mastercard, Central Bank of Kansas City (CBKC) and Pulse, respectively. The deals aim to improve operating conditions primarily for its enterprise division, although upon further analysis, it seems Change will be able to derive synergies for all three of its business units, serving consumers, enterprises and blockchain users. Its consumer unit is focused on ChimpChange, an award-winning digital bank account and mobile app. ChimpChange makes free […]
How cashless payment technology is helping local business thrive
The days when a trip to the ATM was compulsory before strolling to your local market are numbered. Instead small businesses now find themselves faced with the new breed of “cashless consumer”, and adapting to suit. According to a recent survey by the RFi Group, 32 per cent of Australians believe they can go cashless. Fortunately, the advent of low-cost and low-fuss technology allows local businesses, including sole traders, to sell their products and services quickly and easily, whether it’s a small item or a more expensive impulse purchase. A shift in mindset Michael McQueen, retail trend forecaster and bestselling author of How to Prepare Now for What’s Next, says […]
Digital mortgages offer great promise, says KPMG’s Pollari
There’s a tech for everything these days: MedTech, EdTech, FoodTech – you name it. Which may make fintech sound like just another portmanteau. But what makes fintech different from the other “-techs” – besides the fact it deals in money – is just how varied it is. According to a map put out by KPMG, there are more than 11 different types of fintech companies. These include: regtech, for regulation; insurtech, for insurance; wealthtech, for asset management – and many more. This wide definition – as well as a lot of optimism and entrepreneurial energy – has meant there are now around 600 Aussie companies that fall within the fintech […]
Top fintech predictions for 2018
Here’s some crystal ball gazing, courtesy of KPMG’s global fintech team. In its latest Pulse of fintech report, released last week, the firm sets out 10 factors it reckons will drive financial technology this year, after $US31 billion of deals were struck in 2017. There are now 25 fintech unicorns around the world, collectively valued at $US76 billion (none are from Australia). On the KPMG list is the acceleration of artificial intelligence technology and the growing number of devices connected to the internet of things. It expects AI and IoT enablement “to continue at a rapid pace” as financial services offerings are embedded into home automation systems. A couple of […]
Aussie fintech funding triples: KPMG
While global fintech investment almost halved last year, the budding Australian sector finally bloomed, according to KPMG International’s latest report. Heedless of the 47.2 per cent evaporation in total global investment in fintech companies (which dropped from US$46.7 billion in 2015, to just US$24.7 billion last year), Australian fintech funding in 2016 was in full flood, more than tripling over 12 months, after a string of deals and funding rounds. According to KPMG, Australia’s total fintech investment last year topped US$626 million across 25 deals, a major increase on 2015 – which saw $185M across 23 deals – and a figure contrary to the receding global trend. Ian Pollari, global […]
Fintech set to reshape financial services despite slump
Global fintech investment’s boom year of 2015, when all the planets aligned and the hype factor reached its peak, was always going to make activity levels in subsequent years look feeble by comparison. Even so, the 47 per cent slump in funds invested in 2016 to $24.7bn, revealed yesterday in KPMG’s Pulse of Fintech publication, is eye-opening. Both macro and micro forces are at play. With the former, the uncertainty created by the Brexit vote, the schism between new US president Donald Trump and the tech community, a perceived economic slowdown in China and significant fluctuations in exchange rates all conspired to make investors more cautious. At a more micro […]
Fintech platforms disrupting business finance
The term ‘fintech’ covers a wide and ever-growing range of technologies. This article explores some of the biggest game-changers, and how they’re impacting the way businesses are managing their financial affairs. Treasurer Scott Morrison said of fintech in 2016: “It has the power to completely bring in a new environment of competition. For small businesses out there who find it difficult to attract capital, for large government agencies who are struggling with convoluted and difficult payment systems … to medium-sized businesses that are trying to bring their products up to date and to connect with their consumers in ways they haven’t before.” Then on his visit to a G20 Conference […]
FinTech: UK Vs Australia
by Matthew Parker, The MitchelLake Group Having recently moved from the UK to Australia, I have been excited to observe and experience first-hand some of the differences between the UK FinTech ecosystem and that of its Antipodean cousin. I do not, by any means, pretend to be an expert, but I have had the privilege of working with and alongside some of the most exciting FinTech businesses and individuals across multiple markets. Any observation I am able to draw comes from a place of passion and sincere enthusiasm as well as a helpful dose of experience. So without further ado, let’s compare and contrast. The UK hit its stride at […]
