Growth, diversification, consolidation: AltFi Summit 2018 leaders offer their predictions
Fintech leaders from across the globe are converging for the AltFi Australasia Summit in April, to discuss the most urgent issues and trends impacting growth, diversification, and consolidation in the global alternative finance industry in 2018. Keynotes, panellists and sponsors will include alternative lending firms, digital banks, industry influencers and regulatory representatives, such as OnDeck, KPMG, Ratesetter, NowFinance, Equifax, Macquarie Capital, NAB, Moula, MoneyPlace, Credible, BGA Digital, Moneycatcha, Creditease, Othera, Liberty Home Loans, uno Home Loans, and FinTech Australia. It will be the third year the Summit has run in Sydney, amassing each yeah an ever-larger following of loyal attendees. Event owner, Glenn Hodgeman, believes momentum has built so strongly […]
Are central bankers about to burst the bitcoin bubble?
Foreign exchange traders have long been used to “jawboning” from central bankers – that is, using carefully selected words to suggest that they are unhappy with the level their currency is trading at, usually because they consider it over-valued. But the world’s top central bankers have a new target: bitcoin and its fellow digital currencies. And some strongly-worded statements show the depth of their feeling on the subject. A month ago, Reserve Bank governor Philip Lowe described the fascination with bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies as a “speculative mania”. Later that day, Janet Yellen, the head of the powerful US Federal Reserve described bitcoin as a “highly speculative asset”, noting that […]
FinTech body seeks changes to APRA’s proposal to reduce market barriers to challenger banks
The Australian Government’s proposal to make it easier for digital-first challenger banks to compete against industry incumbents is could be improved, according to the peak body for fintech startups. FinTech Australia has lodged a submission with the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) in response to its discussion paper, entitled “A phased approach to authorising new entrants to the banking industry”. The discussion paper proposes that new banking entrants, known as Authorised Deposit-taking Institutions (ADIs) can apply for a “restricted ADI licence”. Under the restricted ADI licence, new banking entrants may take up to $2 million in deposits with an individual limit of $250,000 per depositor over a maximum period of two years, […]
InstaReM continues APAC expansion
InstaReM, a leading digital cross-border payments company, has announced its expansion into Malaysia at its launch press conference, further solidifying its presence in Asia Pacific (APAC). Headquartered in Singapore after an early start in Australia, InstaReM is one of the largest cross-border payments providers globally, with licenses in eight markets and covering 40 countries, reaching 3.2 billion people in developed and developing countries. It is consistently ranked by the World Bank as the lowest cost operator in a number of corridors in Asia. Individual and corporate customers in Malaysia will now be able to enjoy cost-effective and efficient cross-border money transfers to over 60 countries across the globe. […]
Data revolution to transform four pillars model
You’re browsing through Facebook when a message pops up, asking if you’d like to check whether you’re getting a decent interest rate on your savings. Curious, you tap the screen to find out more. It asks you to provide a bit more information about your financial goals – you’re saving for a deposit on a house and hope to buy in about two years. You are then asked to give consent to securely share some key bits of financial information online: your income over the last six months, and your spending over this period. Within seconds, the app has a recommendation: it’s found a bank account and term deposit that […]
Link4 partners with Squirrel Street for faster invoice processing
Turning the information in an invoice into an entry in a cloud accounting system is a pain point for businesses. Now Squirrel Street’s industry leading AI data extraction and human verification process has been incorporated into Link4 so users can import legacy PDF invoices along with instant, truly digital, eInvoices into any of the six main cloud accounting solutions used throughout Australia. This partnership announcement is a win for all business owners from micro to medium enterprises, as it provides them with functionality often reserved for large enterprises. “Both teams have been working together in order to offer a smooth user experience and increase their productivity,” said […]
Here’s fintech’s secret pitch to the RBA to create an Australian dollar cryptocurrency
A group of fintech startups have submitted cases to the Reserve Bank of Australia and the federal Treasury to demonstrate the need for a new government-endorsed Australian dollar cryptocurrency. Business Insider can reveal three fintechs, through industry body FinTech Australia and the government’s Fintech Advisory Group, presented use-cases for a new Digital Australian Dollar – the DAD – which would be pegged to the physical Australian dollar and compete against the likes of Bitcoin and Ethereum. “The Digital Australian Dollar would be a huge step to grow our vibrant blockchain and digital currencies industry,” said FinTech Australia chief executive Danielle Szetho. “Having key stakeholders like the RBA involved in further […]
A Central Bank blockchain could make other banks obsolete
Will banks like ANZ and Westpac go the way of the record store? Professor David Yermack from NYU Stern School of Business thinks so. He argues it’s only a matter of time before Central Banks withdraw banknotes from circulation and put the national currency into an electronic blockchain rending other banks “unnecessary”. The distributed ledger technology promises to give Central Banks much greater control over national currencies and could put an end to money laundering and tax evasion, argues Yermack, who counts bitcoin and cryptocurrencies among his areas of expertise. “It’s not a question of if but when a country will do this. And my expectation is that the benefits […]
