Financial Leaders share their strategies to maintain their edge in the new era of Lending
Next Generation Lending 2016 16-18 August | Radisson Blu Hotel Sydney Australia is experiencing phenomenal growth in FinTech, with its alternative finance market growing by 320 per cent in 2015. With the industry’s wealth of talent and investment, it has successfully engaged the government and the regulator, ASIC to actively work together to promote innovation and digital disruption in financial services. So how is this evolving financial ‘revolution’ changing the traditional lending business model, who has the competitive edge and how is the industry benefitting as a whole? The 2nd annual Next Generation Lending conference, taking place in Sydney this August, will provide an in-depth look at how new […]
Chinese fintech startups see Stone & Chalk as a springboard for growth
A delegation of a dozen entrepreneurs from three of China’s most promising fintech startups have arrived in Sydney for a three-month residency at Stone & Chalk, where they will help educate Australian startups on launching into China while using mentoring from the hub as a bridge for their own expansion into other Western markets. In a sign of closer fintech trade ties between Australia and China, Stone & Chalk on Wednesday launched its Fintech Asia incubation exchange, which it describes as the first cross-border fintech incubator between Australia and Asia. The Commonwealth and NSW governments have funded the flights and accommodation for the 12 staff of the three startups, who […]
A VC’s perspective on Blockchain opportunities & impacts on Australia
by Victor Jiang, Managing Partner, Sapien Ventures LLP. I was truly honoured to have presented to and judged alongside a distinguished panel (from ANZ, Westpac, UBS, & Northern Trust) and key industry leaders at the inaugural Australian Blockchain Summit 2016 (Melbourne June 28-30th, 2016), and to have a chance to speak about what we felt are the opportunities and impacts of Blockchain on Australia. (The speech was immediately before a pitch/showcase session of 6 excitingly disruptive blockchain startups from USA and Australia, including one dialling in from 3am in their local time!) __________________________________ I’m really excited and honoured to be here, speaking just ahead of some truly exciting startups in the blockchain space. […]
Quantifeed Raises US$4.5 Million in Series A Funding
Quantifeed, a leader in digital wealth management solutions in Asia, has reached a significant milestone by closing US$4.5 million in a Series A financing round. Shanghai-based PGA Venture Partners led the investment. The funds will enable Quantifeed to accelerate expansion in key markets in the Asia Pacific region, including China. “The battle in digital wealth management will be won by the institutions with the strongest distribution and the richest customer experience. We are working with some of the top institutions in Asia to build them a customer investment journey,” said Alex Ypsilanti, CEO and Co-founder of Quantifeed. “PGA Venture Partners has an incredible track record of building successful companies and […]
Australian FinTech marketplace Valiant announces capital raise
Valiant, member of fintech hub Stone & Chalk announced today that the company has completed their seed round capital raising subscription. The $800,000 capital raise was led by fintech venture capital firm Reinventure, supported by H2 Ventures and a selection of prominent angel investors including Mitchel Harad and Vincent Turner. Co-Founders Alex Molloy and Richard Cotton launched the Valiant business loan marketplace in November 2015, with the aim to minimise the angst associated with sourcing, comparing, and securing business loans. Valiant partners with over 26 lenders from across the lending spectrum with more lenders being added monthly. Alex Molloy: “We built the Valiant marketplace to solve a very particular need. Until now, it has been difficult for time poor business owners to quickly […]
Sydney FinTech Valiant announces major partnership with Vow Financial
Valiant, member of FINTECH incubator Stone & Chalk will announce today an official partnership with the Yellow Brick Road Group (Yellow Brick Road and Vow Financial) at the Commercial Conference at The Sheraton Mirage Gold Coast. The partnership grants the Group exclusive partnership access to Valiant’s business loan marketplace platform and its range of non-bank small business lending solutions. Immediately, the Valiant marketplace solves the broker network’s concerns with sourcing, comparing, and securing funding for traditionally hard to finance SMB customers. Alex Molloy, Managing Director of Valiant: “The challenge for brokers is that serving customers in the short term funding space takes an unbalanced amount of time – and for hard to fund customers, […]
Quantium buoyed by link-up with Facebook
Data company Quantium has taken what may be its first step towards an eventual float, issuing shares to staff as it unveiled a partnership with Facebook it says will take it closer to the holy grail of accountable advertising expenditure. The deal — the third of its kind the social media giant has inked — enables advertisers to measure the impact their Facebook campaigns have on in-store purchases. Developed over the past six months, it uses common identifiers in social media and credit card data — such as email addresses — to marry advertising views with purchases, according to Quantium’s head of media, Alex Macoun. “It is definitely a major […]
Fintech platform helps brokers tackle business lending
A new online marketplace for business loans can help brokers tackle the growing commercial lending space. Launched in November 2015, Valiant Finance is a comparison website which compares and matches business loans, debtor finance and equipment finance to small businesses. But unlike other comparison websites which largely focus on home loans or personal lending, Valiant co-founder Alex Molloy said it fills a gap in the complex business lending space. “[Small businesses] can go to their business banker – who they might have had three of in the last two years – who will ask them if they have residential security and then say they can’t help them if they don’t,” […]