SocietyOne sees potential to work with banks
The new chief executive of SocietyOne, Jason Yetton, says there is potential for the peer-to-peer lender to work with a big bank such as Westpac, his former employer, as it tries to distribute loans to a wider range of customers. SocietyOne is one of the emerging group of “marketplace lenders”, which are eyeing off the profits that banks make from unsecured lending, by using online platforms to allow investors to lend directly to borrowers. P2P lenders typically promote themselves as a lower-cost option for borrowers, prompting banks to consider their defences against the new online threat. Mr Yetton, who previously ran Westpac’s retail and business bank, will also use his […]
Macquarie considers US fintech deals, but ‘risk retention’ a worry
Macquarie Bank is looking at a host of possible new online lending partners globally, but is worried regulators are closing in on the new players. Ben Perham, head of strategy and corporate development at Macquarie, said like most banks, it is exploring deals with the various new lenders, including the many small business lenders and P2P lenders. “We are [looking at] collaborating with US lenders and on the equity side as well,” he said. “We are hoping to partner with them and get some of their activities into Australia.” But he pointed out that many originate and make the risk assessment on loans, but then sell them off completely, and […]
ANZ boss Shayne Elliott hot for start-up investments as it partners with Honcho
ANZ Banking Group has partnered with Sydney-based Honcho to fast-track customer small business registrations, as new boss Shayne Elliott drives the bank to work more closely with technology start-ups. ANZ’s managing director of corporate and commercial banking, Mark Hand, says ANZ is open to investing equity into fintech start-ups. It could establish a referral relationship with an online business lender, similar to the arrangement Westpac has with Prospa and Commonwealth Bank of Australia has with OnDeck. After Mr Elliott said he wanted his legacy to be defined by digital banking and criticised ANZ’s siloed approach to technological innovation in an interview with BOSS magazine earlier this month, Mr Hand said […]
PromisePay’s a disruptive influence that has learned well
As some of the heat recedes from the bubbly global fintech sector, Melbourne-based payments disrupter PromisePay is among a select group of local start-ups with a rapidly deepening revenue stream, serious global prospects and an embarrassment of funding options. Sometime this year, PromisePay will start taking bids for a second round of funding. One of founder chief executive Simon Lee’s problems is that he can’t accommodate everyone who wants to clamber aboard the PromisePay bandwagon, which is why a $10 million cash-grab is likely to be upgraded to $30m-$40m. That way, PromisePay can flaunt its balance sheet to customers generally concerned about trust and stability, and lock in adequate funding […]
Reserve Bank says Australian dollars could come in digital form in future
Death of the cheque and the rise of Bitcoin? FinTech is certainly gaining momentum in Australia with the RBA hinting at digital dollars, or a form of Bitcoin, in the future is quite a possibility. It is entirely possible that Australian dollars will come in digital form in the future, breaking the link entirely between material notes and coins, the Reserve Bank says. In a speech where he also flagged the end of the cheque, Mr Richards said the RBA had been watching the growth in demand for privately-established virtual currencies like Bitcoin, and believed there was a place for a central-bank-issued digital currency in Australia. It thinks digital […]
How fintech is helping peer-to-peer lending disrupt the Big Four
When talking about fintech, the word disruptive is thrown around a lot. However, the two terms don’t go hand in hand. A company can create fintech without being disruptive, and a company can have disruptive ideas without the technology to back it. What makes a disruptive company? Is it simply operating in a technological industry? Is it being part of a business that produces an innovative product? Or is is something else? Looking at peer-to-peer (P2P) lenders, it’s tempting to consider the entire industry as “disruptive”. Peer-to-peer lenders link individuals willing to lend money with people seeking finance, using online platforms to create connections that would never exist […]
Samsung Pay goes with Amex first
The race for digital wallets is heating up in Australia and it’s great to have giants like Apple and Samsung battling it out. This can only mean one thing – great results and products for consumers! Samsung has confirmed it will join the re-boot of the digital wallet race in Australia in 2016, becoming the fourth country to get Samsung Pay after South Korea, the US and China.Like Apple Pay, Samsung will be going with American Express first and add other cards later. American Express payments have been available on Apple Pay since November. Bank issued Visa and MasterCard will initially only work on Android Pay, which is understood to […]
Why fintech’s herbivores are eating with banks
FinTech Herbivores & Carnivores – a great analogy for those wanting to disrupt and those wanting to co-exist in the financial sector. At FinovateEurope, a start-up pitchfest held in the Old Billingsgate Market Hall on the River Thames in London the week before last, new nomenclature emerged to describe the evolution of fintech disruption. Some of the 70 start-ups in attendance were classified as “carnivores” – disrupters wanting to kill traditional banks. But others were not seeking to attack. They were the “herbivores”. This fintech posse want to work with incumbents, who can provide real-world problems and customers to help the start-ups scale up. Ian Pollari, KPMG’s global co-head […]
