Meet eight fintechs changing financial services
When you have just seven minutes to sell your idea as the next big thing to change banking and investment, every moment counts. Thirty of the country’s best fintechs are pitching to a room full of 160-plus bankers, brokers and venture capitalists at the Grand Hyatt ballroom in Melbourne, where their story, business plan and even looks are all being judged. From payments to wealth management, peer-to-peer lending and crowd funding, fintech start-ups are taking aim at the heart of the financial services industry and a pot of revenues that Goldman Sachs estimates at $4.7 trillion. The banks are all vying for a stake in these disrupters before they join […]
Budget 2016: Innovation surprises in budget papers
Entrepreneurs developing fintech companies will get a leg up from a new program in association with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, which will allow ideas to be tested with a limited number of retail clients for up to six months. These road tests in a “regulatory sandbox” will have prescribed investment limits. Australia will be promoted as a fintech destination in a government funded marketing campaign costing $200,000 next financial year. The government has also called for feedback on the best way to ensure fintech start-up activities are eligible for the venture capital tax concessions. Blockchain, the distributed ledger technology, will be the subject of a review by Data61 […]
Artificial Intelligence, Algo-Banking, Blockchain, Cryptocurrencies and Robo-Advice Form Growth of Australian FinTech Market
Fintech is a disrupting force and a decentralising movement in the financial services sector. Fintech’s apply information technologies and modern internet protocols for data exchange, and deliver financial services using data storage, data analysis algorithms, or personal telecommunication devices. Digital ecosystems are fundamental to the success of both Fintech and traditional banks. Frost & Sullivan’s study, Fintech in Australia – Trends, Forecasts and Analysis 2015 – 2020 defines and focuses on the growth and challenges of the Australian Fintech sectors’ three market segments; Digital Payments, Personal and Business Finance, and Financial Infrastructure and Data Analysis. Each segment relies on its own set of digital technologies. Digital Payments Digital Payments are […]
The CSIRO is exploring Bitcoin’s blockchain technology
Announced as part of the 2016 federal budget, the government will be encouraging its agencies as well as private companies to explore blockchain technology. The government’s downsized CSIRO research body Data61 will lead the country’s blockchain development. “The Government will encourage the exploration of Blockchain technology, including through a study and pilot testing by the CSIRO’s Data61,” it said in the budget. “The benefits of this technology could be profound — extending right across our economy. We are looking to position Australia as a leading global player in this exciting new area,” treasurer Scott Morrison added. New changes to the GST will also make sure that consumers are no longer […]
Blockchain technology to impact financial services sector
Blockchain technology has the potential to improve client’s end-to-end experience but the legal profession must consider its regulation, according to Norton Rose Fulbright lawyers. Nick Abrahams, APAC head of technology and innovation, told those gathered at Norton Rose Fulbright’s Unlocking the Blockchain event last week that “Blockchain will radically impact the financial services sector”. Mr Abrahams – along with Norton Rose Fulbright consultant Tessa Hoser and senior representatives from ASIC, CBA and the ASX – were part of a panel discussion about blockchain technology and regulation at the event. The session focused on the potential applications of blockchain and distributed ledger technology, and the key legal and regulatory considerations for […]
The fintech phenomenon: Do Aussies only want to borrow from banks?
Marketplace lending, online business loans, robo-advice, blockchain – none of it means anything without consumers. So what do Aussies think of fintech? The threatening, disrupting nature of fintech is a widely discussed topic, with consumer benefits often being the focus. However, what’s interesting is that in the push to get companies, ideas and funding across the line, the actual customer — whether they’re a borrower, investor or seeker of advice — often gets left behind. Robert Allen, director of payments technology and consulting at PwCm spoke about what’s driving fintech at a Fintech Sydney event this week. “Fintech is being pushed forward by a new way of thinking, by millennials, […]
Blockchain technology – why all the hype?
As one of the most talked about emerging technologies, some say blockchain technology could revolutionize everything from stock exchange settlements and transport logistics to voting or welfare payments. So what is it and why is it relevant to financial advisers? Internationally, the benefits and wide range of possible uses for blockchain technology have been touted for a couple of years now. Within Australia, it’s gained some ground after a recent Australian Securities Exchange decision to examine its use for a new clearing and settlement system that’s faster and cheaper than the existing CHESS system. To enable this effort, the ASX bought a five per cent stake ($14.9 million) in Blythe […]
Blockchain technology to hit bank profits
Revolutionary blockchain technology threatens to slash the profits of banks and wipe out lenders which fail to quickly adopt the online record-keeping innovation, a high-powered panel of finance and technology experts warned. Jose Fernandez Da Ponte, global digital business executive at Spanish banking giant BBVA, said digital disruption to financial institutions by blockchain posed “extremely large” threats and opportunities. “Those institutions not up to that are likely to cease to exist,” he said at a conference in Washington. At a panel convened by the International Monetary Fund, financiers, technologists and regulators debated the ramifications of the evolving blockchain. IMF deputy managing director David Lipton said banks and regulators were grappling […]
