SuiteBox appoints CTO to drive ongoing innovation
SuiteBox, the mobile office solution for professionals, has appointed Isaac Young as Chief Technology Officer. Mr Young will be tasked with driving ongoing innovation and enhancements to the SuiteBox platform and to lead the company’s integration projects with large channel partners. Ian Dunbar, SuiteBox CEO, said: “I’m delighted that Isaac has agreed to join SuiteBox. Isaac will be responsible for ensuring the SuiteBox platform is robust and scalable, and that the software keeps pace with growing demands from financial service professionals. It is a key strategy of ours to bring on channel partners through which the SuiteBox offering can be deployed to large groups of financial advisers. Isaac’s global […]
ThinkForex rebrands to ThinkMarkets and launches ThinkTrader
ThinkForex, the leading provider of financial derivatives trading, has rebranded to ThinkMarkets and has launched ThinkTrader, its own multi-asset trading platform. With several thousand clients around the world – the new brand represents ThinkMarket’s ambition to become the world’s largest provider of foreign exchange, contracts for difference and spread bets. Essential to this development is maintaining ThinkMarket’s core values of offering its clients sophisticated but simple to use trading mechanisms, supported by high quality educational material and advanced analysis. The launch of ThinkTrader is integral to this progress. Based on the firm’s history of innovation, security and reliability, ThinkTrader was built entirely in-house and offers traders access to: Intuitive user […]
ANZ CEO Shayne Elliott says digital wallets may displace plastic cards in less than a decade
Digital wallets could take over from plastic credit and debit cards in less than a decade, as consumers become more comfortable making purchases on smart phones, ANZ chief executive Shayne Elliott predicts. Google on Thursday launched its Android Pay system in Australia, which will allow consumers to use their smart phones for payments wherever contactless card payments are accepted, and to make purchases within apps. ANZ is the first Big Four bank to offer the service to its customers, and Mr Elliott anticipates it won’t be long before payments on smart phones overtake those using plastic cards. Digital wallet offerings from banks started to emerge a couple of years ago […]
EY to partner with fintech hub Stone & Chalk
Ernst & Young (EY) has today announced a corporate partnership with Sydney fintech hub Stone & Chalk. The aim of the partnership is to provide professional advice, support and experience to Stone & Chalk’s startup members. EY’s fintech leader for Australia Anita Kimber explained the importance of getting involved with the fintech community at a grassroots level. “There are obvious synergies in linking innovative fintech startups with larger corporates, particularly given the appetite for new partnerships and M&A,” she said. “There is a massive opportunity here for Australian fintech entrepreneurs to be at the forefront of this trend, but they need access to global markets to reach their next stage […]
Google launches Android Pay in Australia
Google has today announced the launch of its contactless smartphone payment system Android Pay in Australia, providing a new way to pay for just about anything without needing to grab your wallet. “We truly believe that we’re at a tipping point in Australia, where we can get mass adoption of mobile payments”, Google’s senior director of product management Pali Bhat tells Fairfax Media, noting that 60 per cent of Australians already make payments with a contactless card. Mobile payment solutions for phones are already offered by Apple, Samsung and some individual banks, but Google believes Android Pay differentiates itself with its ease of use. Because the system is baked directly […]
The Invoice Market sees significant changes in the industry as having both positive and negative impacts
Peer-to-peer alternative financier, The Invoice Market (tim), reached a notable milestone recently, celebrating two years since it helped its first business client cash flow a batch of invoices to the value of $968,340. As one of the earlier entrants to offer flexible invoice funding, the company has seen significant changes, both positive and negative, in the industry over this time. “From funding our first client, a fresh produce supplier, tim has built a strong business supporting SMEs where the traditional funders are unwilling or unable to do so. And, in remaining focused on our core objective, we have now provided funding to over 100 Australian businesses, making tim a […]
The 14 Australian fintech startups chosen for KPMG’s new accelerator program
KPMG Australia today launched mLabs, an accelerator to connect credit unions and mutual banks with some of Australia’s most promising fintech startups. The program follows the successful Energise accelerator run for the energy and natural resources sector last year. The program will initially be used by seven Australian mutual banks and credit unions: Beyond Bank, CUA, Greater Bank, Heritage, IMB Bank, Police Bank and Teachers Mutual Bank. The KPMG Mutuals Review 2015 found that mutuals are well placed to implement new technologies and ideas and to collaborate with fintech startups. “KPMG mLabs is designed to catalyse this process,” says James Mabbott, head of KPMG innovate. “It will be a platform […]
Fintech startup Edstart launches platform to help parents pay for private school fees
Fintech startup Edstart launched a new lending platform last week to help Australian parents manage the cost of private school fees. The private school market is the first of many education sectors the company is looking to target, offering low-cost, customised loan packages to make paying education fees simple and easy. The loans help parents to spread out the cost of school fees over the period of tuition and beyond, allowing 6 years of high school to be paid over 10 years or more. Co-Founder and CEO Jack Stevens said the company’s focus from day one has been on solving for customer pain points. “Over 35% […]
