Melbourne fintechs rival Sydney, but help needed
Melbourne peer-to-peer lender MoneyPlace has identified a rash of new fintechs that have started up in the city in the past five years, but argues they in danger of being lured offshore without government help. The first survey of Melbourne’s fintech scene by the lender’s founder Stuart Stoyan has uncovered more than 500 people being employed by 52 companies – three-quarters of which are less than two years old. KPMG released a study of fintechs in Australia in late 2014. It identified 950 start-up businesses in Sydney and about 350 in Melbourne. It has no exact figures for what proportion are fintechs, but estimated there are at least 150 based […]
Fintech 100 is looking for the next global fintech innovators
Nominations are open for inclusion in the ‘Fintech 100’ list, which will recognise leading fintech innovators from around the world. The list is being compiled by Australian-based fintech investment firm, H2 Ventures in collaboration with KPMG International’s global fintech practice. Fintech Innovators was established to analyse the fintech space globally. The Fintech 100 will include both the leading 50 established fintechs, and the most intriguing 50 ‘emerging stars,’ expanding on the success of last year’s ‘50 Best Fintech Innovators of 2014’ list. Source: Fintech 100 is looking for the next global fintech innovators
PromisePay to propel payments for Airtasker start-up | The Australian
Australian online marketplace start-up Airtasker has recruited Westpac-backed fintech firm PromisePay to power its transactions. PromisePay, which recently secured funding from Westpac’s Reinventure Fund, as well as 99 designs co-founder Mark Harbottle, Australian venture capital firm Rampersand and US fintech venture capitalists Cultivation Capital, works with marketplaces and on-demand platforms in the US and Australia to manage their payment requirements. The start-up’s chief executive, Simon Lee, said PromisePay’s fundamental point of difference was trust. “What we do is, the money never touches the marketplace’s account,” he said. “The only money that ever touches the marketplace is accountancy fees. So, specifically in our contract, we make the marketplace a broker of […]
INDX.GURU is the latest fintech startup looking to decode the stock market and be a champion for everyday investors
From Simply Wall St to Stockspot and StockLight to FirstStep, many Australian startups have emerged in the past few years attempting to decode the stock market, make it more accessible to investors of all ages and experience levels and offer an alternative option to paying financial advisors exorbitant fees to manage investment portfolios. The latest market entrant is Sydney-based INDX.GURU. In similar spirit to its predecessors, INDX.GURU wants to be the fourth estate of the stock market industry, bringing much-needed transparency to an industry rife with jargon that’s indecipherable to the average investor, and using technology to empower self-directed investors to manage their own investment portfolios. Founded by John Atkinson […]
Fintech firm GetCapital ties up with China’s Alibaba | The Australian
In its last financial year, Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba generated $US394 billion ($537bn) of transactions on its platforms as businesses around the world sourced and sold a bewildering range of goods. It is the sort of number that has not been missed by the swarm of new fintech (financial technology) companies scouring for partners to increase the number of customers. After flying under the radar since its formation in early 2013, GetCapital, a fintech that lends to small businesses, will today unveil a deal with Alibaba in which Australian importers and exporters can get finance on the platform. The company hopes to help businesses that struggle to get working capital […]
H2 Ventures and KPMG call for established and emerging startups to nominate for the FinTech 100 list – Startup Daily
Australian FinTech-focused investment firm H2 Ventures and KPMG are calling on local fintech startups to nominate themselves for the global FinTech 100 list, which will celebrate 50 established startups and 50 ’emerging stars’, or undiscovered companies. The established startups will be ranked according to criteria including total capital raised, rate of capital raising, and location and degree of sub-industry disruption, as well as the judging panel’s ratings on the degree of product, service, customer experience, and business model innovation. Given global fintech investment tripled in 2014, it’s clear there’s a huge number of startups doing interesting things in the space. Last year’s inaugural 50 Best FinTech Innovators of 2014 list […]
Follow RateSetter’s pace on transparency, and other ways fintech lenders can win bank share
This article is one of the reasons AustralianFintech.com.au exists – to make more Australians aware of FinTech products & companies, and how these FinTech products can help everyday people and businesses alike. Small business owners seem largely unaware of who fintech lenders are and what they do. In a survey conducted by business banking research company East & Partners, business owners were asked “what companies do you think of first in the area of fintech?” Thirty-nine per cent of SMEs (turnover less than $20m) couldn’t think of anyone. Of those who could, the majority nominated cloud computing companies Xero and Quickbooks, EFTPOS providers Mint Payments and FX providers HiFX and […]
Preference for digital payments makes Australian banking ripe for fintech disrupters
Australian consumers’ love of contactless payments has helped push the country up global rankings that measure the use of non-cash payments across the world. Australia had the fourth-highest number of non-cash payments per person in the world, the report by consultancy Capgemini and bank RBS said. There were more than 300 non-cash transactions per person a year, the report said, putting Australia behind only Finland, the United States and the Netherlands. This is an increased from a few years ago, when Australia was ranked sixth in the report, and the rise reflects strong growth in digital payments for smaller purchases, where “tap and go” services on credit and debit cards […]
