CoAssets to crowdfund small and medium developers
Crowdfunding platform CoAssets plans to help financing small and medium-sized property developers who have been hit by tightening lending conditions, as it prepares to list on the Australian Securities Exchange this month. Founded in Singapore three years ago, CoAssets has grown to be the biggest crowdfunding player in Southeast Asia with more than 50,000 users. The company acts as an online platform to connect lenders to companies seeking alternative financing. The company, with its Australian base in Perth, sees a gap in the market with major banks tightening lending to developers, particularly smaller ones, executive director Dan Smith told The Australian. “We are starting to see numerous inquiries on a […]
VentureCrowd stakes its claim as alternative investment option
Local equity-based crowd-funding platform VentureCrowd and residential property developer Clearstate have closed a second funding round, giving more than 50 investors 49 per cent equity of a development site in western Sydney. VentureCrowd’s crowd-funding platform allows investors to buy equity of a property development before it’s subdivided and sold, and former Credit Suisse adviser Mitchell Hopwood said he invested through his self-managed superannuation portfolio as an alternative to a listed property fund. “The Austral opportunity provided a relatively high, short-term return in a bite-size, easily understandable transaction that is fairly de-risked from an investment perspective,” he said. Mr Hopwood said the crowd-funding platform, believed to be the first of its […]
Westpac puts another $50 million into Reinventure
Westpac Banking Corp has doubled its exposure to venture capital, investing a further $50 million into a second fund to be managed by Reinventure Group to invest in fintech start-ups including those which could potentially disrupt the bank. The closure of Reinventure’s $50 million Fund 2 reflects Westpac’s belief that technology is reshaping financial markets and that the bank should hold equity stakes in a selection of potential disrupters as a defence mechanism to potential disintermediation. It also shows how Westpac wants to improve the experiences of its customers by developing relationships with start-ups. The second fund will be managed by Simon Cant and Danny Gilligan, the co-founders of Reinventure […]
FINCAST has secured a pilot programme with OCBC
Australian headquartered Fintech start-up, FINCAST, has secured a pilot programme with Singaporean headquartered Asian bank OCBC as its first deal. Managing Director and Co-Founder, Andrew Connors, commented, “the appetite for and commitment to innovation by Asian banks means the Australian big four banks are being left behind. Major Asian banks like OCBC aren’t just kicking the tyres on new technologies that will advance their business, they are firmly focussed on having a first-mover advantage by utilising technology”. “We are still hopeful that early adopters of our technology will include an Australian bank or corporate partner of our home, the Stone & Chalk Fintech hub”. The pilot between FINCAST […]
Equip launches pilot program for Equip MyMoney robo investment service
Equip is piloting its robo investment service, branded Equip MyMoney, with a select group of members, with release to all members planned by the end of the month. Equip MyMoney is the fund’s custom-built superannuation version of Clover.com.au’s automated investment service and will help members make the right choice from the fund’s existing investment options based on their risk profile. This is calculated from user responses to a short series of questions. Equip’s Executive Officer, Member Relationships, Justin Sadler, said: “Equip MyMoney will be a quantum leap forward in the online experience and capability available to our members, and reflects our commitment to on-going development of our financial education and […]
Rubik joins forces with Class
Rubik Financial Limited (ASX: RFL), a leading fintech company delivering innovative banking, wealth and mortgage solutions to the financial services industry, has partnered with Class Super Pty Ltd, to provide advice technology for accountants who are limited licence holders. The partnership is a timely one given the change to regulation as part of the FOFA reforms which came into effect on 1 July requiring accountants to obtain the newly created ‘limited’ AFS licence in order to continue giving advice to their clients about SMSFs. According to Rubik CEO, Iain Dunstan, “As part of Rubik’s omni-channel offering, the Provisio module is perfectly suited to accountants because of its ease of use […]
Fintech platform revenues set for massive rise: Juniper
Fintech platform revenues for unsecured consumer loans issued using machine learning technology are set to jump by a whopping 960% globally over the next six years, according to new research from Juniper. According to the latest report on the worldwide Fintech market from Juniper Research, revenues will rise to US$17 billion by 2021, with spending advancing rapidly due to the highly data-driven nature of the market, “meaning that AI integration is likely to spell substantial benefits”. Juniper says that until recently, machine learning was too expensive and computationally time-intensive to break into the mainstream, while access to extensive data sets for algorithm training were limited. Research author Steffen Sorrell says […]
FinTech Solutions For Enhanced Income and Economic Growth
Small business plays an important role in innovation and employment, so financial mechanisms that make it easier for small business to grow must be welcomed. P2P Business Lenders are intent on improving small business financing options by connecting investors (i.e. lenders) with a choice of loans in a digital market place. Much like an eBay for small business loans or a match making market. P2P Business Lending is about using technology to make what was once unviable, viable. This article looks at emerging innovators ThinCats and True Pillars as a source of funding for small businesses and enhanced income for professionally managed SMSFs. Technology Makes Small Loans Affordable Small business […]
