First State Super commits $250m to fintech
Speaking at Sydney fintech hub Stone & Chalk yesterday, Prime Minister Turnbull said the $250 million partnership between First State Super and H2 Ventures “recognises there has been an insufficient appetite to date for this type of risk in Australia”. “But that is changing. There is $2 trillion in superannuation assets. As we start to see more investors in innovative ventures we will see the fruits of that,” Mr Turnbull said. “We’ve seen this year an explosion in venture capital funding, with more than $400 million raised so far. “That’s expected to rise to $600 million by the end of this financial year. That’s the highest amount raised in seven […]
Banks back focus on technology skills, start-up investor tax incentives
A federal Liberal MP says the government is considering effectively abolishing capital gains tax for investments in very-early-stage companies. Federal Liberal MP David Coleman, a former technology entrepreneur and venture capital investor, says the government’s innovation statement is considering changes to the tax system to encourage investment in start-up companies and seek to lift technology skills. At a StartupWeek Sydney session on fintech hosted by The Australian Financial Review and Reinventure Group on Monday, Mr Coleman said he is talking to colleagues about the abolition of capital gains tax for investors in start-ups, a move that would deepen the pool of growth capital available for entrepreneurs. The government innovation statement, […]
Why these giant Chinese companies could destroy Australia’s fintech ambitions
Fintech companies are some of the hottest startups around right now. Incredibly, more than 20 are now valued over $US1 billion. Australian credit reference fintech, Veda, might get bought for $2.2 billion. The possibilities offered by fintech are enormous. Mobile payments, payment terminals, smart contracts, smart bonds, P2P lending and crowdsourcing are all examples of new technologies that pose a risk to core services provided by the financial establishment. This is why they want in. According to some, Australia has the potential to be a leader in the sector. Australian super funds are investing heavily, with First State Super launching its own venture capital platform just weeks after putting $110 […]
Stone & Chalk rides the fintech disruption wave
The launch for fintech hub Stone & Chalk was oversubscribed. By 7pm, 500 people had descended on the party, donning coloured T-shirts to signal where they belonged. Red T-shirts designated institutional sponsors, green was for resident start-ups, charcoal for friends, blue for government and pink for media (funny). The happiest people wore green. The 120 residents from 41 start-ups who had won the chance to work on a floor of the AMP Centre, found themselves regaled by bank chiefs, politicians, venture capitalists, accountancy heads, lobbyists and each other. The biggest boast was: “I used to be a banker.” And it was said by those in green, who hoped to disrupt […]
First State Super to expand VC platform
First State Super chief investment officer Richard Brandweiner spoke about his fund’s continuing investment in venture capital at the H2 Ventures Fintech Expo in Sydney yesterday. The $52 billion super fund announced a $110 million investment in technology venture capital firm Blackbird Ventures in September 2015 alongside Hostplus, which made a smaller contribution. Mr Brandweiner said he wants to build out a venture capital platform “triangle” within First State Super’s portfolio, with broad technology, fintech and ‘bio sciences’ at the corners. “Broad tech is the biggest area; fintech has great relevance for us as a retail financial services provider; and a large part of our membership is in the health […]
Accel Partners’ Rich Wong: Australian start-up sector now a global player
More fantastic news on the Australian FinTech industry, and this one line sums it up best – “Australia is now on the radar of tech investors globally” The local start-up sector is increasingly being recognised as a player in the global technology arena as competition for Australian companies heats up among international venture capital funds.Accel Partners’ Rich Wong has backed more local technology companies than any other US fund and has wryly welcomed the growing interest from fellow Silicon Valley-based funds. “Australia is now on the radar of tech investors globally,” Mr Wong told Fairfax Media in San Francisco. “It creates more competition for us and we’d like to keep […]
Super funds back biggest-ever Australian tech venture fund worth $200 million | afr.com
This is certainly great news for the Australian tech start-up industry. It also shows great faith in what is to come out of the Australian tech sector in the coming years. Leading entrepreneurs and two major superannuation funds will combine forces to launch Australia’s biggest-ever technology start-up venture capital fund, with more than $200 million set aside to back growing companies. The new fund will be managed by Blackbird Ventures and has been backed by 96 technology entrepreneurs including Atlassian co-founder Mike Cannon-Brookes, as well as two major superannuation funds, First State Super and Hostplus Super. It will target tech companies that would previously have headed overseas in search of […]
ANZ vows to take fight to fintech start-ups | The Australian
ANZ has hit back at suggestions that banks only innovate for short-term gains, declaring other industries should be worried about being put out of business by the banking sector. Meanwhile, Westpac chief Brian Hartzer said it was actually important for banks to not get too “mesmerised” by innovation and “inventing cool new stuff”, remembering that customers were at the heart of banking. Last week, Danny Gilligan, managing director of Reinventure Group, said banks and other financial services players would struggle to battle disruptive “fintech” start-ups because their pay packets and investment policies were short-term focused. Source: ANZ vows to take fight to fintech start-ups | The Australian
