UBS invests big in blockchain future
Global investment bank UBS is throwing its resources behind the blockchain’s transformative potential, investigating a range of applications such as smart bonds, cross border payment transactions on the distributed ledger and a digital representation of physical currency. In 2015 the bank opened an innovation lab designed to explore how the blockchain could be used by the financial services sector and how it would disrupt traditional banking models. Now its research will turn into reality. UBS group chief operating officer Axel Lehmann told The Australian Financial Review the blockchain could be “the next internet” in terms of its potential, but there were still questions to be answered. “We don’t want to […]
finder.com.au launches inaugural Innovation Awards
finder.com.au launches national awards to celebrate excellence in innovation Entry deadline is Friday 7 October 2016 Winners to be announced at event in Sydney on Thursday 10 November 2016 Australia’s most visited comparison website, finder.com.au, is inviting Australian businesses to celebrate their groundbreaking achievements of 2016 by entering the inaugural Finder Innovation Awards. Featuring seven categories, the Awards are designed to celebrate excellence, creativity and revolution in the technology, retail, insurance and financial markets, with winners to be revealed at a Sydney ceremony in November. Fred Schebesta, co-founder and director of finder.com.au, says the Awards are about providing industry recognition and raising awareness of the achievements of technological and financial innovators in Australia. “It […]
Macquarie and broking firms unite to launch fintech platform
Macquarie Business Banking and four commercial broking firms have joined together to launch a “first-to-market” technology platform that could “revolutionise commercial broking in Australia”. Allfin Financial Services, BKK Finance, Heritage Property Finance and Stamford Capital have joined Macquarie Business Banking to form Kubio, a group that provides a cloud-based business origination platform “built from the ground up by brokers, for brokers”. The mobile-optimised platform aims to provide brokers with “flexible and fast solutions” to drive back-office efficiencies, such as the ability to monitor and track deal flow and boost comprehensive reporting. It is available to all commercial lenders irrespective of whether loans are placed with Macquarie. The fintech platform provides […]
Perth firm claims to have created first Australian blockchain
Perth company Ledger Assets says it has created the first Australian blockchain and slashed the amount of energy used by the revolutionary technology. Blockchain technology underpins the bitcoin virtual currency and a worldwide race is on to find other uses in areas from stock exchange settlements and financial transactions to medical records and art, energy and wine trading. Ledger Assets’ blockchain is already supporting another Perth startup – Power Ledger – which is trialling peer-to-peer trading of surplus household solar power which has the potential to further disrupt the centralised power grid. Ledger Assets is also exploring further opportunities in the arts, medical records and insurance sectors using its pioneering […]
Blockchain power trading platform to rival batteries
A Perth startup will begin trials of consumer-to-consumer electricity trading this month using Blockchain technology – a small but potentially seismic step towards a future energy system. Perth company Power Ledger has teamed up with Ledger Assets – Australia’s largest blockchain company – to conduct trials aimed at devising business models for peer-to-peer energy trading. This could cut out the middleman – the energy retailer – and help households and firms get more out of their rooftop solar panels and storage batteries. People without solar panels could also buy solar power cheaply from neighbours. Power Ledger combines the revolution in decentralised renewable energy and batteries with blockchain to develop business […]
The fintechs targeting SMEs
Fintech companies have increasingly started targeting SMEs looking for ways to finance their businesses, but fintechs shouldn’t expect a revolution without a few setbacks. At least, that’s the view of some of the industry’s own experts and participants. With the market having had a few years to run its course, digital lenders, payment platforms and other financial technology firms have been given a warning: change, or face extinction. The changing face of fintech In lieu of more banking alternatives, fintech companies have increasingly started targeting more specific niches. It’s these businesses – not just those offering simple loans – that will end up surviving a glut of entrants, experts say. […]
Trov continues to attract Silicon Valley’s most talented
Trov, the revolutionary on-demand insurance platform, continues to bolster its core team through the appointment in July 2016 of Neil Sands – previously Salesforce’s Ignite Chief Experience Officer (CXO) – as its Head of Global Partnerships. In his role at Trōv, Sands will be responsible for the expansion of the company’s non-insurance partner eco-system: creating engagement with points of sale (POS), as well as developing other types of retail and brand partnerships. Throughout his years at Salesforce, Sands oversaw the expansion of Salesforce’s enterprise innovation team Ignite, during which time Salesforce won Forbes’ Most Innovative Company four years running, working exclusively with Fortune 500 companies. Sands is the […]
Financial Leaders share their strategies to maintain their edge in the new era of Lending
Next Generation Lending 2016 16-18 August | Radisson Blu Hotel Sydney Australia is experiencing phenomenal growth in FinTech, with its alternative finance market growing by 320 per cent in 2015. With the industry’s wealth of talent and investment, it has successfully engaged the government and the regulator, ASIC to actively work together to promote innovation and digital disruption in financial services. So how is this evolving financial ‘revolution’ changing the traditional lending business model, who has the competitive edge and how is the industry benefitting as a whole? The 2nd annual Next Generation Lending conference, taking place in Sydney this August, will provide an in-depth look at how new […]
