Today
NRMA to offer home loans funded by Bendigo Bank
Like Qantas, the IAG-owned insurer will distribute mortgages to its customers via an origination platform created by fintech Tic:Toc, funded by Bendigo Bank.
- James Eyers
This Month
NAB says AI will cut the drudgery for its bankers
The bank is working with Microsoft to embed AI into its 365 software, which bankers use for emails and presentations. It is also using AWS and Databricks.
- James Eyers
Tokenisation of real-world assets is the killer app for crypto
What if crypto was not only a speculative asset class but a new technology stack for financial markets?
- James Eyers and Jessica Sier
BofA kicks off $531m Cuscal IPO bookbuild; pricing out
The end-to-end payments outfit is expected to list on the Australia Securities Exchange by late November.
- Sarah Thompson, Kanika Sood and Emma Rapaport
How crypto is forcing banks, funds towards new digital asset markets
The market cap of cryptocurrencies is $1 trillion. But real-world assets are valued at $800 trillion. How much could be “tokenised” onto blockchains to create efficiencies?
- James Eyers
New RBA powers to regulate Apple, Google payments
The Albanese government will release draft legislation on Wednesday to allow the RBA to regulate Apple Pay and Google Pay like other payment services.
- James Eyers
Float hopeful Cuscal reveals revenue and cost growth ahead of roadshow
As investor meetings for a planned November IPO kick off next week, Cuscal’s annual report provides a snapshot of the payment company’s growth and challenges.
- James Eyers
Inside the ultra-high-pressure world of Airwallex
The Australian payments giant grew out of a Melbourne coffee shop almost a decade ago and became a global player. But is it ready for prime time?
- Lucas Baird and Jonathan Shapiro
September
Financial services elephants need the little guys
Innovation is hard for banks because of their size and scale. But it hasn’t eliminated the need to be agile, if anything it’s made it more necessary.
- Ayesha de Kretser
Fintech MitchCap raises $15m, suspends IPO plans
The specialist non-bank distribution financier has found new financing, which will help keep the business private for at least two years.
- Sarah Thompson, Kanika Sood and Emma Rapaport
- Opinion
- Chanticleer
Payments IPO Cuscal is not what you expect from a fintech
Tech floats are the story of the week in capital markets. One is readying for an ASX-listing worth as much as $600 million, but it is not your typical tech IPO.
- Anthony Macdonald
Fintech Upstreet throws in the towel
The fintech is backed by a host of Australian venture capital funds including Antler.
- Sarah Thompson, Kanika Sood and Emma Rapaport
Jobs go after restructure at Blackbird Ventures-backed Carted
The company bagged $US10 million from investors including Mike Cannon-Brookes’ private Grok Ventures in May 2021 in one of Australia’s largest-ever seed rounds.
- Sarah Thompson, Kanika Sood and Emma Rapaport
August
Treasury considers an end to bank account password sharing
A consultation paper has asked fintech start-ups and banks to describe the impact of banning screen scraping and whether the CDR is ready to replace it.
- James Eyers
Once valued at $500m, Till Payments is teetering on the brink
It had Will Vicars to Bruce Mathieson, Nick Politis and Craig Laundy as investors. But the company has been finding it hard to become profitable.
- Lucas Baird
Bitcoin jumps as court ruling may unlock billions
Crypto enthusiasts celebrated on Wednesday after a landmark decision paved the way for more investors to buy into the world’s largest digital currency.
- Tom Richardson
Wisr’s largest shareholder a lucky seller
On the day non-bank lender Wisr posted revenue growth of 55 per cent, the just-ousted CEO who secured this result entered a not-guilty plea.
- Myriam Robin
Wisr’s sacked chief denied bail
Listed fintech Wisr has in the past week sacked its CEO and had its chairman temporarily recuse himself due to his “familial relationship” with said CEO.
- Myriam Robin
CBA ready to launch its challenger to Stripe
The bank will launch its Powerboard payment system next month, a core part of its strategy to fend off US fintech Stripe and protect the data it uses for lending.
- James Eyers
ANZ debuts chatbot to experiment with AI
Z-GPT is ANZ’s latest software development tool, created in its new AI Centre of Experimentation in India, which is developing AI use cases across the bank.
- James Eyers
