The Commonwealth Bank (CBA) has paid $792,000 in penalties following action by he ACCC over breaches of the Consumer Data Right (CDR). It’s the second time in six months that a major bank has been busted for dragging its feet over CDR, also known as open banking, which launched in Australia 5.5 years ago. NAB… Read more »
Fintech entrepreneur and investor Dom Pym and his fintech-focused venture fund Triple Bubble have forged a strategic partnership Commonwealth Bank’s venture-scaling arm x15ventures to support and scale Australia’s financial technology ecosystem. The partnership includes an investment, exploration of new fintech opportunities using x15’s bank-safe venture stack, and the development of a mutual mentorship and talent exchange program… Read more »
The Commonwealth Bank (CBA) has sold a small stake in Swedish buy-now-pay-later fintech Klarna, worth around $100 million, as it lists in the US at more than 2x the price CBA paid for it 5 years ago. Klarna listed at US$40, higher than the expected $35-37 price, on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) overnight,… Read more »
If, like this writer, you’ve had time on your hands, felt mischievous and decided to take on scammers with a meandering conversation to slow them down, you’re going to love what a Sydney startup is doing with Australia’s biggest bank. Sydney cyber-intelligence startup Apate.ai has teamed up with the CommBank to create AI-powered “victim bots”… Read more »
The Commonwealth Bank’s venture-scaling arm, x15ventures, has chosen a US-based data change management platform, Gable, as winner of its annual Xccelerate program. The startup has secured a SAFE Note investment and is actively exploring multiple partnership opportunities with CommBank. The three other finalists -vUS-based Cleric, local AI fintech Dragonfly Thinking and Eidiex – are also… Read more »
The Commonwealth Bank (CBA) will test a generative AI-based chatbot that could replace its call centre staff as part of Australia’s largest financial institution’s expanded use of AI technology. On Tuesday, CBA announced it would become the first Australian company to use Amazon Web Services’ (AWS) P5s, which are based on Nvidia computer chips supporting… Read more »
Little Birdie, the online retail marketplace developed by Catch founders Gabby and Hezi Leibovich, and backed with $30 million in pre-Seed funding from the Commonwealth Bank, has shut down. In an email sent to customers just after 5pm on Friday, May 17, the company said the retail product price comparison site has “paused operations”. “For… Read more »
Small business invoice lender Waddle is getting new parents, with the Commonwealth Bank taking the fintech off Xero’s hands, three years after the ASX-listed accounting platform acquired the Sydney scaleup in an $80 million deal. Waddle, co-founded in 2014 by Simon Creighton and Nathan Andrews, makes it easier for banks and fintechs to lend to… Read more »
A Sydney venture fund that co-led agtech startup Loam Bio’s huge $105 million round, has raised $220 million in a Series A. Sydney-based Wollemi Capital, founded in 2021, is the brainchild of former Macquarie Capital boss Tim Bishop and Boston Consulting Group’s Asian venture exec Paul Hunyor. The pair set out to raise $100 million,… Read more »
The Commonwealth Bank’s venture-scaling arm, x15ventures, is on the hunt for startups focused on net-zero carbon emissions for its 2023 cohort. Applications opened today, July 17, for x15’s annual Xccelerate program, which develops early-stage startups develop their ideas for corporate partnership. This year’s Xccelerate investment thesis is “helping advance Australia’s transition to net zero” and… Read more »
The Commonwealth Bank (CBA) and Telstra have launched a pilot program to see if they can improve protection from phone scams, via an API. They’ve call the Telstra API Scam Indicator. It’s currently at proof-of-concept stage and to be piloted over the next few months. Early simulation results suggest it can help detect and prevent… Read more »
The Commonwealth Bank has launched its third technology hub around Australia this year, teaming up with Queensland educators to set up shop in Brisbane’s CBD. CBA has partnered with The University of Queensland (UQ), Queensland University of Technology (QUT) and TAFE Queensland, to offer students and graduates the chance to join CBA’s Tech Associates and… Read more »
Commonwealth Bank-backed fintech Klarna’s Australian foray is starting to look like a disaster for the Swedish buy now pay later startup. Banking Day reports that just two years after its launch, an EY audit of Klarna Australia’s CY2021 performance reveals a net loss of $56 million, with revenue falling 71% on its first year of… Read more »
Sydney fintech Paytron has won the Xccelerate 2022 run by the Commonwealth Bank’s x15ventures, landing a $250,000 SAFE note. Paytron, a full-suite workflows and spend management platform, was chosen from four finalists focus on payments, including Cape, Persollo and YouPay, pitching to the investment committee last night. The deal with x15ventures gives the fintech access… Read more »
The Commonwealth Bank’s venture-scaling arm, x15ventures, has revamped its accelerator program, Xccelerate, and is now on the hunt for five early-stage fintech startups to back. While the three previous iterations of Xccelerate have seen x15ventures choose an winner ultimate winner to back – givvable and OwnHome in 2020, and Splashup last year – this time… Read more »
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