ASX-listed payments platform Tryo (ASX: TYR) is spending $22.5 million to acquire NAB-backed digital health payment startup Medipass Solutions The deal gives an exit for the four-year-old Melbourne-based startup’s key investor, NAB Ventures. Founder Peter Williams and CEO Jonathan Davey will also sell their stakes, in the 100% acquisition by Tyro, but will remain with… Read more »
It’s arguable that 2020 was the hardest year that our emerging fintech sector ever faced. But as we all know, adversity breeds innovation. And nowhere was that more apparent than in the entries for this year’s Finnie Award submissions. We received a record 290 entries across 20 categories. Overall, the calibre of submissions was outstanding.… Read more »
Brisbane fintech EML Payments (ASX: EML) has released a white-label digital wallet giving lenders and other fintechs great access to Open Banking as part of the Consumer Data Right. The digital wallet, Nuapay, combines Open Banking with personal finance management and payments in a customisable solution digital solution, in a partnership with fellow fintech Frollo.… Read more »
Robo-advisor Unhedged has raised $500,000 in a pre-seed round ahead of the release of the fintech’s investor app. The round was backed by Canadian venture capital firm Loyal VC, plus 18 individual investors, predominantly through founder Peter Bakker’s MBA network. The raise is being used to build the headcount, as well as enabling the team… Read more »
Melbourne fintech Thrives, a banking, accounting, tax and lending platform for small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs), is putting together a customer advisory board (CAB) and plans to pay the people taking part in company shares in return for a 12-month commitment. CEO Michael Nuciforo said they looking for a range of business owners, who’ll meet monthly and… Read more »
Zip Co. (ASX: Z1P) has raised another A$400 million via a seven-year unsecured convertible notes to fund its international expansion plans. The not-yet profitable BNPL’s latest raise follows a similar $1.5 billion raise by Afterpay (ASX: APT) via convertible notes due in 2026. Co-founder and COO Peter Gray said they were “very pleased with the… Read more »
The journey for Melbourne fintech Assembly Payments is set to end with the company being merged into Ireland-based cross-border payments platform CurrencyFair by one of the company’s key backers Standard Chartered. The British banking multinational launched a Singapore-based joint venture digital payments company with Assembly Payments in early 2020. Standard Chartered said the merger was… Read more »
Shares in Australian fintech EML Payments (ASX: EML) jumped 5.8% today on news that it would acquire Irish open-banking platform Sentenial for €70 million (A$108.6m), plus an earn-out component of up to €40 million (A$62.1m). Sentenial, and its Open Banking brand Nuapay, operate in Europe via more than 1,750 banks, processing €45 billion in payments… Read more »
Entries for Fintech Australia’s annual Finnie Awards are closing in less than two weeks on March 30. There are now 20 categories in total, including the Excellence in Open Data award, for how companies are managing and controlling their data, and a Hall of Fame award to commemorate a company that has made a lasting… Read more »
Australia’s biggest bank will take on fintech powerhouses such as Afterpay, Zip and Sezzle by launching its own Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) product within months. The Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) will offer its own BNPL product to CBA customers from mid-2021 to use anywhere Mastercard payments are accepted. The move will be CBA’s… Read more »
Sydney regtech startup Adatree has been approved to take part in Australia’s open banking system as Accredited Data Recipient (ADR) for the Consumer Data Right (CDR). It’s the first early-stage startup accredited and the first ADR with a female CEO, Jill Berry. Adatree helps fintechs gain access to open banking, offering of a scalable technology… Read more »
Commonwealth Bank-backed Swedish bank and payments fintech Klarna has raised US$1 billion (A$1.3bn) in a fresh equity round from new and existing investors that gives values the business at an astonishing US$31 billion (A$40bn). That new valuation is a 200% jump on just six months ago, and a rise of nearly 500% on the US$5.5bn… Read more »
Xinja is no longer a neobank. Despite last minute efforts by a group of the company’s shareholders pushing for the fintech to keep its banking licence, after it was the startup’s most valuable asset, the financial regulator, the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) revoked Xinja’s licence as an authorised deposit-taking institution (ADI) on Friday. The… Read more »
One of Australia’s original fintechs, SocietyOne, the peer-to-peer lending marketplace, has joined Afterpay on Westpac’s new digital banking services platform, 10X. Westpac’s digital banking services will be available to SocietyOne customers in the second half of 2021, and the bank has been backing the fintech since 2014 through its VC fund, Reinventure. In October last… Read more »
Thrive, a Melbourne-based fintech using artificial intelligence to automate banking, accounting, tax and lending for small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs), has closed its crowdfunding campaign after just 3 days, having raised a record $3 million. Thrive’s campaign launched on Birchal on broke multiple records when it went live last week, hitting $1 million towards the $3m target… Read more »
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