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Fintech

This Month

Pacific Equity Partners’ Cameron Blanks.

PEP dealmaker throws weight behind shareholder transparency start-up

Complete shareholder registers have historically been the purview of internal investor relations departments.

March

Westpac chief executive Anthony Miller is focusing on simplifying the bank’s technology processes in the hope it will save money in the long-term.

Westpac plots $3b technology overhaul to slash long-term costs

The bank’s new chief executive, Anthony Miller, outlined plans to shrink the number of systems to cut expenses described by analysts as unsustainable.

CBA chief information officer Gavin Munroe with CEO Matt Comyn in the bank’s new Seattle office on Thursday.=

CBA steps ups competition for AI engineers by opening Seattle office

The bank is deepening connections with Amazon Web Services and Microsoft, including putting IT teams together in a new US office.

ANZ group executive Maile Carnegie at the Financial Review Banking Summit last week.

ANZ quizzed over risks of new platform costing $1m a day

Analysts wondered how long it will take to fully migrate 6 million customers and another 1.2 million from Suncorp onto Maile Carnegie’s ANZ Plus.

February

Tyro Payments has been popular in the health sector, where it is upgrading its terminals.

Tyro’s profit lifts from health payments boom

ASX-listed payments stocks Tyro, Cuscal and EML reported interim results on Wednesday. All three rose on the market on stronger numbers.

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The government is in the middle of regulating buy now, pay later products like Afterpay and Zip.

The Zip v Afterpay buy now, pay later rivalry is back on

Zip says it is growing faster than its competitors in the world’s biggest market – the United States – after reporting record first-half earnings.

Tyro chief executive Jon Davey.

Tyro Payments keeps an ear out for suitors amid share price plunge

The eftpos terminal operator’s top brass is said to be open to takeover approaches – quelle surprise – and Macquarie Group’s banking business is seen as a potential suitor.

AUSTRAC boss Brendan Thomas says cryptocurrency exchanges can be a hotbed for money laundering.

Money laundering watchdog puts 50 Australian crypto exchanges on notice

The Australian Securities and Transactions Analysis Centre is concerned some Australian cryptocurrency exchanges are failing to report suspicious transactions.

Australian share trading app Superhero has built a $1.7 billion superannuation business.

Superhero readies super administration business launch; raises capital

The fintech is raising $3 million at a $127.5 million valuation and has already met the minimum subscription amount, sources told Street Talk.

January

Alex Teoh, Mint Payments.

Travel fintech Mint Payments gears up for $20m secondary round

Perennial Value Management, Duncan Saville’s ICM Allectus Capital and Kelly Partners Investment Office may seek to part with their minority positions.

December 2024

An image of Donald Trump holding a bitcoin token. His election has pushed more investors into the digital asset.

ASIC’s attempts to clarify crypto rules confuses digital exchanges

Independent Reserve, BTC Markets and Kraken say new guidance and industry calls have not provided any clarity about whether they will need to obtain licences.

Sezzle chief executive Charlie Youakim.

Short seller accuses Sezzle of ‘sketchy’ practices, low-quality loans

The buy now, pay later group delisted from the ASX earlier this year and has described the allegations as “misleading and out of context”.

Pay.com.au, a platform that allows businesses to turn their expenses into frequent flyer points. Founder Ed Alder pictured.

IPO-candidate Pay.com.au launches raise to fund US expansion

Street Talk understands Pay.com.au is seeking to raise $15 million via a private placement at a $303 million pre-money equity valuation.

The Fin podcast - James Eyers

Bitcoin has broken through $US100,000. Now what?

This week on The Fin podcast, James Eyers on why Donald Trump is a crypto bro, whether prices will stay at record levels and how regulators are catching up.

ASIC moves to expand its oversight of crypto and digital assets

The corporate regulator’s new guidance outlines more than a dozen examples of how it intends to assess what is in – and out – of financial services laws.

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Zeller founder Ben Pfisterer says he “learnt the craft of trying to get stuff done” when he tried pioneering contactless payments at NAB.

‘Find what makes you happy’: From zero to $1b in two years

Zeller’s Ben Pfisterer brought Square to Australia after stints at Jetstar, NAB and Visa. He has based his career on one piece of advice – from his parents.

November 2024

CBA prepares for AI to transform banking, with dozens of uses

The country’s biggest bank is already using AI to resolve 15,000 payment disputes every day. And its chief executive, Matt Comyn, says many more uses are on the way.

Meet the frequent flyer fintech targeting a $2.6 trillion market

The fastest growing fintechs in this year’s Fast 100 are an eclectic mix with a common trait: they’ve carved out niches for uniquely Australian audiences.

Safewill co-founder and chief executive Adam Lubofsky with Isabelle Marcarian, the principal solicitor at Safewill Legal, and Henry Harding its chief operating officer.

Death tech a safe bet as investors see value in digitising last requests

The inevitability of the end of life, and the administrative burdens that come with it, convinced high-profile investors to back a $17 million funding round.

Investors need to know when to put down the phone

Smartphone alerts can promote what behaviourists call “overtrading”, shredding your returns – and your nerves.

Original URL: https://www.afr.com/topic/fintech-hpb