The Australian Government is developing its own anti-encryption legislation, modelled on the UK’s Snoopers Charter, a set of rules deemed unfit by the European Court of Justice, reports Telecoms.com (Banking Technology’s sister publication). The move, which was announced by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, has been built on anti-terrorism messages, as yet another government uses the element […]
It’s a double development delight in Australia with Sydney and Melbourne unveiling fintech start-up hubs for innovation across the nation. Industry body FinTech Australia says Sydney’s proposed new 11-floor start-up hub – set to be the largest in the southern hemisphere – “should help build even stronger links between the Australian fintech industry and global […]
Australia-based start-up Tic:Toc has launched an online home loan platform, offering customers approval in 22 minutes, instead of 22 days. The firm is backed by Bendigo and Adelaide Bank, as well as the State Government in South Australia, which approved a $900,000 grant to Tic:Toc through its Investment Attraction Agency’s (IASA) Economic Investment Fund. Tic:Toc’s […]
Australian P2P lending platform SocietyOne reached a milestone this week. The company has surpassed $300 million in loans issued since it was founded in 2011, reports Finovate (Banking Technology’s sister company). During a time when P2P lending in the US is under scrutiny, SocietyOne is reporting an increasing demand for P2P lending in Australia. In the […]
Mizuho Financial Group, Mizuho Bank, trading and investment firm Marubeni Corporation, and Sompo Japan Nipponkoa Insurance have completed a trade transaction between Australia and Japan using blockchain. The participants say all trade-related processes, from issuing the letter of credit to delivering documents, were completed entirely via a digital platform in this project. (See image below […]
Mastercard is making headway in advancing digital payments for transit passengers in Australia and bike-sharing consumers in Singapore.
The Financial Services Agency of Japan (JFSA) and Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) will work together to promote innovation in financial services in Japan and Australia. Both have completed a framework and they will share information and support the entry of fintech firms into each other’s markets. ASIC says this framework will “help open […]
Industry body FinTech Australia has released its first member ecosystem map, to show the nation’s “strengths and diversity”, particularly in wealth generation and lending. The map (see image below) lists 119 members of FinTech Australia, along with the nation’s key financial services regulators. Danielle Szetho, FinTech Australia CEO, says: “The broad range, depth and quality […]
Australia-based digital banking software vendor Avoka has won ATB Financial’s Customer Onboarding Global Innovation Challenge. As reported in March, ATB joined forces with KPMG in Canada and fintech matchmaking firm Matchi to run the event. In fact, in May, KPMG acquired Matchi. The pair had worked together since 2015, so the deal “cements” their relationship. […]
SWIFT has a new instant payments messaging solution for the European market, offering a single gateway to multiple systems. The service will be available by November 2018.
The Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) and Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) have signed a co-operation agreement for financial innovation. Both parties play up their “already close ties” and the Australia-Hong Kong trade and investment relationship “more broadly”. ASIC says Hong Kong is Australia’s seventh most important destination for services exports, valued […]
Four Australian banks, Australia and New Zealand Banking Group (ANZ), Commonwealth Bank, National Australia Bank (NAB) and Westpac are now live or planning to implement Swift’s global payments innovation (gpi) initiative. According to Swift, these Australian banks represent over 80% of cross-border payments flow for Australia. The banks all say the same stuff – so […]
Consulting firm EY will acquire Australian cybersecurity and identity and access management (IAM) provider Open Windows. EY says Melbourne-based Open Windows’ expertise and tools will form the basis of a new Asia-Pacific regional IAM advisory platform within EY, to help assess, design, build and operate solutions. Lynn Kraus, Oceania managing partner advisory, EY, says it […]
Securities processing software vendor GBST has migrated the back and middle-office operations of Deutsche Bank from the legacy GBST Shares platform to GBST Syn for processing the bank’s equity market trades in Australia. This is GBST’s fourth live Syn installation in the country. Other users are Macquarie Bank, Citi Australia and brokerage and investment firm […]
Bank of Sydney has completed its search for a new digital channels software provider – the winner of its tender is Fiserv with its DigitalAccess omnichannel system.
It’s smiles all around as two fintech groups are welcoming the Australian Securities and Investments Commission’s (ASIC) initiative for more regtech innovation. The RegTech Association and FinTech Australia joined forces to welcome the release of the report, “ASIC’s Innovation Hub and our approach to regulatory technology”. This latest bout of happiness follows nicely on from […]
Australia-based MyState Bank has moved onto a single core banking platform, replacing two separate installations. The solution is understood to be TCS Bancs from TCS Financial Solutions.
Australia-based Xinja has emerged from the shadows to unveil its plans for a mobile-only digital bank. Xinja has raised in excess of AU$2 million ($1.5 million) in its first-round funding to launch a pre-paid debit card as a precursor to establishing Australia’s first fully digital, independent “neobank” built for mobile. The bank will have no […]
LeasePlan, one of the world’s largest fleet management specialists, is undertaking an enterprise-wide technology overhaul with SAP.
Australian bank Westpac has gone live with the first stages of its tech overhaul in Australia to move its core processes from its own premises and into the cloud. According to the Australian Financial Review, it “has already moved two core banking processes to the cloud since the end of March, and intends to have […]
UBank, a subsidiary of National Australia Bank (NAB), has launched RoboChat, Australia’s “first virtual assistant” for online home loan applications. RoboChat will guide customers through the online mortgage form by providing real-time input on questions like “what term do you offer on home loans?” and “do you offer redraws and how do they work?”. Lee […]
Catch up on Banking Technology’s top five fintech stories of the week – all in one place!
Everyone loves a dreamer, except in the world of banking – where digital aspirations are swiftly cut down to size by the reality of legacy systems. That is until Luis Uguina, chief digital officer for Macquarie’s Banking and Financial Services Group, comes along and challenges everything you thought you knew about banks’ digital offerings.
Micro-investing service Acorns Australia has chosen Moneythor’s machine-learning solution to help it analyse customers’ spending patterns and offer insights into savings. The new “My Finances” features of the Acorns app were developed with Moneythor’s engine. The solution’s predictive analytics and data classification techniques are also used to provide customers with an estimate of their future […]
With the battle of the four banks won, Apple Pay’s fight to retain its Australian smartphone market continues as HSBC Australia is now offering support for its customers for the first time. Back in March, Apple Pay emerged victorious in its long-running feud with four domestic banks over their permission to collectively bargain with Apple […]
An Australian start-up is set to launch a “bank account on steroids” by offering investment, transaction and savings accounts in one product. Called Mosaic, the bank will allow a user to invest in any asset class if they’re an active investor or be risk profiled to determine a passive fund “best suited to their situation”. […]
Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA), the country’s central bank, has made a decision to overhaul its core banking technology with TCS Financial Solutions’ Bancs system.
QxBranch, the quantum computing and data analytics software company, has created a quantum computing simulator for the Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA).
Australia and New Zealand-based banking group, ANZ, has announced it will be the first Australian bank to introduce voice biometrics on mobile devices to allow higher value transactions. From the middle of this year, customers transferring more than $1,000 through ANZ’s mobile apps will be able to use their voice to automatically authorise high value […]
Apple Pay has emerged victorious in its long-running feud with four domestic banks over their permission to collectively bargain with Apple and boycott Apple Pay. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has issued a determination denying authorisation to the Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA), Westpac, National Australia Bank (NAB), and Bendigo and Adelaide Bank […]
Accenture will acquire First Annapolis, a privately held payments consulting and advisory firm. Alan McIntyre, senior managing director, and head of Accenture’s Banking practice, says the acquisition “will enhance our capabilities in the payments sector”. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The acquisition, which is subject to customary closing conditions, is expected to close […]
Australia-based BT Financial Group, a wealth management subsidiary of Westpac, has added new functionality – superannuation administration – to its core banking platform, supplied by Avaloq.
An Australian start-up has been revealed as the key technology partner of Visa’s new contactless payment sunglasses which were launched at the South by Southwest (SXSW) Festival. Visa unveiled the WaveShades sunglasses at the festival in Austin, Texas. Behind the scenes, the bright idea came from FinTech Australia member Inamo who came up with the […]
Australia-based banking tech provider Rubik has signed wealth management company Yellow Brick Road (YBR) for its scaled advice solution, Provisio.
Australia-based banking tech provider Rubik (soon to be acquired by Temenos) has signed a new client, Goldfields Money. Rubik’s CEO Iain Dunstan says one more new customer will be announced “imminently”.
On 16 January 2017, the Australian Prudential Regulatory Authority (APRA) released for public consultation its Economic and Financial Statistics (EFS) Form Review. Notably, this consultation package represents a major overhaul of many of the financial and statistical returns currently prepared by the Australian authorised deposit-taking institutions (ADIs) as well as introducing a new set of returns to be submitted. We examine what’s at stake.
Kevin, Traity’s new chatbot, provides micro-insurance for P2P transactions online. Created in collaboration with Australia’s financial services conglomerate, Suncorp, Kevin protects buyers on online marketplaces such as Gumtree, Facebook and Craigslist.
Australia-based banking software and services vendor Rubik Financial is to be taken over by Temenos. The deal is valued at $50 million.
Four big Australian banks haven’t given up the fight to convince the country’s antitrust regulator that they get some concessions from Apple over Apple Pay. With a decision due in a few weeks, the Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA), National Australia Bank (NAB), Westpac, and Bendigo and Adelaide Bank may have made their final submission […]
Suncorp’s multi-year venture to modernise its core banking system, known as Project Ignite, has stumbled at the final hurdle. As Banking Technology reported in August 2016, the revamp was in its final stages. However, in questions over its half-year FY17 results, Suncorp told iTnews that the configuration of the platform and product migration has “taken […]
