END OF 2023 Summary

All the headlines captured during the calendar year in one place :)

Thanks to Yabbr for supporting me throughout the year.

Here goes from January 1 2023 to December 31 2023:

• Tyro Payments announced improved guidance for all key operating metrics including their EBITDA which they have guided between $37 million to $41 million
• Raiz Invest announced they have 676,675 active customers with $1.050b of Funds under management.
• Brisbane based Bloom Impact Investing raised $525,000 to hire staff, grow partnerships & expand their product suite.
• Sydney based savings platform Blossom App has reached $35m in funds under management.
• Doshii (owned by x15ventures) partnered with Uber to allow Uber Eats venues to connect & eliminate order re-entry & errors.
• Laybuy announced they have submitted a formal request to the ASX to be removed from the official list.
• Gold coast based funding.com.au launched its new instant quote tool, which allows customers to get an instant quote for a loan with the digital bridging lender in real time.
• Xetta has announced it has partnered with Azupay to bring real time account to account payments .
• ASX listed Change Financial as granted their AFSL. This allows the company to issue prepaid cards in the Australian market.
• Zip Co updated the market with some metrics : ? Record group quarterly revenue ??of $188.0m ? Record transaction ?? volume for the quarter of $2.7b ? Record transaction numbers ??? for the quarter of 22.6m.
• Beforepay Group ay announced some metrics for Q2 : Pay advances ??: $164.7m, Active users ??: 203,937, Beforepay income ??: $8.12m , Underlying EBITDA ???: ($3.01m)
• MONEYME announced their preliminary 1H23 results - an >$8 million NPAT and record-breaking revenue of over $117 million. The stock rose 68% on the news.
• Nano Platform announced it will no longer be providing loans & has evolved to being a provider of global leading technology to financial services companies. The loans will be managed by ASX listed AMP.
• AU and NZ based Accountant and tax automation ?? tool ??? for sole traders Hnry has raised $35m to scale their growth.
• Tyro Payments has offered due diligence ??to Potentia for another 4 weeks ??to “enable a significantly improved proposal and confirm the necessary funding commitments attached to any possible future offer. “
• ASX listed Wisr have said they were profitable for the quarter.
• PropertyMe launched "me pay" a product allowing instant ?? rent payments from tenants free of account detail sharing ??
• Melbourne based Zeller is launching their own transaction account and debit card ?? to compliment their existing offering ???
• Qantas launched “Qantas Money Home Loan” powered by Adelaide based Tiimely
• Brisbane based Alex.Bank launched their new Term Deposit product, further bolstering its growing product portfolio. ????
• Sydney based Bridgit partnered ?? with outsource Financial . This marks the latest aggregator partnership for Bridgit and expands its total network to more than 3400 brokers.
• Sydney based Skript launched Transkript, a plug and play ?? application used to securely request & receive open banking data.
• Barry Kogan, Jonathan Henry and Rob Smith, partners of McGrathNicol were appointed Joint and Several Receivers and Managers (Receivers and Managers) of ASX listed Openpay .
• Westpac announced the launch of "PartPay!" their new digital feature that gives customers the ability to split a purchase of $100 or more in to four instalments.
• Gold coast based Send Payments raised $11.5m in a Series B round ?? to accelerate opportunities in Australia & offshore
• Sydney based Shift raised ?? $27m to help scale their receivables & to make further investment in tech ?? and data ?? ?
• Commonwealth Bank announced ?? it has connected customers to $1b of grants, rebates & concessions through their Benefits finder.
• Westpac will offer its credit card ?? customers more flexible payment options with the introduction of "PartPay", allowing their customers to pay for purchases in four instalments. ? ??
• Commonwealth Bank announced a NPAT of $5.15b for 1H23 ??? Matt Comyn CEO, said: “Our strategic focus on building tomorrow’s bank ??today for our customers is illustrated by our leading outcomes on customer advocacy scores.”
• Carolyn Breeze GAICD GAICD announced she is joining as CEO at Scalare Partners - with portfolio companies such as FrankieOne .
• Experian announced the appointment of data aggregation and analytics platform Envestnet | Yodlee as its official Open Data API provider in Australia. ??????
• Brisbane based ASX listed Change Financial secured A$6.9m in new fundjng from US-based fintech entrepreneur & investor Michael Giles ????
• Bendigo and Adelaide Bank said their digital bank Up now has 613,000 customers ??? and $1.3 billion in deposits ?? at the end of the half. Up Home ?? - their mortgage product has settled $38 million in home loans.
• ASX listed Judo Bank announced ?? their Gross Loan and Advances ?? as at Dec 2022 was $7.5b up 23%, revenue up 67% and profit before tax up >300% to $53m ??
• Sydney based DataMesh Group has raised $30m in their Series A round with NAB Ventures, 1835i and Deutsche Bank participating in the round.
• Sydney based investing platform Blossom App have announced ?? they have had $1 million in earnings posted to their community since inception. ?? They currently have $35+ million in funds under management.
• ASX listed Zip Co reported some metrics :TTV ???: $4.9b, Customers ??: 7.3m, Transactions ??: 42.2m Merchants ??: 97,500 The company aims to be “group positive cash EBTDA during 1H24”
• Westpac launched Tap to Pay on EFTPOS Air ?? - a mobile app?? for Android which allows any sole trader, single director company or association with a Westpac business transaction to accept payments. ??
• Melbourne based Small business admin platform Thriday partnered ?? with Visa to allows small businesses to take advantage of automated banking, accounting, & tax features. ???
• Raiz Invest announced their 1H report : - 676k active customers ??, - Australian ???? business continues to be operating cash flow positive in December quarter - $9.3m revenue, $2.4m ebitda loss
• Joseph Healy and David Hornery , co founders of Judo Bank released their book "Black Belt" ??
• Gold Coast based Nimble Australia Pty Ltd acquired education ??focused lender ZeeFi to add to their existing loan book ??
• Wisr announced their 1H results ?? - New loan originations of $302M, Revenue of $43.2M, New loan originations of $302m, Q2FY23 delivered profitability with Cash EBTDA of $0.5M along with positive operating cash flow of $1.5M
• ASX listed Tyro Payments released their 1H results:Transactional Value: $21.693b ?? , Revenue: $220.6m ??, EBITDA: $19.5m ???, Net Profit: $1.1m
• Employment Hero launched “Swag” where streamlined work, rewarding careers, flexible pay & exclusive benefits are rolled in to one app ??
• Brisbane based Alex.Bank has seen an increase in personal loan origination, by over 50% since the start of 2023. ??
• Canadian based fintech Nuvei has launched in Australia offering their full suite of payments solutions including acquiring ?? , processing, alternative payment methods ?? & risk management.
• Sydney based Till Payments announced ?? they have raised $70 million in Series D funding to assist with "making payments smarter, faster, and more secure."
• intelliflo, the leading cloud-based technology platform for financial advisers that supports over 30,000 advisers worldwide, announced the official opening of their Australian operations.
• ASX listed Xero is planning to exit Waddle incurring a write down between $30-40m.
• Beforepay announced a partnership with Western Union for a allowing customers in Australia to boost their international money transfers through Beforepay's flagship product, Pay On Demand?
• Sydney based Basiq has been acquired by Cuscal Limited , one of Australia’s largest independent providers of payments, banking and regulated data.
• Melbourne based Zeller has launched its online invoicing solution. Zeller Invoices is a unique addition to the growing financial product ecosystem, that was deployed to customers in early February following a month-long beta program.
• ING Australia has launched “Everyday Round Up to Charity “– a charitable round up ?? feature, enabling customers to round up eligible everyday card transactions ??? to the nearest dollar or five dollars and donate the difference to a charity. ?
• MOGOPLUS launched a Mortgage Stress Predictor, a predictive ??insights solution to help banks & borrowers proactively manage the looming fixed rate cliff ???? & prevent customer financial stress.
• Sydney-based fintech and proptech company Downsizer.com raised $3.75m in seed funding to help drive international expansion ?? ??
• Accountex held their two day conference in Sydney with Content Snare the fintech/accountant tech pitch night winner, whilst in Melbourne Parpera took out the pitch competition at the Accounting Business Expo in Melbourne.
• Monoova has signed a Software Licence Agreement (SLA) with Identitii .
• ASX listed Butn raised $2m via a placement to Regal Funds Management.
• Sydney based renewtrak announced ?? they have partnered with VMware to easily integrate its renewals, perpetual-to-SaaS subscription licence ?? conversion efforts, workflows, & quoting systems into a single, easily deployable architecture.
• Payright raised $5.29m as part of an underwritten Institutional Entitlement Offer.
• Sydney based cash back platform Furthr has raised $1.5 million in seed capital to further their mission & accelerate growth
• Long term investing platform pearler has launched “Headstart” an investing app designed for parents to invest for their kids. ????
• "Melbourne based Zeller have announced their newest integration in partnership ?? with Xero to allow Xero customers in Australia to process their Xero Invoices ?? payments with Zeller.
• Mr Yum announced they are reducing their headcount by a further 40.
• Brisbane based Alex.Bank have announced ?? they are seeking $20m in funding , valuing the company at $130m post receiving their full ADI status in December 2022.
• Melbourne based Tractor Ventures has launched “Inventory Advance” ??that aids founders with the ability to align the flow of capital with the flow of revenue to assist to with unlocking ??revenue that carries a time-based ?? gap.
• Melbourne based Ayla have announced they are launching the development of AYLA.Chat - an AI Copilot ?? for Personal Finance streamlining your financial journey, offering personalized insights, tailored advice, and practical suggestions to help achieve financial goals.
• Sydney based advice & client engagement platform Lumiant has raised $5m ?? to accelerate their development with global ?? ambitions.
• ASX listed Ensurance will invest up to $1.5m in KOBA Insurance whilst also having the right to distribute their product. ?? ?
• Brisbane based Paypa Plane has raised >$10m to accelerate growth with investment from Mastercard , Sprint Ventures , QIC and Cuscal Limited ???
• ASX listed Moneyme raised $37m in a placement to repay debt & support balance sheet growth.
• Zip Co have announced they signed agreements to divest its wholly owned businesses in Central & Eastern Europe (Twisto) & South Africa (Payflex), & is on track with the wind-down of its business in the Middle East.
• Sydney based Paycepaid acquired Australian Debt Recoveries (ADR) to strengthen their position as an end-to-end account receivables solution.
• Sydney based Cape from ANNA integrated with Xero to allow customers to reconcile their data by simply pressing a button ?? ??
• ASX listed Douugh is integrating with ChatGPT within it's micro investing app to assist with searches, resource discovery and factual information.
• Spark Financial Group launched "Spark Invest", a digital investment solution offering 5 diversified portfolios with all profits from Spark Invests management fees to be directed to charitable benefactors. This was developed in conjunction with Victorian based OpenInvest.
• BetaCarbon- Australian Carbon Token which operates two core businesses - The Australian Carbon Token and Clima has raised AUD $1.4m to fund its next phase of growth.
• Lorna Harley will now be taking on a key role within Azupay as Head of SMB Sales & Partnerships.
• Brisbane-based global fintech and payments as a service (PaaS) provider, Change Financial (Change), has bolstered their expansion in the New Zealand market, signing Credit Union Auckland (NZCU Auckland) as a new card issuing, processing and management client.
• Sydney based payments platform Waave raised $4.7m to launch in to the Australian ???? market
• Christine Christian AO has become Chair of ASX listed Selfwealth
• MYOB launched "Employee Benefits" powered by Flare. ?? A solution that makes it possible for small and medium-sized businesses to offer a range of perks to their employees. ??? Available to all MYOB payroll users.
• Melbourne based Thriday has launched Bill Manager ?? - where you can upload, forward or take a snap of a bill and let the platform do the rest ?
• Sydney based investing platform Blossom App have announced they have $36m under management on their second birthday of operation.
• Fresh Amplify is now known as InvestorHub . InvestorHub is an investor marketing solution that helps ASX companies get more investors, build stronger investor relationships & execute corporate transactions with simplicity.
• Queensland based Potato - an Ai Generated stock portfolio/etf builder went live with their launch.
• Melbourne-based personal financial management and data sharing app di?eiro has selected Envestnet | Yodlee to supply live financial data & analytics so mortgage brokers can understand a borrower’s full financial position seamlessly via the consumer app. ??
• Tony Sheehan was appointed CEO of Brisbane based ASX listed fintech Change Financial.
• ASX listed Beforepay released their quarterly : ? EBITDA loss of $1.6m ??, ? $25m available cash ??, ? Average pay advance $351 ???, ? 222,277 active users ??
• ASX listed HUB24 Limited Limited has acquired Melbourne based myprosperity for a consideration of $40m of shares plus performance hurdles.
• Australian Fintech Monoova and UK-based commerce automation platform Primer announced a partnership to meet the growing demand in Australia for flexible, seamless digital payments.
• Pushpay welcomed new owners BGH Capital and Sixth Street Partners after 8 years of being listed.
• Stuart Grimshaw will replace Rebecca James as the new CEO and MD of ASX listed humm group .
• Melbourne based HelpPay has announced that Tango Energy will be one of their new business customers making payments to their bills transaction fee free & more.
• Westpac announced 1H2023 results: ? $4.001b Net Profit ? $10.23b Revenue , WBC also forecast a 100 basis point decline in the cash rate to 2.85 % by December 2024
• Tyro Payments has provided upgraded guidance : ? Gross profit: upgraded to $192 million to $194 million. ? EBITDA: upgraded to $41 million to $43 million.
• Digital Home loan platform Finspo raised $2.55 million in equity as part of its Series D funding round.
• Melbourne based non-dilutive Alt-Capital platform Tractor Ventures has funded its 100th client since inception
• Super-Rewards have announced their app is now live - with access to 1000+ participating brands.
• Revolut , with more than 28 million customers worldwide announced the launch of its Revolut Business product in Australia.
• Sydney based all-in-one software and operational platform for banks Constantinople announced they raised a $32m seed round.
• ASX listed fintech OFX announced it is acquiring 100% of the equity in Paytron
• Commonwealth Bank announced ?? an upgrade to their app as well as the ability to buy & sell Australian shares & ETF’s directly through their app from next month.
• Zepto announced their partnership with WPay as Woolworths launched its PayTo offering to the Australian consumer.
• Brisbane based Swyftx announced a "one-click portfolio transfer" feature which assists with reducing incorrect addresses.
• FinTech Australia released the “Ecosystem Map” to showcase the local sector to companies, corporates, investors, potential customers & other interested parties.
• Sunshine Coast based Potato released its highly anticipated Chat Bot ?? to allow users to chat about the equity and ETF selections when collating their Portfolios
• ASX listed Plenti nnounced their FY Result - with NPAT coming up at $4.5m up from $0.5m previously.
• Monoova successfully executes the first real-world, cross-border settlement using Australian dollar CBDC
• Melbourne based Up launched their New Debit Card made from 82% recycled materials whilst announcing a partnership Seabin - The card will cost $10 with $1 going towards the operation of a Seabin unit.
• Superhero announced it will be launching an adviser platform, servicing established dealer groups, advisers and their clients.
• Perth-based fintech PictureWealth continued its expansion with acquisitions of Futuro and Insight.
• Brisbane based Alex.Bank has won the Term Deposit Account of the Year and Best for Value Term Deposit at this year’s 2023 WeMoney Banking Awards.
• Raiz Invest announced their May update : $1,139b FUM, 685 328 active customers $3800.81 average account balance for Aus customers.
• ASX listed Zip Co has raised $24.7m at a price of 47c per share
• Athena Home Loans celebrated their 6th Birthday whilst stating they have saved Australian customers $700m.
• Butn announced ?? Record monthly originations of $45 million in May 2023, up 58% on the previous corresponding period.
• Mark Healy was appointed CEO of Novatti Group (ASX: NOV). Peter Cook will remain as an executive managing the Australian investments.
• Paycepaid partnered with Envestnet Yodlee to enable businesses to streamline collections and help consumers get back on their feet.
• Xero announced they increasing prices for Australian customers varying from 4.5% to 50 % per package
• ASX listed Douugh has launched the "World's first Pay Now or Pay Later (PNPL) Stockback?? rewards Mastercard" allowing users to earn up to 7% Stockback - a Cashback rewards program that automatically invests the funds.
• Brisbane based Tanda launched their Payroll Offering built specifically for Australian compliance challenges and managing an hourly workforce.
• Mortgage Choice and Athena Home Loans launched "Mortgage Choice Freedom" . This product will feature Athena’s revolutionary home loan features and was co-designed and co-developed by Athena and Mortgage Choice brokers.
• Melbourne based Financial health Flux Finance announced their latest product "Flux Pro "
• Australian fintech Nine25 App announced they have set the benchmark for the rest of the Australian banking and financial services industry to follow by announcing the launch of the fastest transaction account opening in just 30 seconds.
• Brisbane based Biza.io launched CDR+. CDR+ collaborators will develop the extension specifications, enabling those in the CDR ecosystem who choose to participate to introduce and/or utilise the new functionality on an open and royalty-free basis.
• Macquarie Bank - part of the 麦格理集团 partnered with Google Cloud to Deliver AI-First Digital Banking Capabilities. This includes predictive analysis models to provide targeted in-app functionality and streamline banking with automated processes.
• Home Loan provider Rate Money achieved a record $5 billion in settlements in just under four years of business, helping over 8,000 self-employed & migrant Australians.
• MYOB partnered with PayPal– allowing invoices to feature buttons for PayPal and PayPal Pay in 4.
• Brisbane based Swyftx announced a partnership with Stripe -allowing customers quicker , easier and cheaper card deposits.
• Simon Callaghan was announced as the new CEO of Blockchain Australia at Blockchain Week.
• Sydney based blockchain and digital asset company CANVAS launched “Canvas AI” in conjunction with OpenAI
• Sydney based Stables announced they conducted their first ever card purchase via the Mastercard network.
• Adelaide based Mortgage broking platform Sherlok raised $3.4m led by Rampersand.
• Sydney based Parpera has partnered with Wise to make business easy for Australian Businesses Owners
• ASX listed DigitalX Limited (ASX:DCC) announced they launched the DigitalX Asset Reference Token Fund (DxART).
• Beforepay launched their nationwide roll out of their tax refund advance product allowing eligible customers to draw up to $1000 on their tax refund.
• UK based Revolut announced it has launched in New Zealand, marking the 40th country Revolut is now operating in.
• OFX announced it has completed the acquisition of Paytron Holdings Pty Ltd. The consideration is comprised of up to 11.25m deferred performance rights, subject to development and revenue vesting conditions.
• Yondr Money announced A phenomenal 59.76% customers growth and 70.12% surge in transaction volume.
• Selfwealth announced the departure of Ms Cath Whitaker.
• Australian-based global fintech and payments as a service (PaaS) provider, Change Financial (Change), announced the launch of direct issuing services for prepaid and debit card programs in Australia.
• Insurtech Simfuni has launched an insurance premium payment platform in Australia and New Zealand.
• Australian skateboarding is getting some much-needed support, with Nine25 teaming up with BMD Rumble to enable skateboarders to better manage their money and get onto the path of building long-term wealth from an early age.
• Sydney based Parpera has launched "Parpera.biz" a faster way to get paid. This offers clients a convenient way to pay in person as well as invoices online.
• ASX listed Butn finished the quarter with record revenue and originations - $117m in originations and revenue of $3.3m.
• CBC Co disposed of their entire holding in Tyro netting A$77,663,433.6 at an average price of $1.20 per share representing c12.5% of the register.
• Zip Co released their quarterly: Group quarterly revenue of $193.8m, Transaction volume $2.3b , Active customer numbers 6.2m
• Sydney based SME Lender Lumi raised $15 million - the business offers small business loans from $5k - $500k with 3 – 36 month terms.
• Swiss invoice finance provider TP24 secured a new $200 million finance facility from investment bank Barclays to deploy in Australia.
• Alex Bank, one of Australia’s newest digital banks, has announced its FY23 financial results recording its strongest year since the challenger bank was founded 5 years ago.
• ASX listed Wisr announced their quarterly results: Operating cash flow of $2.6M and EBTDA of $0.9M (both excluding $0.8M one-off restructuring costs)- Loan originations of $53M following deliberate moderation of loan origination volume- Total Loan book of $931M.
• Block Earner introduced Block Earner Crypto Vault - a cold storage solution for safeguarding customers' digital assets. The Crypto Vault comes equipped with advanced security features and an insurance coverage of up to $320 million USD.
• Change Financial released their quarterly - Customer receipts US$2.6m (A$3.8m), Q4 revenue US$2.0m ($2.9m), FY23 unaudited revenue of US$8.7m (A$12.8m), up 4.7%
• Kate O'Keeffe was announced as a new board member of fintech Birchal - Originally from Melbourne, now residing in Sydney, Kate is a highly-experienced technology executive who spent 10 years in Silicon Valley working for Cisco, setting up the CISCO CHILL innovation lab.
• Brisbane based Paypa Plane has announced that Co-Founder and CEO Simone Joyce will be relocating to New York with her family to provide dedicated support to US clients and expand their presence.
• Beforepay released its results, which showed that fintech delivered a positive EBITDA of $0.57m in the fourth quarter of FY23 (Q4 FY23 and surpassed $1b in transactions and 1m registered users.
• Raiz Invest provided their quarterly: Over $100m dividends paid to customers since inception, Raiz Kids continued to grow with active kid’s accounts increasing 12.8% and FUM increasing 25.5% reaching $19.8m over the quarter.
• ASX listed Tax Lodgment and life admin platform One Click Life hit 100,000 registered users - just 18 days after hitting 80,000.
• The ACCC rejected the acquisition of Suncorp Group Bank by ANZ.
• Brisbane-based Change Financial, partnered with Mastercard and Actuator to make card programs more affordable and accessible to local fintechs and startups.
• David Jones announced a partnership with Karta Gift Cards - with digital gift cards available through their consumer marketplace "Special".
• Raiz announced their monthly FUM as well as their new product - adding individual stocks. Custom portfolios will now be known as Raiz Plus portfolios, providing customers with the ability to add individual ASX stocks to portfolios for a bespoke investing experience.
• Commonwealth Bank has announced that CommSec will introduce online international share trading with access to 13 equities markets and brokerage rates from USD$5.
• CBA announced a police referral pilot in NSW to address technology-facilitated abuse.
• ASX listed Identitii announced a Non-Renounceable Rights Issue to Raise $2.1M.
• Loan Options announced their 3rd birthday welcomed Nitin as a customer.
• Douugh announced they have raised $475,000 before costs.
• REA Group announced their FY results: Revenue: $1,183m ??, Net Profit After Tax: $372m ??, Dividend: $1.58
• Embedded investment platform nVest , Australia’s first B2B2C fractional trading infrastructure announced it launched its sandbox. NVest also won the third instalment of the "Pitch" - SmartCompany's early-stage startup competition.
• Stripe held their Stripe Tour with speakers such as David Thodey, Mike Cannon-Brookes and Rachael Neumann and will be imminently launching their Tap and Pay product locally.
• Canvas announced a partnership with Bitbond to allow privacy and confidentiality for tokenized real world assets.
• CBA reported their earnings. The Bank reported cash net profit after tax (NPAT) of $10.16 billion.
• LoanOptions.AI announced they had processed a loan from enquiry in 26 minutes.
• Cynthia Scott was announced as the new group CEO of Zip Co. Larry Diamond will be US CEO and Peter Gray will be the Australian and NZ CEO.
• Bendigo and Adelaide Bank owned Up announced they now have :- 715,000 customers - <$50 cost of acquisition - $1.5b in deposits balance and 890m transactions since launch.
• Sydney based Stockspot has announced that they have received a $28 million strategic investment from leading global asset management firm Mirae Asset Global Investments.
• Sydney based Stables announced that the Stables card is now available for use with Apple Pay.
• Education platform Flux Finance hit 1m TikTok likes.
• Parpera announced they have achieved $1m in payments in just over a month since launch.
• Latitude Financial Services released their 1H23 results - Statutory loss after tax of $98.2 million from continuing operations, including $76 million of pre-tax costs and provisions relating to the March cyber incident - Cash NPAT of $7 million in line with guidance.
• Change Financial partnered with Simply Zibra. Simply Zibra is launching AI-powered virtual cards through Change Financial to empower consumers to spend in a smarter way.
• Zeller announced the release of over 100 new cloud point-of-sale (POS) integrations, offering business owners a seamless and self-service experience when connecting Zeller EFTPOS Terminal with their preferred POS system.
• Sydney based Waave launched Get Paid by Pay by Bank - No card numbers or BSB/Acct numbers.
• Hnry announced it has partnered with Dylan Alcott OAM for a marketing campaign and it's first ever brand ambassador.
• Nine25 App announced 5% cashback on all purchases up to a maximum of $500.
• Azupay announced JB Hi-Fi as a client to assist them with the "Pay By Bank" option with PayID.
• Nine25 App announced they have seen >$2m in payments through their platform since inception a few months ago.
• Judo Bank reported their FY results:- FY23 Profit Before Tax (PBT) of $107.5 million ??- Gross Loans and Advances (GLA) today exceeding $9 billion.
• Tommy Mermelshtayn, CFA , formerly with Zip announced the launch of archie. to help accelerate fintechs.
• Harmoney announced the pricing of it's inaugural $200m ABS in New Zealand rated by Moody's.
• Change Financial announced a partnership with Healthnow to revolutionise workplace wellness in New Zealand.
• Cash Converters announced their results and that they have processed 757,000 loan apps in 2023 and have $71.6m in cash.
• Sydney-based financial software company Moneysoft AU turned on open banking data feeds for its engagement software that is used by more than 250 financial advisers, mortgage brokers and money coaches across Australia.
• Sydney based Beforepay announced positive EBITDA for the quarter of $0.5m and its first positive net profit in April 2023 of $0.3m. It also surpassed $1 billion in cumulative pay advances since inception.
• Audacity Ventures led by Brian Collins announced the soft launch of a fintech focused fund in conjunction with Euphemia .
• Up announced they are looking to launch a premium banking offering via a subscription called "Up High".
• Zip Co reported their FY Result: Cynthia Scott MD and CEO said:“In the last 12 months, Zip has delivered strongly against our updated strategy. The strength of our FY23 results was driven by record transaction volumes and revenue, and improved credit losses and margins as well as cost reductions and capital management initiatives. "
• Luc Pettett - the founder of Potato bas launched Telescope.Telescope is your plug-and-play integration for stock brokerage apps.
• Gold based Send Payments partnered with SCALERR to easily add an FX capability , collect payments and save on transactions costs.
• x15ventures has acquired Waddle - in a Linkedin Post the company said "Bringing Waddle into x15 will further accelerate the growth of Stream, strengthening the bank’s digital lending capabilities, and help Waddle realise its ambitions to scale and support more small businesses "
• VietJet Air has become the first airline to accept surcharge-free payments using Azupay's solution for PayID. Australian customers booking tickets via vietjetair.com or the app can choose between paying via credit/debit card or PayID at checkout.
• Douugh announced that it has 10236 active customers with over 100 "Spot" loans since inception of the product recently representing 400% growth MOM
• Upstreet announced their closure.
• Funding.com.au (Funding) and Finsure have partnered to make Funding’s bridging, business and building loan products available to Finsure’s brokers who in turn can offer Funding’s unique lending solutions to their customers.
• Identitii advised the ASX that its recent Rights Issue closed on 30 August 2023 and raised $1,338,160 before costs.
• MYOB announced a brand new partnership with Stripe. MYOB is the first client in the region to have released Stripe's new Embedded Connect solution, enabling our customers to be able to get paid up to 3 times faster by accepting payments via Visa, Mastercard, Apple Pay & Google Pay.
• Sydney based Flagship announced they have raised $2m to accelerate capabilities and grow their team and global footprint. Tidal Ventures and Macdoch Ventures and Co Ventures participated in the raise.
• Pie officially launched. Pie Rewards is on a mission to make investing as easy as Pie... They've designed a mobile app that rewards you with cashback just for doing your everyday shopping. They also take that cashback and invest it on your behalf.
• Raiz Invest Limited announced its Active Customers and Funds under Management (FUM) update for the month to 31 August 2023. Customer Sign Ups: 3,489,692 Active Customers 687,019 , Global FUM ($Am) $1,190.08.
• Sydney based Brieff announced some key product improvements in August. Firms can now align Brieff with their brand colours and customise the product to have the same look and feel as their marketing materials.
• Food ordering and payments platforms Mr Yum and me&u announced they are merging.
• Shift announced the opening of a Brisbane office to expand their presence nation wide.
• Ordermentum announced the acquisition of Foodbomb as well as announcing a $16m raise.
• Sydney based OwnHome launched the "Deposit Boost Loan" an Aussie-first that will help thousands become homeowners via helping them with house deposits.
• George Lucas formerly the founder of Raiz Invest has launched his book "The Prosperity Revolution" with insights in to the world of Wealthtech.
• Betashares known for their ETF's, announced they are entering in to the superannuation market via an agreement to acquire Bendigo Bank's superannuation business (subject to regulator approvals).
• Wholesale trading platform AUSIEX partnered with online trading and investment specialist Saxo Australia to deliver an integrated international trading solution for financial advisers.
• Touch Ventures announced it was impairing it's investment in PlanPay.
• Xe.com Business Payments announced they can seamlessly integrated with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central.
• Furthr partnered with Yakka Finance offering premium accounts to all of their people & partners ??Yakka Finance are specialists in helping businesses in Australia obtain the business and equipment finance they need.
• Parpera announced "Parpera Earn" allowing businesses to earn 3.35% pa variable on their money - to set money aside for tax for example.
• TaxLeopard announced their first birthday with milestones including their partnerships with DoorDash and Send Payments.
• Westpac launched Savings Finder that will help customers identify potential savings from their existing recurring payments for subscriptions and other expenses, as well as Bills Calendar that allow customers to log upcoming payments and receive an alert when the bills are due, to help them better track and manage their expenses.
• Funding and the technology provider MitchCap achieved $1B of equipment inventory funded inception to date, supporting inventory flows for over 300 Dealers and 50 Factory Partners. The company also announced they have secured a $300M Debt and Equity Raise.
• upcover announced the launch of Management Liability Insurance on the upcover platform.
• Cache and money app Nine25 App have joined forces to announce the launch of thematic portfolio micro-investing designed for Gen Z investors later in 2023.
• Luxury Escapes integrated with Stripe to offer flexible travel instalments.
• ASX listed Rewardle entered in to an agreement to acquire the distribution rights for the Upstreet fund.
• Melbourne based tikpay raised $1.6m including investment from AfterWork Ventures .
• Hnry announced they have reached a milestone in now having 100 team members.
• The 12th Annual FinTech & Banking Summit 2025 was held in Sydney with a keynote address by Simon Beitz. The summit also had over 25 fintech panelists during the day discussing topics such as Funding, Switching Banks and Partnerships.
• Tyro Payments announced the product launch of the their next generational eftpos terminal "Tyro Pro".
• Western Australian broking platform Marketech announced a partnership with Bridgewise with the aim to completely transform the trading experience for novice, retail investors and expert traders alike.
• Gold coast based Cake announced a new RSU (Restrictred Stock Units) management tool.
• ASX listed Credit Clear Limited (ASX:CCR) (ASX:CCR) announced it's new branding.
• Sydney based Stake has announced its intention to acquire ASX listed Selfwealth. However - The Selfwealth board decided it was not in the best interests of the company to engage in substantive discussions.
• Change Financial announced Kat Grant as VP of Marketing.
• Greener announced "Greener for Business" Features including step-by-step tips for taking climate action, covering energy, waste, shipping. The platform also assists with unlocking exclusive offers from trusted suppliers that help save money and reduce emissions.
• Sydney based Blossom App announced their launch of "Blossom for Business" - targeting 5.70% returns on business capital.
• Melbourne based InvestorHub announced they have enabled public companies to engage over 4200 investors via an interactive investor hub.
• WeMoney announced their 3rd birthday - and with that some milestones including that they have had over 500,000+ downloads.
• Melbourne based LAB Group has secured a $6.5m facility from GCI (Global Credit Investments) to support LAB Group to further strengthen and scale up its team, accelerate product development and fund exciting domestic and international growth opportunities.
• Westpac announced the launch of their Presto app on our Android EFTPOS Now terminals today. Developed in collaboration with mx51 the app allows retail and hospitality businesses to wirelessly connect their EFTPOS Now terminal with more than 100 point of sale systems.
• Australian Payments Plus announced the launch of ConnectID. Commonwealth Bank and NAB customers around Australia can now verify their identity simply & securely with ConnectID at participating organisations.
• InDebted announced the acquisition of reminda, a Sydney-based debt collection agency. "We see great potential to strengthen our Australian operations by integrating Reminda fully into InDebted,” said Josh Foreman, Founder and CEO.
• Loan comparison tool LoanOptions.ai announced that its platform will be launched in New Zealand.
• Cashrewards launched their new gift card offering , in partnership with EonX. This allows better value to members at a wider range of Australian and global brands.
• Beforepay announced they extended and expanded their receivables-financing facility to A$55m with a three-year term. This "sets us up for our next phase of growth, adding capacity to significantly increase our volume of advances" - according to Jamie Twiss the CEO.
• CommSec team released four episodes in our Stock'd Education hub to teach you everything you need to know about Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs), in partnership with ASX and Betashares.
• Sydney based investment platform Blossom App announced that they now have >$40m under management.
• Bendigo and Adelaide Bank owned Up launched a campaign "Commit. A Bit" in regards to their 2-UP Player Banking ...Joint accounts re-imagined.
• NRMA Insurance are launching Mortgages in partnership with Tic:Toc, Firemark Ventures & Bendigo and Adelaide Bank.
• Betashares has announced the launch of Betashares Direct, the new investing platform designed to help self-directed investors build wealth. With Betashares Direct you can invest in any ETF traded on the ASX with zero brokerage.
• Superhero , the fintech and wealth management platform announced key hires - Kimberly McAvoy, former Head of Superannuation Projects at Vanguard Australia has joined as Head of Strategic Projects , Gabriella Donnelly now leads Superhero’s superannuation operations Karen Arndell, former Head of Product Operations at HUB24, is set to join Superhero to lead customer operations across both Australia and New Zealand.
• Biza.io announced that their newest energy customers (all 9 of them) have passed the ACCC's Conformance Test Suite and are doing final checks for production go-live.
• Zip Co announced their Q1 FY24 results - Group revenue $204.4m up 31.9% YoY and transaction volume $2.3b up 11% YoY.
• ASX listed Butn announced their quarterly with originations at $124.1m and revenue of $3.4m (record) .
• Melbourne based litecard , a company helping leading brands across the world generate more sales, increase membership and license renewals and make marketing more effective has raised $1.2m in a pre-seed round to accelerate its growth plans.
• Hnry , a managed service for self-employed contractors and freelancers announced that Hnry Debit Cards are now available to all Hnry users in Australia.
• Super Fierce & Australia's first & leading fractional investment platform, DomaCom, has commenced DD with a view to formalising a close, strategic partnership before the year's end.
• Content Snare a Brisbane based #accountingtech released their API. "There are two reasons this is so exciting: 1. You can build custom integrations directly into your workflow 2. Other apps can integrate with Content Snare" said founder James Rose.
• Brisbane based loan management system fintech finPOWER has launched PayID for its customers. finPOWER’s offering will be powered by Zepto.
• Cake Equity announced their first month with bigger US MRR than Australia.
• Xero announced their H1 FY24 results. Operating revenue up 21% (20% in constant currency (CC)) to $799.5 million. A 90% increase in EBITDA compared to H1 FY23, to $206.1 million - and an increase in free cash flow to $106.7 million.
• Cathy Kovacs was appointed to the board of ASX listed Magellan Financial Group
• @Pay (AtPay) has partnered with Pismo's cloud-native API-based platform to support its operations in Australia. AtPay is a decentralised finance (DeFi) protocol and the first Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) platform built to integrate blockchain technology with cryptocurrency in the region.
• Brisbane based Fiskil said that it has another 8 energy retailers on their platform namely Pacific Blue Australia, Tango Energy, Alinta Energy, Kogan.com, Red Energy, Simply Energy, Powershop Australia and Next Business Energy.
• Kashcade announced they raised a combination of debt and equitiy to continie support Aussie tech start-ups.
• Westpac announced their Full Year Result for 2023, which shows an improved financial performance and "the strongest balance sheet I’ve seen in my 29 years at the bank" according to Peter King, CEO.
• Rixon Capital celebrated their 1-year milestone and announced the Fund delivered a 12.29% annualised cash return since inception.
• Melbourne based Ayla announced a new product "TaskBot" - AYLA's Leap into the AI Revolution ??AYLA has always been at the forefront, crafting AI-driven financial co-pilots. Their vision with TaskBot is to transform everyday life admin into a seamless, AI-assisted experience.
• Adelaide based Tic:Toc has rebranded to Tiimely . Commenting on the re-brand: “We’re a very different business since the World’s First Instant Home Loan? launched in 2017. Changing our name from Tic:Toc to Tiimely recognises our evolution to a platform technology company."
• Parpera announced NRMA Insurance as their first partner to introduce the Parpera Marketplace, marking the beginning of a new era in integrated financial services for Australian businesses with more choices, greater convenience and a more streamlined experience.
• Sydney based Super-Rewards has re-branded to Grow My Money . This re-brand now allows shoppers to earn cashback into mortgage repayments ?? or their superannuation savings. ??
• Sunshine Coast based ? Telescope AI , the fintech startup bringing AI-powered investment idea generation to the asset management industry announced the launch of two new safety and compliance features on their flagship product, Ripple.
• Send Payments & PEXA joined forces to assist with international currency exchange payments.This collaboration promises to streamline foreign exchange transactions, addressing feedback for an easier, more efficient process directly within the PEXA platform.
• ExtrasJar has partnered with Phoenix Health, a member-owned Australian insurance provider with over 70 years of experience, to launch ExtrasJar Hospital Insurance. Together, we’ve blended time-honoured hospital coverage with a modern approach to health finances for a new solution in health cover.
• Novatti Group (ASX: NOV) has sold it's shares in Reckon to help simplify their business.
• Sydney based Upworth a new Australian fintech company has gone live and announced they have raised $1 million in capital from business angel investors and entrepreneurs.
• Birchal announced they are having their busiest quarter ever with 25 campaigns launched.
• Furthr announced they are offering the team at Canva full access to their premium account.
• Melbourne based SuperAPI have announced they have raised $1m to fast track their growth.
• FinTech Australia announced new board members at their AGM - Vinnie D'Alessandro , Brian Collins , Sarah Gorman and Kellie Morton
• Subi announced their product turns your annual leave into cash almost instantly and "relieves the cash flow stress of annual leave payments on businesses into 4 fortnightly payments."
• Karta Gift Cards featuring SafeToBuy announced they in nationwide retail distribution at BIG W - all in time for Christmas.
• Envestnet | Yodlee Australia announced they have partnered with TaxLeopard to converge open banking with accounting.
• Rich Data Co – an AI decisioning platform that helps banks make lending decisions efficiently and safely – has successfully raised $28 million (US$17.5m) in its Series B round.
• Backpocket was recognised by Finder’s panel of judges for the Finder Innovation Awards 2023 based on 2 main criteria: innovation and impact.
• Commonwealth Bank announced a collaboration with AgTech integrator Pairtree Intelligence and launched Smart Real Estate Payments for tenants and real estate managers.Commonwealth Bank’s Group Executive of Business Banking, Michael Vacy-Lyle said the new solutions extended upon the dedicated support CBA had built for business customers in other industry verticals.
• Brisbane digital impact lender WLTH has announced it has acquired Mortgage Mart of Australia a mortgage manager with a loan portfolio exceeding $1 billion. The acquisition comes as WLTH reveals it has closed a $14 million funding round, led by cornerstone investors Rajomon, a purpose-driven investment firm, and ASX listed Kina Bank PNG's leading digital bank and second-largest commercial bank.
• Sydney based Future Super said they have entered in to an agreement with Verve Super. The agreement bring their team, technology and back-offices together for the benefit of the members they serve.
• Bonza and Monoova have partnered to offer PayTo as a payment option. Bonza is Australia's new low cost airline servicing regional domestic routes.
• Sydney based Greener partnered with Tyro Payments to make it easy to take climate action while saving money. By teaming up Greener believes they can help companies across the country become more sustainable and make a huge positive impact on the planet.
• Paydock announced the official rollout of Commonwealth Bank Australia’s Powerboard, a payments orchestration solution delivering powerful new payment experiences for merchants and consumers.
• Sydney based Plenti has partnered with NAB Under the partnership, Plenti and NAB will:- Launch ?? a “NAB powered by Plenti” car and electric vehicle (EV) loan to NAB’s large personal banking customer base- make select Plenti renewable energy finance solutions available to NAB customers ??- explore opportunities for the continued expansion of products offered under the strategic partnership over time ??- Plenti and NAB have also entered into an equity investment agreement under which NAB may acquire up to 15% of Plenti’s share capital through placements and market purchases.
• Commonwealth Bank has provided some insights in to their v5 app:- More than 300,000 additional customers have started using the app, taking total unique users from 7.8m (in June 2023) to 8.1m (in October 2023);- Daily log-ins to the app have increased to more than 11m per day – annualised this equates to 4bn log-ins per year, which is 1bn (33%) more than the number of log-ins seen over the prior year;-The average app customer now logs in 41 times a month, with 20-29 year olds doing so almost twice a day (51 log-ins per month), and over 65s using the app almost every day (24 log-ins per month);- Customers now use the app to process around $2.5bn in payments a day (up 23% year-on-year)
• Stropro recently completed a $3M round. Leslie Szekely from EVP was the lead investor.
• Mr Yum & me&u have announced the merged entity will operate under the me&u name with a fresh visual identity that pays homage to the best of both brands.
• Sydney based Mint Payments Limited announced that Mint Payments has placed 13th on The Australian Financial Review's Fast 100 List for 2023, recognising Mint as one of the fastest growing, established companies in Australia.
• Melbourne based TaxLeopard has acquired Airtax. The deal will see TaxLeopard onboard Airtax’s 40,000+ users and take on its strategic partnership with Uber. “The move comes in the midst of a significant growth push for the company, which includes hugely bolstering its AI capabilities. “
• Superhero has been honoured with Money Magazine's prestigious "Best of the Best" award for Best Value Online Share Broker - for the 3rd year in a row.
• Zeller launched Zeller Corporate Cards, initiating a significant leap forward in business expense management.
• Funding.com.au announced the addition of two key professionals to its Business Development Management team- Lauren Severino and Sam Hermon.
• Commonwealth Bank and Vodafone have announced a new intelligence sharing pilot designed to help protect customers from rising SMS scams.
• Tyro Payments announced a retail alliance with our payment solutions - now available through The Good Guys & JB Hi-Fi Business.
• Melbourne based AYLA announced the beta launch of their Copilot for Financial Well-being – a leap towards the future we envision for personal AI:- Goal-Driven Taskbot- Built & Trained by You- Passive & Active Skills- Chat for Analytics and Insights.
• Mighty Partners has a new offering with an extended term of up to 24 months . Clients still have the flexibility to draw funds in tranches and only pay on the funds that you use - Size $200k-$2m.
• WeMoney won 4 awards in Pause Fest & Awards including Company of the Year, Defiant Ones, Wildfire and Best in Show (Best across all categories)
• Zip Co announced a partnership with Google Pay. This January, and expanding in Spring, merchants accepting Google Pay online can seamlessly integrate Zip Co's Pay-in-4 service, making Buy Now, Pay Later more accessible.
• Brisbane based Sniip announced that all your bills can now be managed and paid through using Sniip. In a little more than two weeks since the launch, they've processed over $3m in payments to over 400 individual billers by more than 250 individual Sniip users.
• Novatti Group (ASX: NOV) announced a strategic review with a priority to simplify it's business by identifying external funding opportunites for International Bank of Australia (IBOA) and AUDD Stablecoin.
• Brieff announced an update to their followers - Product engagement continues to grow, they pitched at the Accounting Business Expo in Sydney and have updating their pricing.
• NexPay an Australian founded and renowned leader in global education payments, has announced the appointment of several key executive Board roles including seasoned financial services and technology veteran, David Johnstone , as Non-Executive Chair, Rajesh Yohannan, as a Non Executive Board Director, and Clive Wilson, former RBA and big four senior banking executive, to the newly created role of Chief Risk & Governance Officer.
• Brisbane based Change Financial , unveiled Doing Good Rewards as the debut participant in their ambitious Prepaid Incubator program.
• Sydney based Payble announced it has raised $2.5m from OIF Ventures combined with a $1m secondary sale to Identii - to total a $3.5m investment from OIF.
• Lendi Group announced they welcomed 350 broker groups to their platform alongside and 537,333 customers.
• iPartners Capital Markets recently collaborated with Harmoney, to provide a new debt facility for their business.
• Melbourne based Zeller has unveiled the Zeller Savings Account, an addition to its suite of financial offerings for businesses.
• Stables announced they are working wih Fireblocks as a security and infrastructure partner.
• Automic Group announced that it has completed the 100 per cent acquisition of Advanced Share Registry (ASX: ASW) for $0.165 cash per share by way of a Scheme of Arrangement.
• Equifax Workforce Solutions announced its recent integration of Verification Exchange into the award winning Nimo Industries loan origination platform.
• Tiimely announced they are officially B Corp certified. B Corp Certification is awarded to companies that meet rigorous standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency.
• Blossom App announced they hit $50 million in funds under management.
• Zip Co announced it successfully completed new funding facilities to strengthen their balance sheet, simplify their capital structure and support ongoing profitable growth.
• Tyro Payments announced that it has partnered with American Express for the Australian launch of Amex OptBlue.
• Birchal raised $2,397,824.00 in their crowdfunding campaign on their own platform from 1149 investors.