Rehan D'Almeida
Fintech

FinTech Australia’s pre-budget submission warns of ‘two-speed’ ecosystem hurting new startups without R&D tax incentive reform

- March 17, 2025 2 MIN READ

FinTech Australia is calling for an urgent recalibration of Research and Development tax incentives (RDTI) and the Early Stage Venture Capital Limited Partnership (ESVCLP) Program in its submission to  treasurer Jim Chalmers ahead of the federal budget next week The peak body’s 21-page pre-Budget submission makes 11 recommendations to Treasury, arguing that with the right… Read more »

Business

Airwallex and McLaren have teamed up with the Aboriginal artist who did burnouts in a Rolls-Royce for the Melbourne F1

- February 26, 2025 2 MIN READ

If you’ve ever had a meal at di Stasio’s Citta in Melbourne, or watched the Matildas play Japan last week, you’ve seen the work of Kamilaroi artist Reko Rennie. Rennie’s 8-minute video, OA_RR, driving a Rolls Royce in burnouts in the desert country of his grandmother, plays behind the bar at the Italian restaurant, and… Read more »

BNPL, Afterpay, Klarna
Business

ASIC is cracking down on buy now pay later fintechs and wants to know what everyone thinks

- February 24, 2025 2 MIN READ

Corporate and and financial services the Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC) is seeking feedback on its new regulatory guidance for the buy now pay later (BNPL) sector New laws offering increased protections for consumer users of BNPL kick in from June 2025, treating BNPL as a credit product. That means BNPL providers will need… Read more »

Accelerator

CommBank picks Seattle startup as winner of x15ventures accelerator program

- February 19, 2025 2 MIN READ

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 »

Fintech

Gig worker fintech MyGigster raises $1.1 million Seed round

- January 29, 2025 2 MIN READ

MyGigsters, a fintech the helps gig economy workers track their income and spending to build financial security, has raised a $1.1 million Seed round. It leverages real-time data on earnings, expenses and work history, alongside advanced analytics, to provide hyper-personalised insights for people to improve their financial wellbeing. The fintech launched in 2022 with pre-Seed… Read more »

Fintech

What Australian Open Banking needs in 2025

- January 2, 2025 3 MIN READ

2024 was a pivotal year for Australian open banking. While Australia is seen as an open banking leader, its CDR regime has been criticised for issues including quality of data, slowness of adoption, cost of execution and cumbersome user experiences. This led to Assistant Treasurer and Minister for Financial Services Stephen Jones announcing a CDR… Read more »

Rehan D'Almedia
Business

FinTech Australia says plans to ban payment surcharges will cost competition, choice and fintech innovation

- December 31, 2024 2 MIN READ

FinTech Australia has released its formal position on the RBA’s review of merchant card payment costs and surcharging, advocating for an approach which keeps competition high but does not place an outright ban on surcharging. The view was formed after months of consulting with the peak body’s member base of over 400 companies and commissioning… Read more »

BNPL, Afterpay, Klarna
Fintech

The BNPL sector is now being regulated as credit in Australia

- December 4, 2024 3 MIN READ

Financial institutions, fintechs, and regulators have welcomed new buy now, pay later (BNPL) rules that will finally treat the sector like other credit providers, with new legislation passed hours before shoppers tapped BNPL to propel Black Friday sales to record-breaking heights. The new regulations will apply corporate regulator ASIC’s National Credit Code (NCC) to a BNPL sector that has… Read more »

Business

Finder acquires shopping cashback fintech Grow My Money

- November 27, 2024 2 MIN READ

Comparison fintech Finder has acquired cashback platform Grow My Money for an undisclosed sum. Founder Pascale Helyar–Moray originally launched Grow My Money as Super-Rewards in late 2019, helping people save for the retirement with a cashback program from shopping. She subsequently expanded into mortage repayments, transforming the fintech into its current form and brand People can shop… Read more »