FinTech Australia Podcast

In this very special episode we chat to Michael Paris from Fintech Scotland. Fintech has emerged as a transformative force in the financial sector, offering innovative solutions that not only enhance financial services but also address broader societal issues, including environmental sustainability, customer vulnerability, and overall financial well-being. Those objectives are heavily featured in the Research & Innovation Roadmap published by FinTech Scotland 2 years ago. In Scotland the majority of fintechs are aligned to those objectives and are seen as "fintech for good". Today we'll explore what we meen by fintech for good looking at 3 Scottish fintech examples that are changing paradigms across a wide range of topics.We'll also take some time to consider how those organisations are driving positive changes. This episode is recorded in collaboration with FinTech Scotland the Fintech Cluster Management organisation and their Marketing Director, Mickael Paris. Mickael is joined by Ren Hooi, Founder and CEO at Lightning Reach, Robin Peters, Co-founder and CEO at Snugg and Sheila Hogan, Founder and CEO at Biscuit Tin. This podcast is proudly supported by Scottish Development International, Scotland’s trade and investment agency, helping businesses from around the world do business in and with Scotland. For more information on Scotland’s thriving fintechecosystem, please contact Cindy Callander, Senior Trade Specialist, Melbourne, Australia. Cindy.callander@scotent.co.uk

In this Podcast Tim Poskitt talks about his new role at Startupbootcamp and their involvement in Fintech for Net Zero. FinTech Australia has launched a new event aimed at showcasing sustainability-focused fintech companies. Held in partnership with The Australian Trade and Investment Commission, Startupbootcamp and BDO, FinTech for Net Zero will play host to a panel discussion on fintech’s role in managing the challenge of climate change. Several impact fintechs including Slyp, FootprintLab, Good for B and Clima will also pitch at the event. In addition, FinTech Australia will also partner with Clima to offset any emissions associated with the event. It will be held at BDO’s office (1 Margaret St Sydney) from 4pm on Tuesday March 12.

In this week's episode we chat to Ada Guan from RDC. (Rich Data Co). Ada talks about the early days of RDC, their growth, the importance of AI as well as a Fintech Australia story which assisted them to a trip overseas. RDC aims to accelerate innovation in business lending to deliver transformational and sustainable long term business success for customers.

Matt Vitale from Birchal joined the Fintech Australia podcast this week to talk about CSF and his company Birchal. Matt goes in to the details around what crowd funding is, how Birchal have operated, the challenges, the messaging and the funding. Matt also tooks about a recent report where over $70m was invested in to CSF campaigns in 2023.

In the business spotlight series we chat to Karl Durrance from Stripe. Karl delves in to Stripe's local presence about how they work with businesses, their big hairy audacious goals and other ways they are present here locally. Karl also unpacks a a report called "What it takes for businesses to compete in the digital economy " - and the different hurdles, problems solved and examples of ways businesses are accepting payments.

Jeroen van Son joins the business spotlight series to talk about Verrency. Verrency is a Loyalty Services provider, enabling rapid and cost effective digital payments innovation for banks, card issuers, and payment processors. Jereon talks about their products, the market size, the importance of education as well as the current state of the fintech market.

In this episode we chat to the newly minted Fernando Zandona. After serving as interim CEO since June - having previously held the role of Chief Product and Technology Officer at Mambu - Fernando will now spearhead the business as it enters its next phase of growth. Fernando talks about why they are in Australia, the opportunities, their services as well as what he thinks of fintech here locally only arriving recently.

In our 4th Episode of the Business Spotlight series we interview Sivan Atad to talk about nVest. nVest is an enterprise-grade fractional trading B2B platform. It is bringing embedded investment experiences to Australia retail investors. Sivan talks about his experience as a founder, the recent win of the SmartCompany's The Pitch, an early-stage startup competition and his plans for the future.

Today we chat to Andrew Walker who talks about his recent US adventures - including the Fintech Nexus conference via the Austrade Fintech Landing Pad. We chat about: - What he did in New York and their your business ambitions in the US? - Some insights from the US home loan and lending space. - His experience working with Austrade - The Fintech Nexus conference in New York. - International expansion plans

In this week's episode we chatted to Anthony Jones - "AJ" - Head of Innovation and Partnerships, Australia New Zealand and South Pacific at Visa about Visa's involvement in the fintech ecosystem and how they are visible and connecting to fintechs. AJ also talks about their fast-track program and some of the other initiatives. This episode was recorded in Late June.

Today we chat to Daniel Cannizzaro Founder & CEO of Parpera about their recent fact finding mission to the UK and Europe! - About Parpera and the recent iteration - What he did in London/Amsterdam! - Learnings - Money2020! - International Expansion plans

June 2023 CDR MONTH - A wrap - In this episode we interview the following regarding their involvement with CDR Month.

Today we chat with Stuart Low , Founder and CEO of Biza.io Biza.io is the market leader in the Consumer Data Right, Open Banking, Open Energy, and the emerging Open Data ecosystem. We cover all topics of CDR (being CDR month) the different application use cases as well as talking about the Finnies where Biza.io took out the Excellence in RegTech award. Stuart was also nominated for Outstanding Fintech Leader of the Year.

In today's episode we profile 3 Finnies winners from the recent Fintech Australia Finnies evening. Here's a short story about each , the process to apply and how winning the awards have helped them! 1. Excellence in FinTech Support Services Winner - Astero (This award recognises the support services that have provided the highest level of assistance to fintechs in their operation and growth or a business that helps drive the growth of the fintech community through physical infrastructure (space), connections and capital. This award is open to consulting firms, legal support, accounting, technology companies and incubators/hubs/co-working spaces, accelerators or investment firms that demonstrate how they have contributed to the success and growth of various individual fintech companies through the provision of exceptional business support services and connections.) Interview with Sandeep Kumar : Founder & CEO 2.Excellence in Establishing Global Market Presence Winner - Data Zoo (This award recognises the fintech headquartered or founded in Australia, that has most successfully proliferated its presence and identity globally through the creation of a strong brand or IP strategy. For example, this could include the use of a trade mark, digital or physical presence to expand their customer base in relation to count and location.) Interview with Emma Murphy - Marketing & Communications Manager at Data Zoo 3. Emerging FinTech Organisation of the Year People's Choice Winner - Hello Clever (This award recognises a fintech organisation that is delivering transformative new financial services offerings through the innovative use of technology to its customers. This is open to new organisations in the fintech ecosystem of less than 2 years.) - We had almost 2,000 votes this year. Interview with Yelana Bryant - Product Marketing & Partnerships at Hello Clever

Introducing the new sub series from the Fintech Australia - the Business Spotlight. The series aims to profile members and to tell their story in a relaxed manner whilst also intertwining the connection to the ecosystem. The first episode is with Rowan Wilde - Co-Founder - HelpPay to talk about how the business started, the problem they are solving, the progress and the future plans. If you would like to be a part of this series - please reach out!

In today's episode we chat with Joseph Healy from Judo Bank - we discuss the history of the bank, the growth , the progress and of course his book(s). Joseph has written four books - but the latest called "Black Belt, A masterclass for startup and entrepreneurs" brings together the learnings and insights and lessons such as clarity of purpose.

In the latest Fintech Australia podcast we chat to Anto Joseph from Stropro about Alternative Investments. Anto discusses what they are, where Stropro fits in, where Australia sits compared to the rest of the world and how investors can access. Anto also talks about the recent SVB and Regional Bank happenings.

Today we chat to David Marsh from Endava about the recently released 4 key Trends in Payments - A fun listen for all fintechs to consider. To download the report please click here: bit.ly/endava-australia-report