Deep tech startups are addressing some of society’s biggest problems and creating the jobs of tomorrow but they’ve been neglected in the government’s love affair with co-working spaces, according to Petra Andrén, the CEO of Sydney-based super incubator Cicada Innovations. Ahead of her appearance at the Global Mobile Internet Conference in Sydney, earlier this month, […]
SME operators not only predict a lack of sales over the Christmas retail period, they also expect to be short on spare time, according to MYOB. The cloud accounting provider’s latest SME snapshot reveals that business confidence is down due to the threat of bigger and online retailers entering the market from overseas. The majority […]
Cross-border payments startup Airwallex has received a US$6 million investment from VC firm Square Peg, bringing its total Series A capital raise to US$19 million The Melbourne-based fintech company previously closed its Series A funding round in May, having raised a combined US$13 million from Mastercard, Sequoia Capital China and the world’s fourth largest internet […]
Businesses are struggling to offer staff flexible work arrangements as they expand beyond four employees, according to cloud accounting provider, MYOB. Although employees have a legal right, under the Fair Work Act, to request flexible work arrangements, MYOB’s latest SME snapshot shows that just one in two businesses with under 20 staff (54%) afford their […]
Businesses are being encouraged to promote their commitment to good payment time practices by signing up to the National Payment Transparency Register, established this week by the Australia Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman (ASBFEO). The Ombudsman, Kate Carnell, first called for a national register in her report into payment times and practices, published in […]
When Mick Spencer entered a lucrative contract to produce 500 cycling jerseys, five years ago, his fledgling sportswear startup was operating with little more than an old screen printer. There was, he admits, an element of ‘fake it until you make it’. Today, ONTHEGO is a rapidly growing e-commerce company with an enviable customer base […]
Innovations implemented by Australian businesses over the past year have contributed $110 billion to the economy, according to research undertaken by the Commonwealth Bank The second annual CommBank Business Insights Report, which looks at innovation practices and performance of companies with two or more employees and an annual turnover greater than $500,000, indicates that businesses […]
The decision by the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) to use distributed ledger technology for its settlement and clearing system for equities transactions has been welcomed by industry association FinTech Australia. Distributed ledger technology developed by Digital Asset will replace CHESS (Clearing House Electronic Subregister System), which ASX currently uses to record shareholdings and manage the […]
Today’s savvy consumers increasingly demand authenticity from businesses, both in terms what they stand for and how they tell their story. If a business doesn’t align with their values, they’ll find one that does. And if a business talks the talk but doesn’t walk the walk, well… consumers will call BS, jeopardising the business’s chances […]
A parliamentary committee recommendation for banks to reduce ‘tap and go’ transaction fees has attracted support from the Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman Kate Carnell. The House of Representatives Standing Committee on Economics recommended that banks let merchants send tap-and-go payments from debit cards through eftpos instead of credit, and that regulatory action be taken […]
