Fintech Chatter: Conversations with Fintech Leaders

In episode 79 of Fintech Chatter Dexter Cousins chats to Evan Wong CEO & Co-Founder of Checkbox, a 13x award-winning no code workflow automation platform. 

Evan has worked with many enterprises including Telstra, Coca Cola and the Singaporean Govt on their digital transformation projects.

Leveraging his expertise in developing digital solutions to solve business process problems, Evan and the Checkbox team have built a platform that empowers employees to build software without the need for coding.

Through this work, Evan has helped redefine manual processes around risk and compliance with a focus on applying innovation with ruthless practicality. 

Evan is a serial entrepreneur and was the Founder of the award-winning business Hero Education which he started at the age of 17. In 2019 Evan was listed as Forbes 30 Under 30 (and he still qualifies!)

To find out more about Checkbox https://checkbox.ai/

You can connect with Evan https://www.linkedin.com/in/theevanwong/

JOB OF THE WEEK - https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/2483587095

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In episode 78 of Fintech Chatter Dexter Cousins is joined by Steve Vallas, CEO of Blockchain Australia.

It's a big week for Blockchain Australia as they launch the very first Blockchain Week, a festival bringing together over 100 speakers to talk all things Blockchain.

Blockchain Australia aims to encourage the responsible adoption of blockchain technology by industry and governments across Australia as a means to drive innovation in service delivery across all sectors of the economy.

Steve shares his candid views of where the industry is at in Australia and what Government and industry needs to do to make Australia a real innovator in the space.

For more info go to https://blockchainaustralia.org/

To attend Blockchain Week go to https://www.blockchainweek.com.au/

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In episode 77 Dexter Cousins chats to Stephen McNulty, Chief Growth Officer of Haventec.

Each month Dexter showcases one of Australia's up-and-coming innovators. To kick off the series, we feature Haventec.

At the core of the Haventec proposition is a remarkably simple idea, beautifully executed – protecting digital identities from harm, and keeping ‘data that matters’ safe – the key foundations for digital trust.

Haventec has developed a suite of technologies that eliminate the need to centrally store sensitive credentials and data, providing the ultimate preparedness for when the enterprise is breached.

About Stephen.

Stephen has lived in Sydney for the last 15 years, moving here from London. His career has featured roles in Engineering (Ford Motor Company),  Technology (Accenture and Avanade), Products (Apple) and Security with his current company, Haventec.

When you meet Stephen he will inevitably talk to you about four things - his family, his mountain bike, his love of music. And privacy…

Find out more about Haventec

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In episode 76 Dexter Cousins is joined by Chris Boas, Managing Director APAC of Q2  a software business that creates simple, smart, end-to-end banking and lending experiences.

Chris chats about the role Q2 is playing in the Australian Fintech sector, where Q2's software (Cloud Lending) is used to power Fintech like Athena and Prospa.

Chris also shares some of the work Q2 is doing around the world, including some 900 banks and credit unions in the US.

And Chris shares his insights on the rapidly changing world of banking since the Covid-19 pandemic.

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Find out more about Q2

About Q2

Cloud Lending Solutions empowers the global lending & leasing community to connect with their borrowers in a whole new way by fundamentally transforming the borrower's experience. 

Built on Salesforce, the world's #1 CRM, Cloud Lending Solutions is the industry's only end-to-end lending and leasing software specifically designed to digitize the entire lending process. 

Cloud Lending continues to expand globally across five continents and over twenty-three countries.

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In Episode 75 Dexter Cousins is joined by Chris Skinner, author, commentator and (in his own words) "troublemaker"

Chris Skinner is known as one of the most influential people in technology, and as an independent commentator on fintech through his blog, the Finanser.com. His latest book (sixteenth!) is called Doing Digital, and shares the lessons of doing digital transformation learned through interviews with BBVA, China Merchants Bank, DBS, ING and JPMorgan Chase. 

He chairs the Financial Services Club and Nordic Future Innovation, is a non-executive director of 11:FS and on the advisory boards of various firms including Mode, Moven and Meniga. Mr. Skinner has been an advisor to the United Nations, the White House, the World Bank and the World Economic Forum, and is a visiting lecturer with Cambridge University as well as a TEDx speaker. 

In recent years, he has been voted one of the UK’s foremost fintech observers by The Telegraph and one of the most influential people in financial technology by the Wall Street Journal’s Financial News and Thomson Reuters. He is also co-founder with renowned artist Basia Hamilton of The Portrait Foundation, http://portraitfoundation.com/, a non-profit platform to encourage children and the arts.

Find out more about The Finanser 

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Dexter is joined by Mark Fordree from Ignition Advice for episode 74 of the Fintech Chatter podcast.

Founded in Sydney in 2014 by Mark and Mike Giles, Ignition Advice is a global leader in digital advice technology, with unique capabilities to deliver advice across investment, retirement and insurance. 

Ignition offers a full end-to-end platform for enterprise, including onboarding, consumer engagement, compliant advice, sales completion, ongoing account management and client servicing.

Ignition entered the European market in 2017, building a skilled team in Dublin.

In February 2021, Ignition Advice continues to grow with a move into the UK market establishing new teams in London and Edinburgh.

Following a successful Series B fundraising event with Morgan Stanley Wealth Management, Ignition is well funded to support business development and product research, accelerating their global growth.

Find out more about Ignition Advice
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In episode #73 Dexter chats to Domm Holland, the Co-Founder and CEO of Fast, the world’s fastest online login and checkout platform.

Founded in Australia and currently headquartered in San Francisco, Fast is a privately held company founded by Domm and Allison Barr Allen and funded by Stripe, Addition, Index Ventures, Susa Ventures and Sugar Capital.

Widely known as the ’World’s Fastest CEO,” Domm is an entrepreneur and self-taught engineer who has founded and scaled companies in the logistics, transportation and technology sectors.

Fast's mission is to make buying online faster, safer and easier for everyone. Its Fast Login and Fast Checkout products enable a one-click sign-in and purchasing experience that makes it easier for people to buy and merchants to sell.

The company's products work on any browser, device or platform for consistent, stress-free purchasing. Fast is entirely consumer-focused and invests heavily in its users'  privacy and data security, with a Zero Fraud Guarantee on chargebacks for sellers.

Domm previously founded and served as CEO of Tow, an on-demand vehicle towing platform in Australia that processed more than $50M in transactions. During his tenure there, Domm was awarded the top spot on the Deloitte Tech Fast 50 and recognized as the Brisbane Young Entrepreneur of the Year.
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Domm has worked across Australia and the U.S., working in national and multinational telecommunications and technology companies, including Dell, with deep cross-function experience.

His background provides him with a unique perspective that spans R&D, sales and operations, all of which have contributed to his vision for Fast.

Find out more about Fast

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Dexter Cousins is joined by the remarkable Lizzie Chapman CEO & Co-Founder of ZestMoney - India’s first and largest AI-Driven, digital financing platform.

Lizzie Chapman is a leading figure in the fintech landscape of India. She has been instrumental in driving the adoption of digital finance and financial inclusion initiatives in the country. 

Lizzie's vision is to make life affordable to more than 300 million households that are currently ignored by traditional providers.

India is on a path to becoming the most significant market for Fintech, globally. With a population of 1.4bn, less than 40% smartphone penetration, and only 25 million people with a credit card, India is primed for BNPL.

About Zest Money

ZestMoney has built a platform that can meaningfully improve the lives of more than 300 million households who currently have no access to credit cards or other formal financing options because of insufficient credit history.

Lizzie's Background

Lizzie started her career as an Investment Manager with the Wellcome Trust, where she invested in financial services companies in India. She then worked with Goldman Sachs in London before moving to India in 2011 to set-up and spearhead the India operations for digital lender Wonga, one of the biggest fintech companies in the world at that point.

Lizzie serves on the boards of IndiaMart (India’s Alibaba) and IndiaQuotient (early-stage investment fund). She is a founding member and serves on the Executive Committee of the Digital Lending Association of India.

She was honoured with the ‘Female Fintech Leader’ award in 2017 and in 2019 was as recognised among “Linkedin Top Voices 2019: Finance & Economy” globally.

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In episode #71 Dexter Cousins chats to Nathan and Michael as they celebrate the 2nd birthday of Athena's official launch. 

Athena is on a mission to save Australians a whole lot of money and help pay off their home loan faster. Founded in June 2017 to revolutionise the home loan industry and make it better in every way, Athena built an innovative digital home loan platform to deliver savings to borrowers, backed by local home loan experts.

Athena is backed by Australia’s leading investors, including AirTree Ventures, AustralianSuper, Hostplus, Macquarie Bank and Square Peg. 

Athena has been the proud recipient for Finnies Emerging Fintech Organisation of the Year Award for 2 years in a row – 2019 and 2020.

Nathan Walsh
Co-founder & CEO, Athena Home Loans, Australia

Nathan Walsh, Athena’s Co-founder and CEO, is a fintech entrepreneur with over 20 years’ expertise in financial services, top-tier consulting and legal practice. Nathan is a former NAB executive who started his career with BCG before taking senior roles at Citi and NAB in wealth management. At NAB, Nathan founded Nabtrade and built it from an idea into a $40 billion platform over 7 years, winning multiple innovation awards along the way.

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Michael Starkey

Co-founder & COO, Athena Home Loans, Australia

Michael Starkey, Athena’s Co-founder and COO, has an entrepreneurial background, having been the co-founder of iSelect in AU. He spent 7 years at NAB in personal banking, was a board member of the Australian Payments Council and ASX listed Homelands Ltd and former director of the New Payments Platform (Australia’s new real-time payments network). 

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Find out more about Athena here

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In episode #70  Dexter Cousins is joined by 86 400’s founding CEO, Robert Bell. They chat about the proposed acquisition by NAB.

86 400 is Australia's first smart bank. Launched in September 2019 with an unrestricted banking license, the smart phone only bank has been the trail blazer for Aussie neobanks launching home loans, energy switching, joint accounts, budgeting tools with new feature releases on an almost weekly basis.

With an ecosystem approach 86 400 partners with many Aussie Fintech including Zip, Uno, Data Action. And with the proposed sale to NAB, Tier One People believe this is a landmark day for Australian Fintech innovation.

About Robert Bell:

Rob is committed to helping Australians take control of their finances is the driving force behind the 100+ strong team at 86 400. 

Rob has extensive leadership experience in financial services across Australia and the Asia Pacific region. 

Prior to 86 400 he held Executive and CEO roles at Cuscal, Australian Unity Bank and ANZ including CEO positions at both ANZ Japan and ANZ Fiji.

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