FinTechNZ – from insight to impact!

We’re taking fintech from Aotearoa to the world

We have just launched the FinTechNZ Hui Taumata 2023 schedule and you can now register to attend. This month we also explore investment trends, thoughts on partnering, working group updates and the Singapore Fintech Festival. Plus we welcome 11 new members!

FinTech Hui Taumata 2023

We’re ready to bring the brightest minds of our sector together at this one day conference. Expect global thought leadership and insight that will build understanding, capability and expand capacity to help great kiwi companies export our smart solutions at pace. Together we can cultivate tech that’s right-sized for the New Zealand market, and ready to scale to the world.

We have an excellent selection of speakers and have received fabulous support with just a few sponsorship opportunities left. Please contact me directly if you would like to know more about sponsorship. We have capped the delegate numbers at 250 to ensure the best opportunity for connecting and networking. Registrations are now open and FinTechNZ members can access a special 2-for-1 ticketing offer. If you are not a FinTechNZ member, perhaps now is the time to join us!

Investment trends

Raising capital is always top of mind for our community. While Aoteroa has its own investment microcosm reflecting our unique sector, gaining international insights is always helpful. Recently I was talking with a respected investment partner who commented that the international VC market was in an ‘autumn’ phase and the bigger marketplace more akin to a ‘winter’ phase.

Recent research and commentary appears to support this. It is clear the hype has most certainly gone for the larger unicorns and VC deals, but in my view, more moderate in Aotearoa. Perhaps this reflects the fact that our investments here are often smaller, less hyped and of greater substance?

You may also be interested to view the latest Global Startup Ecosystem Report (GSER). At the Hui Taumata, we are focused on VC with a dedicated session that is designed to receive the views of some of our guest speakers from NZX and ASX, but also provide a funding pathway approach to the never ending funding journey.

Partnering for success

Perhaps the most important ingredient to success for fintech’s and incumbents is the need to develop mature partnerships. For startups, a partnership approach helps gain access to markets and customers, plus developing credibility and brand value. Meanwhile, incumbents recognise the need to innovate and offer new products, services and experiences. This also requires careful balancing of brand integrity, security issues, back-end system integration and more.

What does successful partnering look like? For example, currently in New Zealand Visa, Novatti and Dosh have partnered for their innovative payment wallet. In Australia, Ferocious has partnered with Bendigo Bank for an additional 400,000 customers to their 1.9 million customer base. Previously in my business Rockseed, I worked with Bendigo and seven years ago it was evident they were embracing innovation. Partnerships like these demonstrate value, opportunity and maturity.

Locally, we are still maturing and I was disappointed to read recent comments on the ‘glacial’ progress of API interactions with the banks and in particular the BNZ and Akahu API integration experience. Also of interest is a recent report on API’s covering the standard for account information aggregator mode for open finance by the technical task force of the BIS Innovation and Digital Economy Group.

Sustainable Finance update
The Sustainable Finance working group recently debriefed following their FSC Conference session on Data and Technology as Solutions to ESG. This work will help inform the scope of our forthcoming research project. We have also been participating and supporting the development of NZTech’s inaugural ESG report.

RegTech update
This month, RegTechNZ is launching a tri-party collaboration with Australian RegTech Association and AWS. This includes a series of webinars exploring common themes and providing global insights. Our first webinar is Busting Regulatory Myths on 22 November, so stay tuned for more information.

Join our Annual Meeting
Thank you to those who have made nominations for our Executive Council. It was also pleasing to see near 48% of our membership voting, this is an important sign of an active and engaged community. Our new board members will be announced at our Annual Meeting on 9 November.

Learning Te Reo and Tikanga Māori
Thank you to those who expressed interest in learning Te Reo Māori. We are delighted in the level of interest and are planning to host these early next year, to avoid end-of-year diary challenges. If you haven’t already contacted us but would like to begin your Te Reo Māori journey, please express your interest here.

Nga Mihi
Jason Roberts
Executive Director