Tag: FIntech

Australia – Financial services company in Australia, Brighte, has awarded its creative mandate to independent creative agency Paper Moose. The move comes after a competitive pitch that included Clemenger BBDO Sydney, VCCP, and Banjo.

Brighte offers financing and zero-interest payments solutions for the installation of solar panels, batteries, and air conditioning, as well as lighting equipment. Last year, the company secured AU$100m in a Series C funding which will be used in enhancing its solutions. 

As part of the creative mandate of Paper Moose, the agency will help in bolstering the fintech’s presence in the consumer space. This is the first engagement between the two.

Malini Sietaram, Brighte’s chief revenue and marketing officer, commented that it is refreshing to work with an agency that’s anchored in strategic thinking and committed to a sustainable tomorrow.

“Paper Moose’s ‘Buy One, Get One’ program shows we have a shared purpose in tackling Australia’s transition to renewable energy — these guys walk the walk. We want all Australian homes to be sustainable, and Paper Moose will play a big part in driving this change,” said Sietaram. 

Paper Moose recently pivoted its brand positioning to ‘the change makers’ and with this, a new sustainability-focused initiative called ‘Buy One, Give One’ which aims to support companies working to decarbonize the economy. 

Nick Hunter, the CEO and founding partner of Paper Moose, shared they are thrilled to be working alongside Brighte on their foray into the B2C landscape.

“Our two companies share so many values – from a start-up spirit, to genuinely wanting to make a positive impact. As a nation we need more companies like Brighte, so we’re here to do all we can to help it thrive,” said Hunter.

Within its sustainability advocacy, Paper Moose has also recently launched carbon-neutral telco, felix, through releasing a power ballad, aimed at encouraging efforts in cleaning up the marine environment.

Singapore – StashAway, the intelligent wealth management platform designed to build and protect users’ wealth, has just announced the launch of its Thematic Portfolios, which include three themes namely ‘Technology Enablers’, ‘The Future of Consumer Tech’, and ‘Healthcare Innovation’.

The new portfolios feature exchange-traded funds (ETFs) from some of the world’s top fund managers, including ARK Invest, iShares, and Global X, as well as VanEck.

The ‘Technology Enablers’ includes sub themes such as AI, blockchain, and cloud computing, as well as robotics, and semiconductors, which is the technology that consumers do not see but it enables new technologies to transform the world, while ‘The Future of Consumer Technology’ invests in technology that everyday consumers use, such as e-commerce, fintech, gaming, and internet, as well as mobility, and social media.

And lastly, the ‘Healthcare Innovation’ portfolio is investing in the technologies that cannot only improve but even change the way people stay healthy, get treatment, and recover. It gives investors exposure to biotech, genomics, and pharmaceuticals, such as smart beds and software used for genome sequencing.

Freddy Lim, StashAway’s co-founder and CIO, noted that this gives investors access to thematic investing without the risk inherent with thematic investing, and the remaining non-thematic assets in a portfolio are there to manage risk. 

“We call these non-thematic assets ‘balancing assets’, and their role in our Thematic Portfolios is just as important as the thematic assets,” said Lim.

Meanwhile, Amanda Ong, the country manager of StashAway Singapore, commented that they are excited to offer new investment opportunities to the clients.

“The promising innovations that make up these portfolios take time to reach mass adoption. So, it’s important for investors to have a long-term mindset when investing in Thematic Portfolios,” said Ong.

StashAway said that its Thematic Portfolios are different from any other thematic offering available to both retail and institutional investors. Its risk management feature includes investors select the downside they are willing to accept in a given year, and the platform maximizes the thematic exposure as much as possible within the risk constraints.

Singapore – Singapore’s multicurrency e-wallet YouTrip revealed in a press announcement that it will be undergoing a brand rehaul, slated for early 2022. 

The advanced announcement comes as the fintech unveils its plans to establish an innovation lab in Singapore to fast-track its technology capabilities and product development. The fintech shared that the new lab will see its workforce double by 2022 which will be crucial in driving the development of a new suite of multicurrency products including the new brand identity. 

YouTrip’s brand proposition is to offer the best mobile financial services by simplifying foreign currency payments and offering the best exchange rates. With the new branding, the fintech aims to reflect its transformation from a travel wallet to a broader digital payments app that drives its mission of simplifying multicurrency spending. 

Together with a new brand debut, YouTrip will also be redesigned with new features such as a virtual card, an interactive exchange rates dashboard, and also YouTrip exclusive deals, as well as the ability to hold more popular currencies in the wallet.

YouTrip also revealed the launch of another product YouTrip Business, likewise to be released in early 2022. 

YouTrip Business is a new multicurrency corporate credit card aimed at helping companies of all sizes save money and time on cross-border payments. Compared to the consumer product, the new business card promises higher spending limits while transacting at the best exchange rates in over currencies, with credit terms offered to selected business account users. YouTrip Business will also enable companies to issue multicurrency cards to employees. 

Caecilia Chu, co-founder and CEO of YouTrip, commented that despite the travel standstill, there has been continued significant growth in overseas online spending which underscores the importance of cross-border payments for consumers and businesses.

According to YouTrip’s own cross-border e-commerce study for 2021, there has been an 84% year-on-year increase in online overseas purchases by Singaporean users from the period of July 2020 to June 2021.

Chu said, “With this shift in spending, our advancement in innovation to offer a wider suite of multicurrency is timely, and drives our goal of elevating the cross-border payment experience for our users in Singapore and the region. We are incredibly excited to embark on this next phase of our business growth and Singapore’s developed tech ecosystem provides the conducive conditions to propel this forward.”

She adds, “Singapore is a special place to us, being the first market where we introduced YouTrip to the world…we look forward to driving the next generation of cross-border payment innovations, and to help build a stronger pipeline of talents that will fortify Singapore’s position as a global fintech hub.”

Sydney, Australia – Fintech startup for human resources, Paytime, has appointed Agnes Media, the measurement-first agency, to manage its performance media and digital marketing to help increase the brand’s market share as an earned wage access provider.

Paytime is an Australian-owned company that provides businesses with a free tech platform offering employees the ability to access their earned wages at any time in the month.

The appointment comes after Agnes Media was referred by board member Fran Ereira, the former country director of leading global payment and shopping service at Klarna for Australia, which the agency also works with.

Charlotte Ward, Agnes Media’s CEO, said that Paytime is a highly innovative business that seeks to overcome the financial stresses and mental health issues caused by an inability for employees to access their pay when it’s needed most.

“Similar brands have seen high success in the USA and UK, and we’re excited to be a part of Paytime’s growth in Australia to provide greater access to pay for workers, by their employers,” said Ward.

The founder and CEO of Paytime, Steven Furman, said that financial and mental stress is widespread and impacted employees are less productive, engaged, and loyal to their employer, and with half of the Australian workers impacted, Paytime partners with companies to empower, educate and equip their employees by giving them access to their salary when they need it.

“Coupled with financial and mental health tools, the fintech’s platform offers an all in one, holistic financial, and mental wellbeing solution without any additional work for payroll. As a fairly new entrant into the HR fintech space, we look forward to working with Agnes Media to build our brand and drive engagement across digital channels,” said Furman.

Ereira also commented, “Having witnessed first hand how Charlotte and the team at Agnes Media can deliver real return on media investment, I was delighted to connect them with Paytime. I know they will bring their same passion and expertise as Paytime penetrates the market.”

This year, Agnes Media has also been working with clients including Zolo, Australia’s first profit-for-purpose tech-cycling company, Jace Legal, the commercial law and conveyancing business, and Re-Play UK, the sustainable tableware brand.

Australia – With the convenience that digital apps offer also comes the democratization of undertakings that used to be exclusive to those that only have the expertise and the know-how. For example, through apps, the common consumer is able to accomplish things such as becoming an online seller, and even those that don’t know a thing about graphics are now able to flex a visual artist hat. 

Such is the case of Sharesies, a financial platform in Australia and New Zealand, that aims to dumb down the activity of investing in shares.

In a new campaign made together with creative agency BMF, Sharesies doubles down on its brand promise of making investing in stocks easier for all by drawing similarities between investing and common activities such as playing the saxophone, learning to drive, and kissing in a fun and light series of spots. In reality, they are far from comparable, only except for one thing – before we become a master of the said things, we all start as beginners.

BMF and Sharesies
Sharesies’ campaign is made up of three different ads, portraying a beginner’s experience in playing the saxophone, in kissing, and in driving.

And this is the message that Sharesies wants to send across. Investing may be intimidating, but with the help of the platform, and some good ‘ol encouragement that no skill is ever really mastered with one quick go, it’s possible to start one’s investment journey now.

Sharesies’ platform offers an easy way to have an investment portfolio, giving access to invest in thousands of companies and funds in New Zealand, Australia, and the US. In addition to the main service of Sharesies, investing gets much ‘friendlier’ with the platform meshing a tropical branding with a rather serious and intricate activity. 

Sharesies is a New Zealand-based investing platform and the campaign was launched by Sharesies Australia under the new brand platform created by the BMF agency, ‘Let’s Get Growing’.

After winning a competitive pitch for the account, BMF has created the brand platform with the aim to celebrate investment as a long-term game, one that isn’t won through ‘shortcuts’. 

Pia Chaudhuri, BMF’s ECD, commented, “You’ve been a beginner many times in your life, but being one didn’t stop you then, and it shouldn’t stop you now. Investing can seem intimidating, but just like so many other things, it can be worth taking the plunge. ” 

Chaudhuri adds, “We hope this campaign inspires and empowers investing novices to take heart in the fact we all have to start somewhere, and sometimes, pushing through the awkwardness can bring us one step closer to realizing our dreams.”

BMF and Sharesies
An OOH ad of the campaign by BMF

Meanwhile, Brooke Roberts, co-founder and director of Sharesies Australia, said, “Sometimes, you just need a little bit of help to see the potential you already have. We want to empower our investors with the tools and knowledge to reach their personal goals.” 

Roberts adds, “BMF’s platform is true to our brand and we hope it will get Aussies to take their first investment plunge, and continue to grow, with the Sharesies platform.”

The campaign will run in the Australian market across BVOD, OOH and digital and will be supported with a $10 retail offer covered by Sharesies Australia upon sign-up.

Sydney, Australia – Australia-based buy now pay later (BNPL) global fintech platform Afterpay has announced the launch of Afterpay iQ, its new dedicated analytics platform catered to merchants using their services.

With this powerful new tool, brands can gain access to valuable customer-centric analytics to help optimize investment and drive growth.

Entailed within the new analytics platform are AI-powered insights, visualizations, and real-time data are delivered in one, highly accessible self-service user interface. Furthermore, brands can evaluate marketing performance, omnichannel shopping volumes, and demographic summaries down to the store level.

Lastly, there is an embedded recommendation engine in the platform that offers insightful actions to optimize business performance based on analytics.

The launch of the platform coincides with Afterpay’s launch of their quarterly report on millennial and Gen Z spending, where they found that millennial and Gen Z share of spending will increase to 48% by 2030, demonstrating their continued strong influence on the economy as these cohorts reach peak earning years. The report also showed that this generation has an increasing preference for BNPL.

“Gen Z and Millennials are driving change at the intersection of culture and commerce – so it’s no surprise they have been key adopters of Afterpay and BNPL more generally,” said Mark Teperson, chief strategy officer at Afterpay.

Furthermore, they also noted that spending by Gen Z and millennials has recovered faster than older generations, up an average of 13% from pre-pandemic levels. Small-business spending is also increasing among this generation – up an average of 220% since early 2020.

“Having built our business by connecting this next generation of shoppers to the best brands in the world, Afterpay is in a strong position to help its retailers navigate this demographic by providing unparalleled insights into the world’s hardest to reach customer cohorts,” Teperson concluded.

Indonesia – Fintech DANA in Indonesia which provides a digital wallet has launched a new campaign called ‘Pakai DANA, #BebasDrama’ campaign, which translates to ‘Use DANA, #DramaFree’. 

With digital payment services enjoying an increased adoption at this period, DANA wants to remind consumers its position in convenience, and the new campaign aims to emphasize the three main benefits that DANA gives which are secured transactions, integrated financial solutions, and smart technology for easy transactions.

The #BebasDrama campaign follows its #GantiDompet campaign, which has the main message of “Change wallet.” Of the said campaign, DANA wanted to encourage Indonesians to shift from conventional money management to digitized wallets. Now the next plausible step is to help consumers realize how to best use a digital wallet.

“After inviting users to shift from conventional wallets to digital wallets in #GantiDompet campaign message, DANA now strengthens its role and position in varied daily activities. DANA is a digital wallet that’s able to set people free from payment impracticality and financial management,” said DANA in a press statement. 

The #BebasDrama campaign has been officially released in June, with an ad published on YouTube. The ad has already garnered over 17 million views as of writing. 

DANA said that the #BebasDrama campaign is also a manifestation of its efforts to reinspire the benefits of using a digital wallet among novice workers from Gen Y and Z who need practical solutions to support their transactions amid their vast productivity. DANA offers an array of features to manage daily activities ranging from money transfer, billers, to online commerce.

Vince Iswara, CEO and co-founder of DANA, said, “At this blossoming age, it provides us some space to explore and innovate in accordance with our users’ needs. We are aware of society’s desire to experience #BebasDama digital transactions that enable them with practicality, safety, and protection. Driven by this aspiration, DANA continues to develop new initiatives and affect the growth of users to application downloaders in both iOS and Android.”

In a social media post, DANA helps consumers tackle the three common money woes, or ‘dramas’, at the middle of the month

The #BebasDrama campaign also includes a strong content campaign on social media, specifically on DANA’s Instagram and Facebook pages. As a brand targeting young professionals, DANA’s social media content revolves around bite-sized helpful information on managing money. 

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Fintech and digital commerce company in Malaysia, IOUpay, has just announced the signing of international singer-songwriter, Yuna, to become the new face of its ‘buy now, pay later’ (BNPL) service, myIOU.

The myIOU app, which has only been launched in June 2021, offers both retail and e-commerce merchants flexible payment options for their in-store and online consumers. It enables consumers to split their purchases into two, three, or six monthly payments at zero interest.

The appointment of Yuna as the new face of myIOU is in line with its goal of encouraging Malaysians to embrace BNPL as the new-age payment method and to advocate for the benefits of BNPL to both local businesses and consumers.Yuna will be representing the brand as an opinion leader of myIOU, where campaigns and promotional activities will be integrated and delivered across online and offline media platforms.

Yuna has over a million followers on social media and has previously worked with brands including Malaysia Airlines. IOUpay said her wide reach and connection to her fans and music lovers across the region will support the brand in its goal to grow its user base and connection with local businesses.

Commenting on her ambassadorship, Yuna said the partnership came at a perfect time as she was looking for more ways to support local entrepreneurs during this trying time. 

“To know that myIOU with its BNPL offerings can help both businesses and consumers to thrive during challenging times like this, I am proud to be a part of that. Together with IOUpay, I hope to educate as many people as possible on the ways to leverage on BNPL,” said Yuna.

Meanwhile, Christopher Kok, IOUpay’s regional commercial officer, commented that Yuna has been chosen not only for her capacity as an international icon but also for her ability to connect consumers with businesses with the aim of helping local businesses, particularly during the pandemic. 

“As a key player in the BNPL industry in Malaysia, we are always on the lookout for partners who share the same vision as us. She is a perfect fit to join the myIOU family because her personal interest aligns with our business goal to be one of the leading digital transaction processors in the booming cashless economies of Southeast Asia,” said Kok.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – BigPay, the digital portfolio and fintech company under AirAsia, has announced that it has finalized its funding, now amounting to US$100m, which entails the company to push through its vision of becoming a ‘challenger bank’ in the growing banking ecosystem in Southeast Asia.

Said funding was led by SK Group, one of the leading conglomerate groups, headquartered in South Korea.

Founded in 2017, the company, which is present in both Malaysia and Singapore at the moment, offers a prepaid debit card which can be used to spend anywhere Visa or Mastercard is accepted, local and international money transfers, micro-insurance, bill payments and a budgeting tool. BigPay has launched as well a series of products for its users focused on long-term financial health and accessibility.

According to Salim Dhanani, co-founder and CEO at BigPay, said funding speaks to the company’s vision to expand their product sets, along with growing the model to new markets. He added that they target to expand to Thailand and the wider ASEAN market, but for now, they will focus first in launching key products: fully digital personal loans, transactional lending and an offering for MSMEs.

“Our ethos has always been clear. We want to launch financial products that are not only simple and convenient but transparent and accessible to everyone. We are ready to embark on the next stage of our journey with SK Group and we will continue to provide fair financial services to communities across Southeast Asia,” says Salim.

The funding from one of South Korea’s largest conglomerates and tech innovator further strengthens AirAsia’s digital endeavor as it accelerates the scope of growth for its digital businesses, including logistics and financial services.

“We are happy to be joining forces with BigPay as we’ve had a keen interest in fintech and digital banking for a long time. SK Group will be able to make a significant contribution to BigPay in both technical and consumer service aspects given our experience and resources,” said Jung Kyu Kim, chief representative at SK Malaysia.

Meanwhile, Tony Fernandes, CEO at AirAsia Group, commented, “I am excited for this great partnership with SK Group and for their belief in BigPay’s mission to bring inclusivity to financial services. This is the first investment into one of our portfolio digital companies and a testament to our digital growth story – we don’t anticipate it being the last.”

He added, “SK Group is second to none when it comes to innovation and experience, so we truly believe they can share their expertise and know-how so that this investment can mark the beginning of a new exciting digital banking era.”

Manila, Philippines – With the goal of continuing to further tech-up Filipino businesses, UBX, the fintech unit by UnionBank that provides opportunities and access for all by building digital financial solutions for individuals and SMEs, has just recently launched ‘Sentro Build’, to enable the growing community of merchants that gather in well-known marketplaces. 

‘Sentro Build’ is the latest version of UBX’s ‘Sentro’. ‘Sentro’ is an online shop builder for entrepreneurs and MSMEs, while the new ‘Sentro Build’ provides marketplace owners, organizers, and their communities an easily customizable online marketplace.

Merchants can join the ‘Sentro Build’ via an invite to the marketplace from the marketplace owner or by applying to become a seller to the marketplace, while customers can simply visit the marketplace website to look through the merchandise.

Through ‘Sentro Build’, marketplace owners have full control over the appearance and branding of their marketplace through the platform’s easy-to-use administration features. It has a built-in payment gateway powered by Bux providing multiple payment options via over 50,000 over-the-counter channels, online banking, and e-wallets, as well as debit, and credit card payments. In addition, it has pre-integrated delivery services powered by MrSpeedy.

“There are many industries affected by the pandemic. Those severely impacted include the events, expo, and bazaar segments. Traditionally, this industry required physical gatherings which might not be happening any time soon. We have the technology that can now empower companies to create their own online marketplaces,” said Bjorn Pardo, UBX’s head for SME Ventures and Sentro’s lead for Venture.

According to UBX, the events industry was one of the hardest hit during the pandemic, and traditionally requiring mass physical attendance, events, and expos have been severely restricted.

With this, ‘Sentro Build’ has kicked off with Themes & Motifs last 24 July 2021. Behind the launch are the organizers of The Wedding Inspirations Co. and the original Philippine Wedding Expo. The virtual Bridal Fair national roadshow and its online mall dedicated to the wedding industry is called ‘The Bridal Marketplace’.

When asked by MARKETECH APAC how ‘Sentro Build’ helped Themes & Motifs transition virtually, Pardo said, “Themes & Motifs events are primarily done physically in malls and convention centers. Now with their marketplace up and running, they can virtually conduct their own bridal fair from anywhere in the Philippines. Also because of the marketplace we’ve built, customers can easily view and check out their purchases within the marketplace.”

Meanwhile, Sharon Fabian, the managing director of Themes & Motifs, shared that ‘Sentro Build’ allowed them to quickly establish TheBridalMarketplace.com, a comprehensive online mall for soon-to-weds that capitalizes on Themes & Motifs long-standing partnership with big and reputable names in the local wedding industry.

“It provided us with full integration to pandemic-friendly payment methods and a seamless connection to a product delivery system. Also, its easy-to-use e-commerce platform is perfect for our online bridal fair roadshow which showcases different wedding suppliers in different regions of the Philippines,” said Fabian.

Aside from ‘Sentro’ and ‘Sentro Build’, UnionBank’s UBX has also launched other digital platforms, namely, digital transformation package ‘i2i’, end-to-end payment platform ‘Bux’, online lending marketplace ‘SeekCap’, and technologies for visionaries ‘Q Lab’.