Dear Readers,
FinTechNZ has had an exciting couple of weeks re-energizing our strategy at a recent session hosted by Xero. The Executive Council came raring to go and full of ideas. Once we have distilled these outcomes we will be sharing with the wider ecosystem, watch this space.
Get ready for sweeping changes flowing through New Zealand’s FinTech Industry in the near future. New Zealand’s FinTech sector is growing faster than the global average of 32 percent, this will see FinTech becoming the second largest contributor toward New Zealand’s GDP, leaving behind our traditional primary sector. A potential game changer.
Another game changer but a bad one, is the threat of cyber-attacks. Barely six percent of business and companies in New Zealand have adequate cyber protection meaning they are not prepared for cyber-attacks. The impact of these attacks on the insurance sector could be greater than natural disasters.
With Techweek nearly here I am very excited to see the final lineup of speakers and events. I have a busy week kicking off on Monday with the launch of WealthTech. Rachel Strevens, Invsta, is spearheading this for us, if you’re in the Wealth sector then you need to get involved.
Next I head to Hamilton to talk about Cultural Mindshift and how leaders need to reshape their thinking in this world of innovation. I then fly to Wellington to present to the National Caucus which will be exciting and help to put FinTech high on the Government agenda.
Then it’s off to Christchurch to talk about Intangible Assets with Delta Insurance and EverEdge Global, and back on a plane to Auckland to hear all about Future FinTech Leadership at the DLA Piper event. Thursday starts off meeting the Scottish Enterprise to talk about opportunities for New Zealand businesses in Scotland, then I am on the panel to discuss Brexit, followed by Payments NZ’s Hub discussion at Sky City. Following this it’s on to Clearpoint to talk about Millennials and the future of financial services.
Friday is an easy day with more discussion around Intangible Assets, followed by a Techweek TV session talking about Open Data, topped off with an evening of celebration at the Hi Tech Awards Gala Dinner. Good luck to all our members who’ve been nominated.
I’m looking forward to connecting with so many of our community in such a short space of time, I’ll be packing my running shoes and hoping for good connections from transport and technology as well!
Finally, a key area we’re focusing on is uncovering the size of the FinTech sector here in New Zealand and using this as a baseline to explore what could be possible. Can we follow in the footsteps of Singapore or London? We won’t know until we do this research; if your organisation would like to be involved get in touch. As a starting point we will be refreshing our membership Landscape Map as we continue to grow. If any of your logos need updating or you’ve expanded into additional areas – please let us know.
I look forward to seeing many of you at Techweek.
James Brown
General Manager
FinTechNZ
EVENTS
Our newest Working Group WealthTech’s first event will be taking place 20 May in Auckland, register now, limited spaces available.
Techweek19 kicks off next week 20–26 May. Attend the official Techweek19 launch event next week or join the live webcast. Make sure you check out the Techweek TV schedule including webcast The power of incubators and accelerators for start-ups along with hundreds of other relevant broadcasts.
Attend the CFA Society New Zealand, Investment Conference; Alternative Finance and Alternative Investments 22 May in Auckland.
There are a few tickets still available to attend the Hi-Tech Awards Gala Dinner on 24 May in Auckland, the grand finale to Techweek19.
Join EdTechNZ and TechWomen on 13 June in Wellington, 20 June in Auckland and 26 June in Christchurch to discuss how to achieve diversity in the tech sector. Registrations opening soon.
Register for the 2019 Export Essentials workshops running throughout New Zealand from May to July.
Register for the Women in Insurance Summit 2019 , 30 July in Auckland. You can also nominate your entrant for the Women in Insurance Awards.
Save the date for the Canterbury Tech Summit on 12 September in Christchurch.
The 2019 NZ Cyber Security Summit will examine the changing cyber landscape and what that means for the modern business ecosystem, taking place on 15 October at Te Papa, in Wellington.
Upcoming international events include London Tech Week 10–13 June, London FinTech Week, 5–10 July and the UK’s largest FinTech Conference and Trade show FinTech Connect, 3–4 December in London.
Hong Kong FinTech Week is back on 4–8 November 2019 you can preregister now and get further information.
NEWS
Insurtech Australia and EY Australia have produced their second comprehensive annual report An assessment of the Australian Insurtech ecosystem. Read some of the key findings Australia’s growing insurtech sector attracting international interest with collaboration levels on the rise.
Take a closer look at the five nominees for Kiwibank’s Most Innovative Hi-Tech Service award.
No longer can it be argued that fintech is niche. Its impact has been global, changing the way individuals and businesses conduct their finances’ check out the Niche areas that fintech is yet to exploit.
Holt Fintech Accelerator are currently accepting applications to their 2019 cohort at Holt Accelerator in Montreal. They are looking for international, pre-Series A (i.e. bootstrapped, pre-seed, seed, bridge), FinTech startups who are ready to take advantage of this high-impact program.
Lightning Lab GovTech is accepting applications for its July 2019 cohort. If you are in the public sector, don’t miss your chance be part of this project accelerator.
We always want to hear from our Members who are at the frontline of innovation and investment. If you’ve got something to contribute to the FinTech community get in touch.
MEMBER NEWS
After the successful release of the InsurTech Landscape report “InsurTech emerging at pace” in conjunction with EY New Zealand, InsurTechNZ are preparing for their next series of events, details to follow. In the meantime Co-Chair Jason Roberts talks about how Insurtechs Aim to Solve Industry Challenges.
They are also exploring a partnership with CreativeHQ in Wellington to open up a Wellington division. We are inviting expressions of interest, please contact Jason to explore opportunities.
Applications are now open for Westpac Business Growth Grants 2019, applications close 7 June.
Big changes are ahead for MYOB as their Shareholders approve KKR’s AU$1.6b MYOB acquisition.
Contribute to Callaghan Innovation’s Scale-Up New Zealand. This free online platform connects innovative New Zealand businesses, investors, incubators and others, with each other and the world. Add your organisation’s profile on Scale-Up to connect and attract funding. Learn more about Scale-Up here.
Welcome to some of our newest members Dimension GRC, Media Design School, Sentro, The Honest Insurance Company and Insurance Advisernet NZ (IANZ). We’re thrilled to have you join our ever increasing community.
