Image: Attendees at Intersekt 2023, held at the Grand Hyatt in Melbourne. Intersekt has become the premier event for Australia’s fintech industry. Taking place annually in Melbourne, the event attracts more than 1,200 delegates across the country and around the world. Now in its eighth year, Intersekt continues to play a crucial role in Victoria’s startup ecosystem, showcasing the latest trends and advancements in fintech. Supported through the Victorian Government's Digital Innovation Futures (DIF) Initiative, the event highlights Australia’s status as a global leader in fintech innovation and reinforces Melbourne’s importance as the home of some of the country’s most successful fintech companies, including Airwallex and Judo Bank. This year, Intersekt will focus on key themes such as green fintech, policy-driven innovation, and sector evolution. Image: Rehan Mark D'Almeida, CEO of Fintech Australia. We spoke with Rehan Mark D'Almeida, the CEO of Fintech Australia, to explore the event’s role in advancing Melbourne’s fintech landscape and reinforcing its global reputation. What makes Melbourne an ideal location for hosting Intersekt and supporting a thriving fintech ecosystem? Melbourne is a focal point for the country’s vibrant financial services sector. It's a natural home for a lot of fintech companies and a part of Australia that drives a significant amount of fintech innovation. How has Melbourne's fintech scene developed over time, and how has Intersekt influenced that growth? Perhaps the most fundamental change we’ve seen over the past decade or so is the decentralisation of Australia’s fintech ecosystem. Whereas once it was really concentrated in Melbourne and Sydney, we’re now seeing fintechs emerge across the country. This has largely been helped by the remote working trend. How does Intersekt enhance Melbourne's reputation as a global fintech hub? Intersekt draws a reasonable amount of global press coverage , with reporters overseas often keen to cover what’s been said at the conference from afar. This also amplifies the impact of the event and Melbourne as a host city. Image: An audience at Intersekt 2023, awaiting the introduction of a panel. What attracts international fintech companies and investors to Melbourne during Intersekt? Most of our international guests come to the festival to meet with leaders in Australia’s fintech ecosystem and contribute to our national discussion on the issues affecting the sector. That’s, at least, the initial reason. But while they are here, many remark about Melbourne’s vibrant food and wine scene. Intersekt also aims to celebrate that aspect of Melbourne, hosting several diverse dinners across some of the city's most celebrated restaurants. How does the collaboration between government, financial institutions, and fintech startups in Melbourne strengthen the city’s fintech landscape? As we keep saying every year, we can’t hold Intersekt without the support of both the Victorian Government and our corporate partners. The support they provide for this event, and for other initiatives we run throughout the year, helps galvanise Melbourne's fintech ecosystem and ensures it has everything needed to grow. On that note, be sure to mark your calendars for Intersekt 2024, taking place on 18-19 September 2024. Festival highlights include the Fintech 50 Pitch Extravaganza, where 50 industry pitches are delivered in just one hour, and the Global Pitch Night and International Mixer, offering a unique chance to pitch your startup to a global audience and win prizes. Visit the Intersekt website for the full program and tickets.
The Fintech industry plays an essential role in Victoria's flourishing digital economy. At present, Melbourne boasts a vibrant community of more than 300 Fintech firms, proudly housing some of the industry's most innovative players including Airwallex, Judo Bank, MYOB, PEXA, and Zeller. Clearly, this sector is a great example of the state’s xTech formula, which combines local industry expertise with the right talent, technologies and timing. Government Initiatives: Driving Fintech Innovation Recognising the vital role of digital talent in fostering tech sector growth, the Victorian Government is supporting and bolstering the Fintech community. A series of digital skills initiatives, such as the Digital Jobs Program, Free TAFE, and SummerTech LIVE, are empowering individuals with the necessary skills to thrive in the digital age. Spotlight on the Digital Jobs Program Digital Jobs is supporting up to 5,000 mid-career Victorians to complete 12 weeks of industry-backed training along with the opportunity to apply their new digital skills in a 12-week digital job placement with a Victorian business. Fintech firms have been quick to tap into this talent pool – including programming and software development and web development – who bring maturity, professional experience and business acumen to their roles. Image credit: Intersektfestival.com Intersekt: Unlocking the Potential of Australia's Fintech Market Victoria's vibrant Fintech ecosystem sets the scene for an exciting event that will further amplify the region's expertise in financial technology. Presented by Fintech Australia, Intersekt/23 is the largest gathering of Australian Fintechs (including hubs, accelerators, policymakers, regulators, investors, and advisors) and will explore the potential of Australia's Fintech market. This conference brings together over 1000 attendees, international delegations, local and international regulators. It is also one of the flagship events of the DIF2023 Festival, which runs from 23 August to 6 September. Attendees can expect three event stages for this conference, which will feature pitch events, interactive activities and discussions on topics shaping the future of fintech. With a diverse range of thought leaders, including representatives from leading Fintech firms and influential regulatory bodies, Intersekt/23 will be a conference not to be missed. Intersekt/23 runs over two packed days at the Grand Hyatt Wed 30 and Thu 32 Aug, Find out more about the program as well as ticketing options such as day passes and social events. Intersekt/23 is the Flagship Event of the annual Digital Innovation Futuress Festival and FinTech Australia is sponsored by the Victorian Government
Rehan D'Almeida, General Manager, FinTech Australia FinTech Australia has updated and relaunched one of its key resources for the fintech industry, its interactive ecosystem map. In addition, the peak body is calling for local fintechs to check and update their business details on the map to ensure that they fully capitalise off the resource. As part of the update, non-member fintechs can now add their details to the map at no cost. “This is the resource that we point overseas companies, corporates, investors, potential customers and other interested parties to when they ask us for more information about the ecosystem” Rehan D’Almeida, FinTech Australia General Manager . “Whether you are a member of FinTech Australia or not, we want to ensure that all fintechs in the country can effectively claim their space within the industry and have the best chance at surfacing themselves to new opportunities. This could be partnerships with other fintechs or alternatively, other companies abroad.” “It takes less than 10 minutes to update your company information. Not only will it help the ecosystem, but it will help us surface your business to more interested parties both here in Australia and abroad.” Originally launched in February 2022, the map serves as a fundamental resource for helping parties outside of the fintech industry navigate and learn about its key players. The new map also has two views - Directory view and Pie chart view along with additional filters. It compliments other maps, such as FinTech Australia’s regulatory and investor map, which were launched in the past two years. The map can be accessed via Fintech Australia website. Originally published by FinTech Australia on 25 May 2023
FinTech Australia has announced the finalists for the seventh annual fintech business awards, The Finnies. Known as Australia’s most prestigious fintech business awards, The Finnies celebrates achievements across the various components of the fintech industry and among the services that support them. FinTech Australia is a national association for the Australian FinTech Startup community. Their vision is to make Australia the leading market for FinTech Innovation and Investment by working with both sides of Government, Industry and the Australian FinTech community to create a supportive environment and partner ecosystem in Australia and abroad. 300 entries from over 250 fintechs across 19 categories with the 156 finalists vying for this year's Finnies “It has been a challenging period for a lot of companies in both the fintech and startup sectors. The Finnies are a great reminder that our industry does strive under pressure and can achieve in spite of adversity. The amount of deliberation we’ve had between our judges there have been some tough decisions. As a result, any company or individual who makes this shortlist should be incredibly proud of their achievements.” Rehan D'Almeida - FinTech Australia General Manager Closing in March this year, Judges assessed over 300 entries in the qualifying round which saw 26 industry experts review the achievements of over 250 Australian FinTech innovators. Final Judging closes on 10 May with winners announced at The Finnies Awards gala night hosted at the Forum Theatre Melbourne on 31 May 2023. Hosting this year’s Finnies event would not be possible without the help of event sponsors, Patona and Global Processing Services, and other award partners. Tickets are available from the Finnies website. Source: "FinTech Australia announces 2023 Finnie Award Finalists" published by FinTech Australia on 17 April 2023