Financial technologies (fintech)

Singapore-based fintech Lendela introduces reverse auction loans in Australia

Singaporean personal lending fintech Lendela has opened its first office in Australia. Founded in 2018, Lendela’s online platform helps consumers find the best loan with one application. The company processes around 70,000 loan applications a year. Lendela’s Australian base in Sydney is the company’s fourth office after Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong.  

‘Austrade was instrumental in helping us enter the Australian market and building our network,’ says Lendela’s founder and CEO, Nima Karimi. ‘We have received valuable introductions, and advice and support in legal, HR and market matters.’ 

Australian loan market offers strong opportunities

Karimi says Australia’s huge loan market offers strong business opportunities. 

‘Australia disburses more than 8 million personal loans annually,’ he says. ‘The need for loans is also growing because of changing economic circumstances.’ 

Karimi notes there are gaps in the competitor landscape that Lendela can fill.  

‘Other comparison platforms have lead-generation referral models and only cater to customers with good credit ratings,’ he says. ‘There are many considerations when picking a loan. Lendela finds the best loan and guides customers through the application process until they receive the loan.’ 

A supportive financial and regulatory environment 

Jake Osborne, Head of Australia at Lendela, cites Australia’s sophisticated financial ecosystem as a key reason for market expansion. 

‘Australia’s financial environment makes deep integration possible,’ Osborne says. ‘The new Open Banking framework exposes data points necessary for credit decisioning in a reliable and secure manner.’ 

Australia’s strong fintech infrastructure and clear regulatory environment offer a clear launching pad for Lendela’s offering, building on incumbent solutions used by lenders.  

‘Most Australian financial institutions are already partially or entirely digital,’ says Osborne. ‘Lendela brings the personal lending ecosystem together by matchmaking consumers and lenders.’ 

Osborne believes Lendela’s platform will become an invaluable tool for lenders. 

‘In a highly competitive lending space, customer acquisition costs are incredibly high for lenders. The customer experience is also extremely fragmented for borrowers comparing loan terms,’ he says. ‘Lendela’s proprietary loans-matching engine offers a better solution to both lenders and borrowers.’ 

How Austrade helped

Austrade provided Lendela with market insights and assisted with its go-to-market strategy. 
 
The agency hosted business-matching meetings between Karimi and key players in Australia’s fintech ecosystem, including at the Intersekt conference in Melbourne and the Singapore Fintech Festival. Austrade also helped identify a visa pathway for Lendela’s Chief Technology Officer. 
 
Support for Australian and Singaporean fintechs 
Austrade and the Singapore FinTech Association signed an MoU in April 2023. The signing initiated Project Lorikeet, a new program to support Singaporean fintechs’ expansion into Australia, and Australian fintechs that want to explore opportunities in Singapore. Read more about the program.

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Published: 16 May 2023

GoCardless: tapping the fintech opportunity in Australia with bank-to-bank payments

GoCardless is a global fintech firm founded in the UK, offering innovative digital bank-to-bank payment solutions. The company entered Australia in 2018 and has clocked impressive growth within a short period, among small businesses and large enterprises. 

In this case study, Luke Fosset, Director, GoCardless, Australia & New Zealand discusses the company’s journey so far, including: 

• The company’s operating model and global success
• The opportunities for global fintech firms in Australia 
• The role of Austrade as a facilitator. 

GoCardless currently has 70,000 merchants as customers, who process over US$30 billion in transactions every year. And despite a challenging 2020, the company continued its Australia growth story with strong growth in revenues, merchant partners and customer wins. 

Please contact Austrade to find out more about how we assist global companies enter and grow in the Australian Market

Revolutionising global payments with open banking from Australia

GoCardless is on a mission to help businesses with recurring revenue manage their receivables by enabling bank-to-bank debit.  

The company helps customers improve their cash flow by automating administrative tasks and payment reconciliation across billing platforms. Besides lowering failure rates to as little as 0.5%, GoCardless helps customers bypass high transaction fees levied on debit and credit card payments. 

‘Our solutions allow customers to save costs, and merchants to reduce involuntary churn by decreasing payment failures,’ says Fosset. ‘Combined with enhanced and seamless cash flow, GoCardless is committed to helping large and small businesses in Australia deal with delayed payments.’ 

GoCardless currently has over 70,000 business customers across the UK, US, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. It processes $30 billion in transactions every year.

To scale up its operations further – and to accelerate its open banking strategy – the company has engaged in several successful funding rounds. In late 2020, the company raised $95 million. In February 2022, it raised US$312 million. This gave GoCardless a market valuation of over US$2 billion.

Finding roots and scaling-up in Australia

GoCardless has strengthened its presence in the Australian market within a short period of three years. ‘Despite a challenging 2020, we have reported a massive growth in revenue and an exponential growth in headcount,’ says Fosset.  

‘Additionally, as Australian companies realise the benefits of bank-to-bank debit, businesses of all shapes and sizes see the value in a cost-effective, seamless, and reliable payments system. As a result, we are also witnessing an uptick in active merchants on our platform and customer sign-ups. This has helped us scale up effectively.’ 

Helping Australian businesses go global

According to a recent research report, delayed payments are a major financial pain for Australian small and medium businesses (SMBs).  

‘Addressing this delay with solutions like ours could effectively transfer $7 billion in capital to SMBs thus reducing their financing costs and encouraging them to invest,’ says Fosset. 

‘Moreover, our bank-to-bank debit solutions and borderless payments enable Australian companies to operate on a global scale and tap opportunities across the world,’ he adds. 

Austrade’s overseas outreach and engagement to invite global fintech firms

Austrade invited GoCardless to participate in the 2018 edition of the UK/AU Fintech Bridge Mission. The company and its products were introduced to several Australian contacts at the flagship event, including industry bodies such as AusPayNet. 

‘The regulatory and operational environment in the fintech space can be quite complicated to navigate,’ says Fosset. ‘The introductions Austrade made at various points helped us get a better understanding of the market, and paved the way for our Australia entry within a year of the first meeting,’ he adds. 

Austrade helps with market entry and launch in Australia

Prior to the formal launch, Austrade helped GoCardless with their two-month-long reconnaissance mission. Fosset says that Austrade also assisted in securing a temporary co-working space at Stone & Chalk in Sydney for the duration. 

‘When we were ready for our Australia launch in 2018, Austrade was a great resource for advice on several aspects – from where to launch, to informing us about availability of various government grants,’ he says. ‘Austrade also hosted local events and facilitated introductions.’ 

Working with Austrade

‘The success of GoCardless in Australia is a testament to the vast opportunities our country offers to global fintech firms,’ says Andy Thompson, Investment Director, Austrade.  

‘We will continue working with GoCardless to help them strengthen their presence in Australia, and to enable local SMBs and enterprises by providing access to the latest global fintech innovations and solutions.’ 

For more information, please contact Austrade.  

About Austrade

The Australian Trade and Investment Commission (Austrade) is the Australian Government’s international trade promotion and investment attraction agency.

We deliver quality trade and investment services to businesses to grow Australia’s prosperity. We do this by generating and providing market information and insights, promoting Australian capability, and facilitating connections through our extensive global network.

To discover how we can help you and your business, visit austrade.gov.au or contact us on 13 28 78 (within Australia).

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Published: 20 June 2022