App-based digital banks, known as neobanks, emerged in Australia in 2018. Major players include Judo Bank, 86 400, Up Bank and Volt.Neobanks that have been able to become profitable have focused on both sides of the balance sheet – growing customers and loan books simultaneously.Neobank Xinja has exited banking in Australia to focus on its US share trading platform.Xinja was marketed to Millennials, offering high interest deposit accounts and glow-in-the-dark bank cards but has been unable to launch loan products to offset the cash burn.https://www.smh.com.au/business/banking-and-finance/neobank-xinja-to-close-accounts-return-banking-licence-20201216-p56nw3.html
ZeroAvia is a developer of zero-emission powertrain for
commercial air travel. In September they
made their first test flight in Cranfield in the UK using a 6-seater
hydrogen-fueled aircraft for taxiing, taking off, circling and landing. ZeroAvia’s first commercial product will be the
powertrain for 20-seater planes and aims to demonstrate that it can fly a
plane over 800km with as many as 20 seats by 2023. They want to scale up to 1,600km with over 100 seats by 2030.
Aviation is a challenging industry to decarbonise and will
increasingly contribute to unwanted carbon emissions.
A comedic film, featuring The Grinch, about the tensions of funders and non-profits.During 2020 many NFP received a reduction of funding of about 20%, so have been doing more with less, in a year where the need has grown by more than 20%. Merry Christmas to everyone in the NFP sector, we see what you do and we are grateful!https://nonprofitquarterly.org/the-grinch-a-non-profitable-christmas/
Thea is a studio-based printmaker and painter. Her printing methods concentrate on etchings, both on zinc and caustic soda on linoleum. Her paintings utilise encaustic and oils on wafer board. The inspiration for the majority of Thea's work has focussed on her memories, those of her American mother and her Czech born mother-in-law's experiences in the Holocaust. Her work utilises words and numbers, which have been relayed to Thea, both orally and in writing. Letters are stamped onto canvas, etching plates or wooden boards to replicate the stories told and the images interpreted. https://www.theaweiss.com.au/
Over 700 startups dealing with different aspects of fintech are estimated to be working in Israel today. They include payments solutions, business loans and credit, cybersecurity for payments, trading, and more. Israeli Fintech startups have raised more than $1.8B in total across 211 deals since 2014, excluding insuretech. Israel’s dedication to R&D is unparalleled with payment innovations such as mobile wallets and digital-only banks break the borders financially and enable users to make global payments. Trends to look out for in the future of payments include mobile wallets; the rise of codes; biometric authentication; contactless payments and mobile point-of-sale. http://www.israeltrade.org.au/zoom-in-on-the-israeli-payment-industry/
