It’s been 10 years for the reason that Australian Authorities formally prioritised fintech as a key development sector — and a decade since FinTech Australia was shaped to champion the business.
At Intersekt 2025, that milestone was entrance of thoughts.
From the very first pre-event dinners on the Tuesday night time, there was a palpable buzz of optimism as delegates from world wide gathered to reconnect, have fun, study, and plan for the long run.
Catching up on the sidelines of Intersekt is all the time well-liked
I attended sporting a number of hats: as a newly appointed member of the FinTech Australia board, as CEO and cofounder of a scaling fintech, as a panelist — and as a pupil hungry to study.
Listed below are a few of the standout themes and golden nuggets from throughout this system.
Day 1
Wanting into the Crystal Ball: Who Will Be the Subsequent Fintech Titans?
Moderated by Judy Anderson-Firth (Triple Bubble & Euphemia), this panel featured Marnie Baker, a FinTech Australia director, Dom Pym (Euphemia), Lynn Thompson, (QBE Ventures) and Toby Norton-Smith,(x15ventures).
Marnie opened provocatively, asking: “Ought to the ecosystem be the titan slightly than one or two gamers?” A reminder that constructing a thriving sector could also be extra necessary than chasing unicorns.
Dom challenged the concept “titan” equals measurement: “Impression and tradition are much more necessary… higher to be large and good than large and never good. We want titans, not tyrants.” His personal Up Financial institution was held up as a future titan on these phrases.
Toby spoke about 15x Ventures’ strategy to serving to fintechs turn out to be “enterprise prepared,” whereas Lynn provided her litmus take a look at: “In case your gross sales cycle is beneath six months, you’ve obtained one thing particular. If it’s longer, you’re nonetheless figuring it out.”
A easy but sharp benchmark for any startup.
Lynn additionally highlighted Cowl Genius as a standout insurtech to look at.
Constructing a Ample Runway Earlier than Liftoff: Securing Funding in 2025
I had the privilege of becoming a member of Shamus Hodgson (Zai Funds), Caroline Tran (Good day Intelligent), and Kenneth Lai (RSM) for this panel.
Shamus captured the temper with: “Income is vainness, revenue is sanity.” Traders, he famous, at the moment are extra cautious than ever and desire a crystal-clear view of how their cash is spent. Caroline, cofounder of Good day Intelligent, agreed: “You must know your numbers exactly. Traders need milestones, exit plans, and returns — and you could ship.”
I shared the non-dilutive funding perspective, highlighting how founders at the moment are weighing their weighted common value of capital, strategically mixing debt and fairness to fund development. At Tractor Ventures, we’re seeing extra founders run dual-track funding methods than ever earlier than.
Contemporary Off the Press: What You Missed within the Australian Startup Panorama
This session, moderated by Bronwen Clune (Capital Transient), introduced collectively Ben Buckingham (Major), Alex Simmons (Kashkade), and Kirstin Hunter (Birchal).
Kirstin summed up the second: “Necessity breeds creativity. Founders are trying past conventional VC, and different capital is now a part of the combo.” She additionally challenged native buyers: “We’re a small nation, and VCs lack creativity in early-stage funding.”
Ben pointed to the widening hole between seed, Sequence A and B, noting that debt is usually bridging rounds. Bronwen noticed that alt-capital is barely simply now beginning to acquire recognition, whereas Alex added: “Personal wealth is turning into extra energetic within the ecosystem.”
Or as Bronwen put it in a headline: “Progress is again, child.”
Day 2
Ladies in Fintech Breakfast: From Competitors to Collaboration
Sponsored by Cuscal, this session introduced collectively Bronwyn Yam, Could Lam, Irene Tsang, myself, and moderator Judy Anderson-Firth.
The Ladies in Fintech breakfast
With 70 ladies within the room over a full breakfast, the dialogue was highly effective and private. Every panelist spoke of going through discrimination as ladies — typically ladies of color and migrants — and succeeding regardless.
We acknowledged the worth of women-only areas, however Judy challenged us to not cease there: “Occasions like this are very important, however they gained’t clear up the issue on their very own.”
True to type, Judy ended with motion: each panelist dedicated to 1 tangible step, and each attendee was requested to notice their very own. My commitments included mentoring extra actively, opening doorways for different ladies, and pushing for family-friendly occasion codecs.
Retention Methods: Creating Workplaces that Maintain Inclusion
Key takeaways from this dialogue included:
Understanding backgrounds is vital (Anish Sinha).
Tradition interviews at Citro guarantee candidates are assessed by friends exterior their operate (Megan Burgess).
AI will reshape work, and adaptability is now not optionally available — Cuscal’s hybrid mannequin reveals intentional design (Freya Smith).
Illustration issues — Zip Co now has 50–55% ladies throughout exec and non-exec roles (Lauren McCormack).
Lauren additionally emphasised susceptible management as the trail to psychological security — a degree that resonated deeply with me.
Present and Inform: Why We Invested in Our Portfolio
This panel supplied a uncommon look inside VC decision-making.
Highlights included:
NAB Ventures’ funding in Trovata, for its real-time treasury administration impression on NAB’s buyer base.
Airtree and Sq. Peg’s joint backing of Constantinople, betting on the workforce’s deep buyer perception and full-stack AI-native banking platform.
Sq. Peg’s Ed Barker: “Founders should clear up 100% of the issue, not simply a part of it — that’s the way you construct defensible moats.”
5 V’s funding in Open Insurance coverage, praised for his or her buyer obsession and testing through their very own model “Huddle.”
As soon as Bitten, Twice Spry: Classes from Serial Founders
This session with Stuart Stoyan and Luke Howes was stuffed with hard-won truths.
Luke: “A greenback from a buyer is value greater than a greenback from an investor.”
Stu: “Personal 100% of one thing smaller slightly than 1% of a unicorn.”
Each: deal with outcomes, not headlines — and by no means waste a disaster.
Past the panels
The networking was fixed and energised: handshakes, hugs, and laughter over espresso, buffets, Lune croissants, and even a Messina ice-cream cart courtesy of Mastercard. By night time, the motion shifted to golf equipment and bars, reminding us fintech can social gathering as exhausting because it pitches.
As all the time, the FinTech Australia workforce led by Rehan D’Almeida delivered a world-class pageant.
The occasion closed with the high-octane Fintech50 Pitch Extravaganza: 50 founders, 30 seconds every. It was quick, enjoyable, and an exhilarating glimpse of the sector’s subsequent wave.
Remaining ideas
After ten years of fintech in Australia, Intersekt 2025 confirmed simply how far we’ve come — and the way a lot additional we are able to go. The conversations have been candid, the optimism was infectious, and the range of capital, management, and concepts felt stronger than ever.
The subsequent decade is ready to be even larger.
FinTech Australia CEO Rehan D’Almeida
- Jodie Imam is the cofounder and CEO of Tractor Ventures and a director of FinTech Australia.
