Fintech Chatter: Conversations with Fintech CEOs and Founders

10 Years of Raiz: $2.1 Billion - What's next? CEO, Brendan Malone

Dexter Cousins | Founder, Tier One People Episode 365

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0:00 | 34:50

Brendan Malone, CEO of Raiz Invest, joins Dexter Cousins to mark 10 years since Raiz launched to Australian retail investors. From a joint venture with US micro-investing app Acorns in 2015, Raiz has grown to $2.1 billion in funds under management, over 330,000 active monthly users and over $5.5 billion invested for Australians. 

What We Discuss

  • How Raiz started as a joint venture with US app Acorns in March 2015 before listing on the ASX as Raiz in April 2018
  • The roundup innovation that put $2.2 billion to work for 340,000 Australians through small amounts consistently over time.
  • Why Raiz expanded into Southeast Asia, the 280 million person opportunity in Indonesia and what made it harder than expected
  • The ASX listing as a capital strategy when VC appetite for fintech was thin in 2018
  • Brendan's frustration with CDR after a decade of roundtables, policy submissions and no meaningful consumer outcome
  • How a 42-person team manages $2.2 billion using AI and machine learning, and why Brendan would not start again from scratch even in the AI era
  • Raiz's product roadmap including the Raiz Kids ecosystem and why Brendan expects consolidation among micro-investing platforms within the next few years
  • The endurance principles shared by Australian fintechs that have survived a decade: stay close to customers, resist the bright shiny things, and stick to the strategy

Key Timestamps

01:00 Celebrating a Decade in Business
02:11 The Genesis of Raze and Early Challenges
05:13 Breaking Down Barriers to Investing
08:08 Innovative Wealth Management Solutions
10:49 Growth Plans and Market Strategies
13:18 Exploring Southeast Asia's Market Potential
15:50 The Scale Game: Financial Inclusion in Indonesia
18:28 Lessons from Early Adopters: The CDR Experience
19:51 Navigating Regulatory Challenges in FinTech
23:04 Customer-Centric Innovation: Listening to the Market
24:19 The Impact of AI on Business Transformation
28:21 Building an Ecosystem for Sustainable Growth

Links and Resources

This show is brought to you by Tier One People, where we work with founders like Brendan to find the 1% who redefine what's possible. If you're scaling your leadership team, start at tieronepeople.com.


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