The wealth industry's new all-powerful gatekeepers emerge
And when Scarcity tripled its money in less than a year after ASX-listed Generation Development Group paid $320 million to acquire the business, the penny dropped. Perhaps their little businesses were worth a lot.
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Herald Sun
an hour ago
- Herald Sun
MONEYME secures key Mastercard status
Don't miss out on the headlines from Stockhead. Followed categories will be added to My News. MONEYME to become principal credit card issuer for Mastercard in Australia Non-bank lender to gain direct access to Mastercard's network, unlocking new opportunities MME partners with Episode Six to enhance credit card infrastructure and enable rollout of multiple card products Special Report: Non-bank lender MONEYME has become a principal credit card issuer for Mastercard in Australia, marking a major milestone in its strategic roadmap to accelerate growth in the credit card space. As a principal issuer, MONEYME (ASX:MME) will have direct access to Mastercard's global network, unlocking new opportunities, product development and distribution. The agreement supports MME's strategy to enhance customer experience, diversify its product offering and drive stronger economics as the business scales. In another strategic move, MME has partnered with global payment technology provider Episode Six to enhance its credit card infrastructure and enable the rollout of multiple card products. MME said integrating Episode Six's cloud-based card processing infrastructure into its proprietary technology would facilitate innovation, faster roll-out of new products, custom card designs and dynamic feature sets tailored to different customer segments. 'Defining moment' in growth journey Together, MME said the alliances would enable significant long-term growth, scalability, speed to market and future-ready customer experiences for its credit card offering. 'Becoming a Mastercard principal issuer in Australia and partnering with Episode Six marks a defining milestone in our growth journey,' MME managing director Clayton Howes said. The move enabled MME to expand into new distribution channels and deliver a differentiated credit card offering in a market 'where banks have under-innovated'. 'With strong everyday relevance and a direct customer connection, our credit card offering plans to fill a clear gap, just as Autopay did,' Howes said. 'We see it as a high-margin, high-engagement product that will power our future growth objectives.' Mastercard and Episode Six back MONEYME's push Mastercard division president Australasia Richard Wormald said the company was excited to welcome MME to the network as a principal issuer. 'With its unique technology capabilities, agile approach and challenger mindset, MONEYME is strongly placed to drive fresh thinking in Australia's consumer and retail credit card programs,' he said. Episode Six co-founder and CEO John Mitchell said the company was proud to support MME as the company took the significant step forward in owning more of the credit card value chain. 'By integrating our platform, MONEYME can configure and launch differentiated credit card products with greater speed, control and flexibility,' Mitchell said. 'Together, we're building a foundation that supports rapid innovation, scalable growth and future-ready infrastructure for the Australian market and beyond.' This article was developed in collaboration with MoneyMe, a Stockhead advertiser at the time of publishing. This article does not constitute financial product advice. You should consider obtaining independent advice before making any financial decisions. Originally published as MONEYME secures Mastercard principal issuer status, partners with Episode Six
News.com.au
5 hours ago
- News.com.au
RLF AgTech sprouts sustainable future after nurturing key business units
RLF AgTech has undertaken a restructure to build long-term sustainable growth Company is at forefront of precision agriculture to improve crop yields and quality RLF has set up around 500 Australian distributors in past 12 months, with focus on local operations Commercial nutrition solutions provider for the agriculture industry, RLF AgTech is shaping up for strong growth, as precision agriculture continues to gain global relevance. Focusing on precision agriculture, RLF AgTech (ASX:RLF) is up ~37% YTD and has positioned itself at the forefront of a critical and rapidly evolving global challenge – producing more quality food – efficiently and sustainably – to meet demands of a growing population. With a history spanning around 30 years, RLF listed on the ASX in 2022 and is now poised for growth following a period of transition. Acting managing director Gavin Ball first invested in RLF around 14 years ago, realising the company's potential. Following a restructure around 12 months ago, Ball stepped into the top role. He credited the tireless efforts of the entire RLF team in pushing the company in the right direction, laying the foundation for future growth and profitability. "We've managed to get to a stable footing now, where we can demonstrate growth and viability of the business," Ball said. "Our strategy for the past 12 months has been plain vanilla management 101 with a focus on revenue and commercial opportunities. Four revenue businesses make up RLF AgTech RLF's flagship Plant Proton Delivery Technology (PPDT) allows farmers to cultivate crops with enhanced yields, improved quality and increased nutritional value, while bolstering the plants' capacity to store and reduce atmospheric carbon. The company operates four revenue-generating divisions including: RLF China RLF Asia RLF Australia; and RLF LiquaForce. In May 2024, RLF acquired fertiliser company LiquaForce's core business and assets for $4.5 million in cash and shares to help drive expansion into sugarcane, broadacre and horticulture farming. LiquaForce has two manufacturing sites in Queensland, allowing for expansion to support increased sales and RLF manufacturing. Ball emphasised that while stabilising all its business units has been the company's simple, overarching strategy, predominant focus has been placed on RLF LiquaForce, which has provided a strong foundation in Australia with infrastructure and revenues. RLF Australia meanwhile, is also a crucial component with the company's technical business offering a range of micro-nutritional products, built throughout its history, and based on grower needs and demands. "We have a lot of products but focus on 16 key ones in Australia and about 30 in China," Ball said. "They range from more advanced broad-spectrum products to specific products focused on the different stages of crop growth or particular crops." Recently, RLF added a biological range of products for broadacre farming to complement its existing plant nutrition range, an area Ball said he is interested in expanding over the short term. Establishing a strong distributor model for growth Ball noted that within Australia the landscape for selling agricultural products is through distribution networks such as Delta Agribusiness and NRI Australia. "Our first strategy for our Australian business was to set up manufacturing and then to set up distribution," he explained. The company's plan for 2025 was to establish 100 distributors with 400 by 2028, a goal it has already reached. "Our growing distribution reflects our years of trial data and substantiation, so we're not bringing in new products but trusted products which have validation," Ball said. Continuing the growth of its Australian business will be RLF's primary focus for 2026. Right time for growth with precision agriculture in focus With growers globally increasingly embracing science-driven precision agriculture, RLF is well-positioned to capitalise on the trend through its advanced plant nutrition solutions. "Growers are looking at the science behind crop growth to get better yields and better-quality produce," Ball said. "A lot of our trials now are around quality, which for the grower determines how much they get paid for their produce. "If you have a higher sugar content in sugar cane, more protein in grain for wheat, or better-quality fruit and vegetables, growers get more money." Ball said adapting crops for climate change, and a growing global population had also become important in the agricultural industry. In RLF's Asia-Pacific business, a major challenge for crop yield is storm and rain damage. For example, mangoes can fall and rot when the stalks holding the fruit to the tree aren't strong enough to withstand the weather. "Having products that can grow stronger stalks to hold the fruit becomes important," he explained. "Rice gets dislodged with a heavy wind and rain, so we've developed products which grow thicker stalks and stronger root systems to help withstand climate effects, which have both an agronomic and yield benefit." Hillston project validates RLF's carbon-farming potential In March RLF reported positive early results from its Hillston Soil Carbon Project, designed to verify the effectiveness of its fertiliser technology to increase soil carbon levels, reducing agricultural emissions, and cutting reliance on synthetic fertilisers. Following application of RLF's Accumulating Carbon in Soil System (ACSS) products to a single crop, Hillston has delivered measurable improvements in soil organic carbon, a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, and improvements in fertiliser efficiency. The Hillston project is part of RLF's broader strategy to position itself as a leader in carbon-smart farming solutions, aligning with increasing ESG and sustainability disclosure requirements and global demand for verified carbon reduction initiatives. "Sustainable, high-quality food production is essential globally, and represents a significant market opportunity for RLF," Ball said. With a solid operational base, an expanding range of proven products, and growing presence across key markets, Ball said RLF demonstrated the practical impact of its approach to agricultural technology. "We're increasingly a story of delivery of products in use, results on the ground and revenue coming through," he said. "With positive momentum in the Australian market and early signs of scalable growth, we're well placed to benefit from rising interest in smarter, more sustainable farming solutions."
The Age
7 hours ago
- The Age
ASX set to rise, Wall Street advances amid doubts about Trump's tariffs
US stock indexes are hanging near their records on Monday following President Donald Trump's latest updates to his tariffs, as speculation continues on Wall Street that he may ultimately back down on them. The S&P 500 was edging up by 0.1 per cent and within 0.2 per cent of its all-time high set on Thursday. The Dow Jones was up 54 points, or 0.1 per cent, in mid-afternoon trade, and the Nasdaq composite was 0.3 per cent higher. The Australian sharemarket is set to advance, with futures pointing to a rise of 57 points, or 0.7 per cent, at the open. The ASX slid by 0.1 per cent on Monday. The Australian dollar was 0.5 per cent lower at 65.46 US cents at 5.16am AEST. Stock indexes elsewhere around the world were mixed in their first trading after Trump announced plans over the weekend for 30 per cent tariffs on goods from Mexico and the European Union. They won't take effect until August 1, the same deadline that Trump announced last week for updated tax rates on imports from Japan, South Korea and a dozen other countries. The latest postponements for Trump's tariffs allow more time for him to reach trade deals with other countries that could lower the tariff rates and prevent pain for international trade. They also feed into speculation that Trump may ultimately back down on his tariffs if they end up creating too much damage for the economy and for financial markets. If Trump were to enact all his proposed tariffs on August 1, they would raise the risk of a recession. That would not only hurt US voters but also raise the pressure on the US government's debt level relative to the economy's size, particularly after Washington approved big tax cuts that will add to the deficit. Loading 'We therefore believe that the administration is using this latest round of tariff escalation to maximise its negotiating leverage and that it will ultimately de-escalate, especially if there is a new bout of heightened bond and stock market volatility,' according to Ulrike Hoffmann-Burchardi, global head of equities at UBS Global Wealth Management. 'As usual, there are many conditions and clauses that can get these rates reduced,' said Brian Jacobsen, chief economist at Annex Wealth Management. 'That's probably why the market might not like the tariff talk, but it's not panicking about it either.'
