Investor · 1 deal
Sydney, NSW
Every published round Cuscal took part in, and every parcel of existing shares it bought off another holder. Deals we hold but haven't published yet are not counted.
| Company | Stage | Announced | Amount | Role | Alongside | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paypa Plane | Series A | 3 Apr 2023 | $10m | Participant | Startup Daily (Wed 26 Jul 2023), SmartCompany, Women's Agenda, Australian FinTech, Startup Daily (Fri 31 Mar 2023), Business News Australia, paypaplane.com, Sprint Ventures portfolio |
Companies Cuscal has backed in a published round, and companies whose existing shares it bought off another holder.
| Company | What it does | First invested | Rounds | Led |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paypa Plane | 3 Apr 2023, Series A | 1 | 0 |
Fund closes reported for Cuscal, as distinct from the investments it has made.
Companies Cuscal has backed that another company then bought. An exit for the holding, not a deal Cuscal did.
| Company | Bought by | Kind | Announced | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No portfolio company of Cuscal is recorded as having been acquired. | ||||
Companies Cuscal acquired or merged with, per published coverage. Buying a company is not investing in one: nothing here counts in the deals column.
| Company | Kind | Announced | Price | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basiq | Acquisition | 14 Mar 2023 | $80m | Australian FinTech (Tue 24 Jun 2025), Startup Daily (Tue 12 Mar 2024), Startup Daily (Tue 6 Feb 2024), Australian FinTech (Tue 14 Mar 2023), Startup Daily (Fri 10 Mar 2023) |
| Name | Role | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| Craig Kennedy | Managing Director | Australian FinTech, Startup Daily |
| Brian Parker | Chief Information Officer | SmartCompany |
| Bill Conn | Chair | Startup Daily |
| Bianca Bates | Deputy CEO (former) | Fintech News Australia, Startup Daily |
Stories naming Cuscal. Where several outlets covered the same round, they are bundled under whichever ran the fullest account.
Weekly roundup: Blackbird confirms a record fund close and Galileo reaches a first close, Genesis merges with Proudi, IREN secures massive debt, and several startups report raises, grants and program wins.
Global consultancy Sia has acquired Seven Consulting, an Australian business transformation firm, roughly quadrupling Sia's local headcount and adding major banking, government and retail clients.
Consulting group Sia has bought Seven Consulting, an Australian transformation consultancy, adding Sydney and Melbourne offices, a Perth presence and major clients across banking, government and retail.
Also Dealroom·Dealroom·sevenconsulting.com·briefglance.com·melbourne-insider.au·cfotech.com.au·consultancy.com.au
Cuscal has completed its purchase of New Zealand payments firm Paymark, rebranding it Cuscal Paymark; the business stays standalone with leadership unchanged as Cuscal widens its Australasian payments footprint.
Payments firm Monoova has appointed Bianca Bates as chief executive from July 2026, replacing co-founder Christian Westerlind Wigstrom, with chair Robert Bell filling in until she starts.
ASX-listed venture fund Touch Ventures is parting with chief executive Hein Vogel; the piece recalls its 2021 $100 million listing, heavy write-offs on PlanPay and Till Payments, and Basiq's sale to Cuscal.
Payments firm Fat Zebra has acquired open-banking platform Adatree, price undisclosed, with all staff moving across; the piece also recalls Adatree's 2021 seed round and the sector's slow consumer-data-right progress.
Also Fintech News Australia·Australian FinTech·Fintech News Australia·Fintech News Australia
Brisbane payments startup Paypa Plane closed a $10 million Series A led by QIC with Cuscal, Mastercard and Sprint Ventures; Commonwealth Bank earlier took a 20% stake, and two new directors joined the board.
Also Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Australian FinTech·Women's Agenda·Business News Australia
Brisbane payments fintech Paypa Plane has secured a $10 million Series A led by QIC, with Mastercard, Cuscal and Sprint Ventures joining earlier backers CBA and Tyro, funding hiring and US expansion.
Also Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Australian FinTech·Startup Daily·Women's Agenda
Payments company Cuscal is acquiring open banking data firm Basiq for an undisclosed price, letting backers NAB Ventures, Salesforce Ventures, Reinventure and Visa cash out.
Also Australian FinTech·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Australian FinTech
Profile of Zeller's co-founder Ben Pfisterer covering the payments firm's Melbourne base, unicorn valuation, early backers, product range and growth since launching in 2021.
Edtech company Academy Xi has collected $14 million in total, adding $4.4 million from new and returning backers to support growth via acquisitions and partnerships.
NAB is buying neobank 86 400 for roughly $220 million, folding it into UBank, shortly after rival Xinja said it would quit banking, leaving fewer independent Australian neobanks standing.
Also Startup Daily·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Australian FinTech·Australian FinTech·Australian FinTech·Australian FinTech·Australian FinTech
Challenger banks Xinja and 86 400 reach APRA licensing milestones and launch app-based retail transaction and savings accounts, becoming the first neobanks to offer Australian retail deposit products.
Small-business focused challenger bank Judo Bank has banked a $400 million round from new and returning institutional backers, reportedly the largest single raise by an Australian startup, double its original target.
Also Startup Daily·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Australian FinTech·Crunchbase News
Morgan Stanley has begun approaching investors for an equity raising at newly licensed digital bank 86 400, which is seeking fresh capital to fund its first three years of operation.
Neobank 86400 aims to close a large capital raise later in 2019, while the piece recaps recent funding by Australian neobank rivals Judo, Xinja and Volt plus Airwallex and Deputy.
Digital bank 86 400, backed by Cuscal and awaiting APRA licensing, plans an Australian launch and seeks $250 million, with Morgan Stanley assisting the raise.
Neobank 86 400 has hired an investment bank to run a planned search for new shareholders later in the year, noting payments firm Cuscal has funded it so far while it pursues a banking licence.
Payment firm Paypa Plane says Mastercard, Cuscal, Sprint Ventures and Queensland's Business Investment Fund joined its $10 million Series A, with QIC managing the investment and Commonwealth Bank and Tyro already backing it.
Also Business News Australia·Startup Daily·Australian FinTech·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Women's Agenda